July 10, 2006

Injury Prevtion Clinic with the Doctor Jordan Metzl

You know the old saying there are no stupid questions? Well, I may have come up with a stupid question. I'll get to the stupid question in a sec.

This clinic had three speakers: Doctor Metzl, Coach Ramon Bermo & Coach Michael Conlon. Each of the speakers are triathletes and considered elite athletes. Each one spoke to their strength, Doctor Medzel regarding dying on the marathon course (apparently you can do it if you're not careful), Ramon spoke about running technique, and Michael, a physical therapist, spoke about stretching and injury recovery.

The word for the day: Hyponatremia

What does that mean? Low sodium in the blood stream; you ain't got no salt in your body no more cause you sweated it out. All that salt needs to be replaced. The symptoms of hyponatremia are similar to dehydration which is a bad thing. Drinking water will only excacerbate the problem. Lose enough salt and your body will shut down.

There were lots of other interesting topics discussed: stretching, running technique, hydration, new shoes, everything under the sun.

Ok, so on to the dumb question. I waited around afterwards to talk to the Doctor. Here's how it went down:

Me: Hi Doctor thanks for coming tonight. Uh, you know and this is gonna sound crazy but
Dr.: Nah, I've heard it all.
Me: Yeah, well sometimes after a run or a workout, if feel, uh, kind of stupid.
Dr.: Uh, huh.
Me: Like I couldn't add 2+2.
Dr.: Can you normally add 2+2?
Me: Yes in most situations. But it goes further than that, I mean, it's like I'm in this haze. I've almost walked into traffic.
Dr.: Hmm, well, yes. Open your mouth. (he looks in with his flashlight) Yep. You're an idiot.
Me: Huh?
Dr.: No, just kidding. What's probably happening is your experiencing extreme fatigue and maybe a little loss of sodium. Make sure you have a sports drink handy during and after the run.