This is what the running clinic provided or was supposed to offer:
1) motion/flexibility evaluation
2) treadmill walking/running observation to determine correct posture and running shoe
3) blood pressure check
4) BMI check
5) physician evaluations for those with current injuries
6) stretching demonstration
7) runner coaching with expert runners
I took advantage of #1, #2, and #3 so I will mostly address these.
The first station was the motion/flexibility station. The person observing you (maybe a student in physical therapy or sports medicine?) had you lie down on a mat and lift one leg at a time. You were to lift the leg as high as possible and keep it straight. Another test was the "squat" test. The only things is that you had to put your heels on a slab of wood and then squat. The final "test" was when you had to lift your leg over a piece of string with your arms crossed.
At the second station, I was videotaped on a treadmill running. Then my posture was evaluated along with my stride. My shoes were barely mentioned, and I will address this briefly below in my "negative" section.
For the final station, I had my blood pressure checked.
Positives:
1) Free2) Easy to access on the North Side
3) Free (validated) parking
4) Free long-sleeve T-shirt
5) Good information on stretching and on how to run properly
Negatives:
1) The person doing my motion/flexibility assessment didn't know how to set up the "tests" properly. I couldn't even step over the string b/c I was too far back. The string was also not adjusted to my height so I couldn't even lift my legs high enough and stretch it far enough to get over the string.2) I didn't understand how a slab of wood under the heel was productive. If anything, I thought it would cause someone to fall forward. I have done free weights, and the squat they had us do was a bit off. Basically, I wasn't sold on their setup of gauging my flexibility.
3) I had very little confidence in the girl doing my assessment. She wasn't in shape and didn't seem to be flexible, either. It was like going to a doctor or nurse who smokes and is obese. It is nice to have someone to relate to since I am not fit, but I am not working in the health profession, either.
4) The first station took only ten minutes. Unfortunately, I waited 1.5 hours for the treadmill assessment (two treadmills going at the same time w/ two evaluators). There were twenty-five people ahead of me. You do the math. By the time I got up there, they only devoted three minutes to me. They didn't address my shoes other than to say that they didn't look appropriate. Their suggestion was for me to sign up for the Elite Runners running clinic (which I have) and get my shoes checked out at that time. I think their intentions were honorable, but it doesn't make me feel any better to know I didn't get the same quality time as the other people in front of me .
5) Because the treadmill evaluation took so long, I ran out of time to visit other stations.
6) There was a lack of direction. For example, I didn't know which station to go to after I did the first station. Had I known I could have gone to other stations before the treadmill, I probably would have. I also waited in the wrong line for what I thought was the BMI/blood pressure station until I saw someone's worksheet filled out already with that info. I asked them where I should go for the BMI/blood pressure screening, and they told me.
7) I have no idea if there were expert runners giving out advice (#7 on the list). There were no signs for the stations so I don't know if it even existed.
Based on this experience, I think I will skip the treadmill evaluation, and opt to do the physician's evaluation and BMI stations next time. The BMI station turned out to not be the same one as the blood pressure station.
Once I do the Elite Runner's running clinic (Good Form Running), I plan to post my experience here. I am looking forward to finding out more about running, and how I can become better at it!
