Athlete of the Month: Janice Reilly

Athlete of the Month: Janice Reilly

 Janice Reilly's Friesen 5k victory on 9/12/10 was actually the latest in a series of personal victories, beginning with a firm decision she made in back in March of 2006...

“In Feb. 2005 I did my first duathlon. At that race, I made the US team to go to the World Duathlon Championships held in Australia.  Within a month of that, I felt there was something wrong with my body and even told my husband that I believed I had cancer.  One year later, in Feb. 2006, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  I had competed much more in running and was new to the duathlon.  Shortly before my cancer diagnosis, these were my running times:

10k, Old Reliable, Raleigh, NC (37:28) 
Half Marathon, Pomoko Running Crab, Va.  (1:23:16)
5k, Run for the Oaks, Raleigh, NC (18:16)

My diagnosis came as a surprise since I had no known risk factors and no family history. I found the lump in Nov. of 2005, but a mammogram didn't show it at all and when seen with ultrasound, it was thought to be just a fibrocystic area.  A recheck 3 months later was brushed off by the radiologist as a benign growth, even though it had grown 1/2 again in size. Lucky for me, my husband is a physician that deals with cancer everyday and he sent me for a biopsy. It was a fast growing tumor that had to be removed. I was fortunate that it was an early stage.  The Oncologist started me on a very aggressive chemo regimen which began the beginning of March and I ended treatment early June. 

During my chemo I decided I was going to live my life as close to normal as possible. I volunteered at my children's school and did my best to run every day, even if it was just down to the end of the driveway. Just after my last chemo treatment, I did the Komen Race for the Cure 5k. There were lots of people there for support. My family and running buddies helped me run the whole way and I finished in a time of 22:05. I felt like I had accomplished my goal of not letting the cancer run my life.

Over the next year I had very little energy and almost felt like my muscles were drying up and sticking together. I attempted to run as much as I could, but it was not enjoyable and it hurt much of the time. I spent the next 3 years with injury after injury. In early spring 2010, I started coming to APC because I had heard great things about them. My desire to race was returning, but I knew I needed to find someone who could figure out what was going on with all my injuries. 

Everyone at APC has been great. The clinicians all work together for the benefit of the patient. I love the multi-focal approach they have of educating the patient as well as looking for the root cause of a problem. They teach the patient strengthening and stretching (dynamic) to help with the healing but to also prevent the likelihood of the injury returning. Most importantly it is a very hands-on approach and I have never felt like just a number. They treat the whole patient. I'm so thrilled to have found Jaime and Doc [Jason Davidson]. I am now running pain free (with the exception of being out of shape) for the first time in 4 years. I believe with their continued support, I will be able to achieve my goal of becoming a nationally competitive runner again. Doc and Jaime, I don't know what I would have done without y'all!  Thanks for everything.

Janice

9/15/10”

Read more about Janice in Chip Alexander's News and Observer article: Two Races, one goal: to fight cancer

Janice, all of us at APC are proud to support you in your recovery, in your growth, and in your victories! Thanks for making us a part of it!

Carolina Hurricanes at APC

Carolina Hurricanes at APC

The Carolina Hurricanes have been working up a sweat in their pre-season preparations with us at APC!

Before their practices at the RecZone, the players have been spending their mornings on APC turf (literally!) with intense total workouts to address a full range of conditioning, strengthening, flexibility, agility, speed, and movement needs.

In conjunction with Pete Friesen and our APC coaches, the Canes have been going through a wide variety of protocols, including dynamic warm-ups, rope training, speed and agility training, strength and conditioning, and much more! Check out this article from NHL.com: Behind the Scenes, Canes Working Hard.

But it doesn’t stop there. Canes goalie Cam Ward has been working with Elizabeth Evans on some serious core development through Pilates sessions at APC. In a recent News and Observer article, he was quoted as saying, “It’s something that stabilizes my core…I was introduced to it last year and found it to be a very hard workout. I started to pick it up more and more this summer so I can hopefully get myself in the best shape possible.” Read the article here.

Whether it’s speed and agility, strength and conditioning, core power and flexibility, injury prevention or treatment, chiropractic care or sports massage, the Canes know that APC is the number one place for total athlete care and development, and it can be for you too!

With Pilates classes, Bootcamp training, and group and private instruction for youth and adults, and drop-in workouts throughout the day, it is now easier than ever to get started with APC.

Contact us NOW to find out more!

Wall Sit

Exercise of the Month

By William Parker, CSCS

Athletic Performance Center

October – Wall Sit

            Leg strength is an important factor in being a good athlete.  Wall Sits are a great exercise to help improve your overall leg strength.  Another benefit to doing Wall Sits is that it helps keep proper muscle alignment or tracking throughout your legs.  It also can be done just about anywhere, because all you will need is a stable wall.  Using a stop watch or countdown timer will be helpful to track your time. 

            To perform a Wall Sit properly first, start by leaning your entire back and hips against the wall with your feet shoulder width apart.  Place your heels about one foot length away from the wall.  Then with your hands on your hips, sit down so the crease of your hip is the same height as your knee, while keeping your hips and back flat to the wall.  The first time you try Wall Sits is always the hardest, so do not get frustrated and quit.  Some shaking and discomfort is expected in the legs, especially the thighs.  Try holding the Wall Sit as long as you can and time yourself to see how you do.  Then after about 2 weeks of training with the Wall Sit, try it again to see if you get better.  Start by holding the Wall Sit for 30 seconds 2-4 times with a 60 second rest in between each.  Eventually challenge yourself by holding for longer time intervals or shorter rest times.  

Fall Endurance Runner's Clinic

The Fall Endurance Runner's Clinic, co-sponsored by Nike and The Athlete's Foot, featured an expert panel discussion on the pros and cons of Barefoot Running, and breakout sessions including Running Mechanics, Dynamic Warm-Up, Foam Roller/Myofascial release techniques, Mini-Band Training, Dartfish Video Gait Analysis, and more!

Core development exercises with Elizabeth Evans, PMA, RYT, Pilates conditioning specialist (on left).

The Mini-Band "Monster Walk" for developing proper knee/ankle alignment and hip abduction/external rotation strength, with Dennis Meszler, PT, MPT, SCS (on right).

Using foam roller for myofascial release, to remove adhesions between muscle tissues and fascia, for greater flexibility, strength, and injury prevention, with Elizabeth Fortener PT, MPT (top left).

Wall Sits with Elle Evans, for quadriceps strengthening, and variations for spinal alignment and joint stability.

Dartfish Video Gait Analysis, for high precision performance analysis and movement education and correction. Dartfish reveals functional errors in alignment and movement execution that can be corrected for heightened performance.


APC would like to thank our friends at Nike and The Athlete's Foot for co-sponsoring the clinic, and we'd like to thank all the athletes in attendance for making it a success! For advance notice of clinics and special programs at APC, please sign up for our Email Newsletter- stay tuned for the Spring Running Clinic at APC!