Welcome to another installment of the LubDub show (formerly the Run Pub Podcast), brought to you by the Providence Heart to Start Program and the Oregon Brewery Running Series!
The LubDub is a weekly podcast and interactive video show where we talk to experts about running and walking and learn from program champions who provide motivation and inspiration as we embark on this 12-week journey as a community united in becoming our best, healthiest selves.
The Oregon Brewery Running Series hosts family-friendly, 5K fun running and walking events that start and end at some of Oregon’s best breweries. If you’re looking for an un-timed 5K in Portland or around the state, click the link below and join us!
In This Episode
In this episode, Laura Whiting, PA-C with Providence and the Heart to Start champion for the Hood River group will be joining us for some inspiring words.
Our main speaker is Eric Marchek, clinical operations manager for the Providence Sports Medicine program. We spoke with Eric back in week three about stretching, and tonight, he is going to talk with us about aches vs pains; how to pay attention to our bodies, and understand when we might need help assessing what a little pain or discomfort really means. This is a great episode for newer runners and walkers who may not know how to interpret these things yet, but also for more experienced folks (like myself), who perhaps are used to just “toughing it out” or ignoring it altogether. You’re going to want to pay attention as this information can set you up not just to complete this 12-week program, but become a lifelong athlete!
Register for the Follow Your Heart Virtual 5K & 10K in February!
How do I understand what my body is telling me?
Our bodies are constantly sending us messages. Some are easy to understand, and others are more difficult. Pain is often a clear message that something is wrong. That we need to stop what we’re doing and seek help. Sometimes, pain means we need to slow down, pay attention, and take better care of our bodies.
When we begin a new workout routine or increase our training intensity, our body is put under new stresses and inevitably we’re going to feel some level of pain or discomfort. Eric says this isn’t bad, per se, but we do need to manage it.
I’ve been running since I was 14 years old and have gotten better and better at knowing when I can “push through” a certain ache or pain and when I need to seek help. Sometimes, that helps means stretching more, taking a pain reliever, or taking a few days of rest. Other times, it means seeking help from a PT, massage therapist, or someone else adept at dealing with these things.
We cover a lot in this short interview, but here are a few of the highlights:
- Using the Green, Yellow, Red light system for determining what to do with your pain <<23:21>>
- What to do if the pain lingers for too long. <<26:35>>
- The first step to recovery. <<29:13>>
- What to do if you’re stubborn. <<31:10>>
- When to see a sports Dr. or Physician. <<33:36>>
- Dealing with hip and knee injuries and injuries that are felt during non-running activities. <<36:40>>
- How to stay active later in life. <<40:43>>
“…the biggest key I would say is to keep moving!”
- How to get PT help during COVID (in-person and virtually). <<44:06>>
We discuss a lot in this section. Just listen!
ABOUT ERIC MARCHEK, MPT, PT, CSCS
Each week, we are joined by an expert who sheds some light on one aspect of the running and walking journey. These are people at the top of their fields in a variety of things. Eric is a top PT and helps professional athletes and everyday athletes alike perform at their best.
According to his bio:
Eric is a native Oregonian and is an avid cyclist. He also enjoys hiking, travel and spending time with his friends and family. Eric is interested in sports of all kinds and is heavily involved in developing sports medicine programs for Providence, including managing our athletic training outreach program. In his clinical practice, Eric has a special interest in the injured athlete and helping to safely return them to the sport they love.
Eric has been with Providence since 2002. As the clinical operations manager for Providence Sports Medicine, he is in more of an administrative role but continues to work with athletes. He has been the Heart to Start primary contact for bringing various sports medicine experts to the in-person workouts over the past few years. He put together the dynamic and static stretching program that shared on the program’s portal page. Stay tuned as we may work with Erick to get a more in-depth interview this spring.
About Laura Whiting, PA-C
Laura Whiting is a PA-C based out of Hood River and is the Heart to Start Champion for that area.
Laura holds an engineering degree from the University of Michigan and previously worked as a pacemaker engineer. But wanting to be more directly involved with patients, she decided to become a PA.
Laura enjoys “teaching patients and their families to keep them feeling well and living long and happy lives.” She says, “…a big part of education is helping patients understand how to prevent serious or chronic problems and serving as their guide for confusing medical decisions…”
She also enjoys mountain biking, gardening, kiteboarding, snowboarding, traveling, and trying new cooking recipes. She also volunteers as an adaptive ski instructor at Timberline each winter.
Like most Heart to Start Champions, Laura got involved to help other people.
“I’m always trying to motivate patients to help them in their physical fitness journey, to get them to become more active. I’ve realized through my own sports and activities that if you have a particular goal, you’re much more apt to be able to stick with a training course or to be able to follow through. So when Heart to Start came to Hood River in 2018, even though I was four months pregnant, I knew that that was the program I wanted to help with.”
She was also surprised at how much inspiration she took from those in the program.
It astounded me after that year how impactful it was for me, and it exceeded my expectations. To see so many different varieties of people who had come out to exercise and throughout fall, who stuck with the program. We had families where there were three generations of people out there exercising. I had a patient who was about 80 and his wife exercising, and a number of people who had been regular exercisers, but then maybe life happened. Twenty-five years later, they found themselves in a situation where they just wanted to get back into the swing of something. I just really found that humbling and inspiring.
About Providence Heart to Start
We’re excited to be partnering with our friends from the Providence Heart to Start program to offer you a FREE 12-week running/walking training program! Rather than focusing on pace or ability, Heart to Start encourages taking several small steps (i.e. weekly training) and working toward a remarkable finish (i.e. goal event) where we celebrate each other as a community.
Unlike our previous monthly challenges, this challenge starts Monday, November 16, and ends on Friday, February 5. Set a challenging 12-week mileage goal and work really hard to reach it by the end!
