Before I get this Rumination rolling, I must pause for a moment and take note. Thus far this year, I have maintained my goal of writing more frequently – three times a week, in fact. The net result has been not only a consistent writing schedule, but also a new record in blog posts on my site. This serves as a good reminder – that consistency of effort is key. And, of course, how better to display consistency than in the Ruminations – where truth is consistently stranger than fiction.
In this episode of the Ruminations, I bring to you the wackiness that is California, Roger’s mistrial, and the psychosis that is (once again) US politics. Onwards and away!
1. A California official – Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone – has made a proposal that only Rick Perry could truly appreciate. He has suggested that “South California” should become the 51st state. Wait a second here. Wasn’t that going to be Puerto Rico? Don’t most Americans think that the 51st state is Mexico or Canada?
The World Masters Athletics Championships were held the past couple of weeks in Sacramento. I headed out to sunny California to support one of the Smart Sport athletes that I coach – Canadian team member Rita Quibell. Two events – the F55 800m and 1500m - would be the culmination of a lot of hard work and training on her part.
The World Masters Athletics championships are held annually, with indoor championships alternating with outdoor championships. This event attracts the world’s best athletes age 35 years and older. Athletes compete in 5 year age groups – for example, F55 is women age 55 to 59. Age groups this year extended up to age 100! I can say without hesitation that there is something absolutely surreal and exhilarating watching a 90 year-old athlete run for his country. It speaks to the power of human will and the wonder of human physiology.
Rita and I have been working together for 3 years. It was evident from the outset that there was one primary goal: a gold medal at the World Championships in 2012. Better yet, how about doubling in the 800m and 1500m?
In our current health care system, physicians (and now, to some degree, chiropractors) serve as the gatekeepers. They refer patients for medications, for imaging, and for the services of other health care providers. Patients then enter the system via the bottom end of the funnel. Access to care is, by and large, controlled by the gatekeeper.
But the current system is severely handicapped by this funnel. Patients are demanding access to care, access to a clinician’s skills, and access to information.
There was a time and place when this gatekeeper model made sense. A physician has training in differential diagnosis and in the prescription of medication and imaging studies. They receive fairly extensive training in these areas, thus it makes good sense for them to know when either is appropriate given the patient scenario.
We now have far more health care options available to the patient – but the same gatekeeper is still controlling all of them. A prime example is physical therapy. The funnel effect still exists for the patient.
The question then becomes quite compelling. Who knows which patients are appropriate for physical therapy – and should that decision be made by the physician, or the physical therapists themselves?
It’s funny how the meaning of certain things can change with time. As we get older, the context of our world changes. What was once important, relevant, or even all-encompassing may evolve into something completely different with time.
As summer time hits us in Texas, I find myself thinking about the meaning of summer – and how that has changed over the years. Now, the summer months in Texas signify lots of air conditioning, oppressive heat, drought more often than not, low lake levels, and sweating. The dog days of summer may be the worst part of living in Texas.
But there was a time when the meaning of summer was completely different. When I was growing up in Canada, it meant swimming in the St. Lawrence River. It meant the coming of Riverfest, the local music festival that would invade Brockville over a week in July. Summer was also the season to go to see some auto racing.
The alarm went off at 3:15 am. It was time to wake up, down a cup of coffee, and get Josh to the starting line in Squaw Valley.
It was a brisk 32 degrees on the drive from Truckee to Squaw Valley. The temperature was expected to rise some 60 degrees over the course of the day. Temperature swings like that don’t even happen in Texas!
When there are only 400 or so competitors, there really isn’t a lot of pre-event drama. With little fanfare, the race started at 5:00 am with the sound of a shotgun blast. The start is a bit anti-climactic. The runners actually run for about 50 to 100 m, then they immediately start up the mountain – power hiking for most of it. It’s a long day, and this isn’t the time to use up all your resources – because you will pay for it later in the day.
It was going to be a long wait before I would catch Josh at the first crew access aid station at mile 55.7.
Imagine running 100 miles. Crazy, yes? That’s a long way to drive a car, let alone run. Extend that thought a little further: imagine running 100 miles on the trails of the Sierra Nevada, on the original trails used by the gold and silver miners of the 1850s. Now give the event a name: the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run.
No, I didn’t run those 100 miles. But I did have the opportunity to experience the 2011 WS100 as a coach and crew member for Josh Kennedy of Huntsville, Alabama.
Preparing for this event – and then running it – is tough. There is no doubt about it. But being a crew member for an athlete participating in any ultra endurance event isn’t an easy task by any stretch of the imagination either.
History may not repeat, but it sure does rhyme. I think those words come from Mark Twain. How many times can one person speak of heat and the Republican Party in the same post? Apparently quite a few, if the Ruminations have any say in the discussion.
With Austin having already had it’s share of 100 degree days for the summer, I am starting to think that Hades may in fact be a cooler place to be right now. But it’s not only Austin that is suffering from the heat …
1. The heat has been on the organizers of the United States Grand Prix in Austin. City council meetings and news reports have become contentious and acrimonious at best. But the race organizers did finally receive Austin city council support. There was actually a 5 – 2 vote in favor of endorsing Formula One United States.
I have to admit, I am still shaking my head on this one. I still don’t get the level of anger that seems to fuel this debate. Keeping with the theme of “Keep Austin Weird”, the approach to this event has been strange at best. As much as our local government wants to check all the contracts and make sure that they have everything under control before putting their John Hancock on any agreement with Bernie Ecclestone, they really need to simply stop for a moment and ponder the potential ramifications of NOT endorsing it.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
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