Equinox Club in Newport Beach has a team of members who are participating in this Sunday’s 2010 International City Bank Long Beach Marathon, and FORMA has been asked to be part of the team’s preparation these past few months.
Led by Wesley Pedersen, head personal trainer at Equinox, the team participated in group runs on Sunday mornings and cross training on Wednesday evenings in a “Shreadmill” (aka: Treadmill) Class at the Equinox facilities on Jamboree Road. In addition, everyone participated in a strength and stability program and received instruction on injury prevention and hydration from Dr. Carvalho and Dr. Bakman from FORMA. (The Dr.’s also were on hand to screen participants in order to identify any potential problems that might arise during the rigorous training program associated with a marathon.)
In addition, Bob Mignosa from A Snails Pace Running Shop offered instruction on proper shoe fit and apparel for the marathoner. Having completed 97 marathons, Mignosa is an authority on running shoes. His company was recently rated one of the top four running stores in the U.S.
FORMA was also on hand when several of the participants with injuries received treatment at our facilities. We then coordinated with Equinox team leaders, to adjust their programs to account for the recovery of their particular injuries, in order to “peak” them for the Long Beach event. In fact, one of the participants who underwent bilateral knee surgery at the end of May, followed the rehabilitation program at FORMA, and progressed to working out with the team in preparation for Sunday’s marathon. That’s a tremendous recovery!
As a result of the successful training for Sunday’s event, FORMA has been asked to help further the program for the next marathon. Our doctors and rehabilitation staff will focus on early detection of potential risks for injuries and physical issues of team members in order to clean them up during their preparation for the event.
The training for the next Equinox Running Team starts in early November — just two weeks after this Sunday’s 26-miler.
Thank you to the entire FORMA staff for educating and assisting A Snail’s Pace Running Academy Members which helped them reach their goals of completing the Long Beach Marathon and Half Marathon. A special thanks is in order for assisting my own Mother, Kathryn Montiel age 61. Not only did she complete her first marathon, but placed 4th in her age group. I contribute much of the success of A Snail’s Pace Running Academy to the direct assistance of FORMA. Through FORMA, we are educating our runners as well as our coaches on how to safely train for endurance events.