My husband looked up from the model airplane he was sanding, gave me a very concerned look, and asked “are you ok?”

Until he realized I was holding my phone and had “the look” on my face.

“Oohhh you found another one didn’t you?” he asked.

I shifted my eyes from staring into the abyss to looking at him. And that was enough of an answer.

See, sometimes I think I’m shouting into the void.

That you all already known all the things inside my brain when it comes to running and recovery, strength training and what weight to use, physical therapy exercises for specific running injuries…

and I feel like, well, I’m annoying you. Because you’ve heard it all.

and then I find “them”.

In this case, a post by a run-fluencer (no, I have no idea what they’re name is and who they are. honestly the algorithm on Instagram doesn’t show me these people often)…

But it was something about “I’ll send you these running drills that I’m using for preventative prehab”.

And girlypop was adorable and aesethetic! (you get it, girlfriend!)

But I about stroked out.

Because the exercises were:

• side planks
• 2 DIFFERENT CLAM SHELLS variations
• and like 3 different booty band exercises.

I honestly had to stop reading and watching it because I get a little too passionate and my eyes about popped out at the NUMBER OF COMMENTS asking for these VERY basic banded exercises…

Allow me to explain.

As a Doctor of physical therapy, I would deem the exercises demonstrated as clinically appropriate for someone:

• after surgery (maybe immediately post op, maybe 4 weeks after depending on the procedure
• someone very deconditioned and functionally weak.

but um…I’m willing to bet good money that those 2 categories AREN’T YOU.

So what blows my mind are the runners out there eating this stuff up when…they don’t know it’s not made for you. It’s not good enough for you.

Sure, something is always better than nothing! I will always advocate for that. But what broke my heart were some of these runners looking to run their best race, fastest marathon, avoid/prevent injury…

...and my PT-heart knowing “honey, this ain’t it.”

So that’s where this week’s blog post comes from: me wanting to give you the real solutions.

To get specific about things you struggle with as a long distance runner and address why marathoners suffer fatigue break down at Mile 18.

Because it’s NOT from being delinquent on your double-triple banded booty squats!

The answer: It’s a base building problem nobody talks about

so Ranty-rants aside, I’ll leave the blog post linked below:

and until next time…

Dare to Train Differently,

Marie Whitt, PT, DPT //@dr.whitt.fit

P.S. personal update: yes, I'm alive and survived surgery (fixing an internally crooked nose). And I found out very soon WHEN I can run again. In the mean time, it's my turn to be the annoying patient who asks, "so how about a casual 7 miles? I can run that, right?".

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