Sloppy runners

Where has the time gone? I cannot believe that two weeks have already flown by and only two more left in this amazing country. I may have already consumed enough coffee and tea to last a lifetime (it is offered multiple times throughout the day at every place we go; have I mentioned how much I love SA hospitality?), but no way am I ready to part with this place yet!

Wednesday was spent back at the Cheetahs stadium observing Christiene do physio with the rugby players. Since I did not want to go to the theatre (aka operating room) with Eric to watch orthopedic surgery performed all day, I decided to spend more time with the physios. Given the option between bloody shoulder operations and rugby players, naturally I chose the latter. It was great to see many of the same guys from last week and the progress most had made. And since it was a slower day appointment-wise for Christiene, we had a worthy excuse to spend more time drinking coffee, gabbing, and swapping stories. I do love being a girl sometimes! Playing with one of the guy’s beagle puppy was not so bad either. Am I learning anything through all this fun you ask? 100% yes! Between the endless supply of anatomy, physiology, biokinetic and physiotherapy lessons I receive everyday, I’ve also been blessed to hear amazing stories, learn life lessons, and really get to know some of the people we have crossed paths with.

Christiene gave me a tour of the Cheetah's locker room aka the Players Den.
Complete with a stocked bar, bear skin rugs, and jacuzzi, I would not
have minded staying in there the rest of the day.

Thursday was so stinkin’ cool! We were dropped off to spend the day at Anton Kemp’s runner’s lab. Anton is a foot specialist who makes orthotics and prosthetics for his patients (did I mention he is also a 3-time Iron Man competitor?). Typically, patients will come in to his office after many unsuccessful attempts with orthopedists, physios, etc. for foot/leg pain relief. He will analyze and record their walking or running pattern on an elongated force plate, show them the problem areas, and then offer to personally make an orthotic (when necessary) to correct the problem. The solution to almost every runner’s problem is the fact that they run with a heel-strike pattern, which is actually detrimental to the ankle, knee, and hip joints. Although he does not prescribe barefoot running as a solution, he does offer a type of shoe that promotes a mid-foot strike and an easy fix to so many athletes’ problems. In my Biomechanics class last semester, we briefly learned about the foot strike pattern, and why a mid-foot strike is much better for the body, as it reduces the ground force reactions, etc. It was neat to see that information applied. After a patient had cancelled her afternoon session, he even analyzed our running styles! I consider myself a runner, but turns out I'm a sloppy one. Needless to say, it was beneficial to hear what I should work on to improve my style and enjoy running even more. The only thing that could have made the day better was receiving a free pair of Newton mid-strike running shoes.

Eric's foot analysis of rotation, pressure points, alignment, etc.
after running on the force plates. We even got to keep the print outs. 

Anton working on a patient's orthotic (shoe insert)

Now I am finally caught up to Friday! This morning, we traveled with the 4^th year kinderkineticist students to a local primary school. Poor Eric was definitely in the minority as all the students were female and we went to an all-girl’s school. The kinderkintecist students travel to different schools during the week to run about an hour’s worth of activities to get the kids active and work on basic motor skills (running, throwing, catching, coordination). In other words, we got to spend in hour playing outside with a ton of precious 4-year old girls. The moment we walked in with the kinteticists, we were swarmed with hugs and yells of “Teachers! Teachers!” It was great to be surrounded by such enthusiasm and to be a kid again, even if it was for just an hour. I sure hope we get a chance to go back before we leave.

One of my groups at school this morning aka beautiful
balls of sunshine and energy

Playing cat and mouse

As for now, I’m off to play with some cheetahs. But really…