I'm not sure if this has anything to do with running, but I've suffered some noticable shrinkage over the years. Alright folks, heads out of the gutter, this is a family friendly blog. Bottom line, I am shorter now than I was 10 years ago. What the heck happened to me?
When I was little, the doctor told my parents I was projected to be anywhere from 5'9" to 6'0" when I was fully grown. Looking back, the guy turned out to be spot on. Oh what 12 years of college will do for you. Anyway, my father is 5'7", my mother is 5'2", and my sister is 5'1". Not exactly amazons. My freshman year of high school I was as "tall" as my dad, and by the time I was a senior I officially became the tallest Bailey in our DNA pool that ever lived. My 5'10" uncle held the standard for years, but upon my physical for college, I eclipsed the mark by a fraction of an inch. Not that this means much, but I found it wonderfully ironic that an adopted Asian was now THE tallest person in a completely English, Irish, German, and Sicilian family. Who says all Asians are short?
A few years later in college I had another physical and was measured at 5'10" and a half inch barefoot, and 167 lbs. Throw on some rugged boots and even the WWF could have billed me as being a six footer, and due to lifting weights, looked every bit of 180 lbs. I was probably the strongest and most physically imposing as I have ever been between ages 20-22. Believe it or not, I actually bench pressed 280 lbs at one point. Couldn't run a 5k, but I was a beast in the weight room.
Flash forward to Christmas vacation last week. I found an old wall where my parents measured my growth as a child and decided to see how I stacked up as an adult. My guess is I haven't grown in 10 years, so I shouldn't have been far off from the last measurement of 70.5 inches. Well, I stood straight, back to the wall, shoes off, heels down, and....what the? 69.5 inches. Dang, a solid inch shorter!
Honestly, I'm not that surprised. Since age 14, I've thrown my back out four times, three were since 2007. All of which, combined with my general poor posture, have my alignment out of wack. I remember after the worst "throw out" in '07, I lost an inch of height instantly, but didn't notice the difference until I looked in a mirror. I still have tight back muscles, and posture I've tried to correct with new workout routines, but perhaps professional PT is the only way to fix this. None of the issues have effected my running as far as I know. In fact, a few of my friends think all the running may have compressed my spine, but I'm not sure if there's any real science to back that claim. Maybe my weaker lower back muscles make me more susceptible to compression, if that's even a plausible side effect. Could it also be hip flexors, IT band, or glutes causing the issue?
If you read this and have any insights, I'd love your feedback. One of the biggest flaws in my running form is my posture and the fact I hunch over and stick out my bedunkadunk. Yup, this Asian boy has some junk in his trunk. Must have been all that Sicilian pasta growing up ;-)
4 comments:
Dude, 280 lbs.? That is sick. You're a beast!
Interesting story you wrote there, Shorty. Maybe you should seek out a professional opinion on the matter. No question in my mind you could learn a few things that hopefully- at the very least- help save you from possible future back throw-outs and help your running at the same time. Good luck and happy year year, bud.
Neal, yup 280 lbs. I WAS a beast. On a good day, I can still put up about 225-235, but way off the old mark. I've gotten professional advice, and no doubt everything from my ITB, glutes, and back are a tad off. Not major off, but enough to be a hinderance now and then. Lord knows if not for my core workouts, I'd be the hunch back of the Shenandoah scaring all the little kids.
Bikram yoga. You will leave class instantly taller, stronger, and drained. Watch out, it's grueling, hot, and addictive. Everything that is weak gets stronger and evens out those imbalances. I'm a total convert.
Yoga! It's been a while since I've had a formal class, though I still do some of the poses for stretching purposes. I haven't done Bikram, but it sounds like I need to give it a shot. Thanks for the info Kir!
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