I watched the crowds disperse after the Memorial Day celebration at Folsom Field, and lots of people were in a world of hurt. Runners were limping, walking stiffly, and grimacing as they made their way to the bus. Clearly the Bolder Boulder had taken a toll. 

Read Andrea's Story

The Bolder Boulder is an iconic race and no matter how fast or slow you go it can be a blast. But with post-race pain, the party's over. So if you are out of commission because of injuries, or were disappointed by the race you ran, don't despair. You, too, can be a winner - see Andrea's blog. She had an amazing day at the Boston Marathon 2015. She ran pain-free (yay!) and set a marathon PR - 3:27.

Many people tell us that running is the most efficient, cheapest exercise they know. Though they love to run, nagging injuries stop them in their tracks. Between 37-56% of recreational runners suffer an injury in any given year. That does not have to be the case. So, before you retire your running shoes, see what a run screen can do for you.

A run screen involves much more than watching you run. We look at your muscle strength and flexibility - we want to see balance from side to side and tip to toe. Sometimes we use a Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) to find your weakest link. Adequate strength and good flexibility are important, and then there's technique. But you don't have to be the perfect human specimen to run without pain. Though we all have imbalances, it takes a trained eye to tell you what matters and what you can ignore.

So what keeps you from pain free running? Maybe your stride is too long. Where and how your foot strikes the ground may be creating too much jarring. A tight right shoulder could be limiting hip extension on the left. These aren't things you can easily see or feel. That's why you need a video camera, a treadmill and most of all, a trained eye, to spot what's not working and understand the mechanics enough to know how to fix it. Your problem might require some manual therapy, strengthening exercises, muscle re-education, or maybe you just need to take your shoes off**. Only your therapist knows for sure.

Click to see Jill's treatment for shin splints

Treating Knee Pain - Click for Emily's story

To schedule a run analysis, call us at (303)444-8707. We're here to help.

**Transition to barefoot running requires guidance and a gradual transition. 

No one in Boulder really needs an excuse to ride bikes more, but ALTA is giving you one! As a physical therapist, I spend more time convincing my injured patients to ride a little less. But this summer, a group of us at ALTA are hoping to encourage you to ride more, maybe a lot more. To be precise, we are hoping to contribute to the National Bike Challenge. The goal is to ride 35 million miles by September 30th. Sound like a tall order? Don't worry, 75,000 other cyclists will also be contributing.

Here at ALTA, we can sometimes be a bit competitive. So when the National Bike Challenge gave us the opportunity to make a team and compete with other teams around the world as well as each other, we jumped at the chance. Here's where you can help. Our staff is small and the more folks outside the office we can get to join our team, the stronger we will be. The more miles we ride, the more prizes we will qualify for and the more FUN we will have on our bikes.

The bike challenge is not just for experienced riders. You don't need to have full spandex regalia, or a bike worth more than your car, to participate. You don't even need to ride with a group or make long weekend rides part of your routine. You can log the miles you ride to work, or to the farmer's market. You can log the miles you ride while teaching your kids to ride a bike. You can even log the mile you ride on a bike shop test ride when you buy your very first bicycle! The goal of the National Bike Challenge is simply to get more people riding bikes more often.

So join us. When you register, select "ALTA Physical Therapy and Pilates" as your team so we can see your miles and so our team gets credit. Then, ride on! Burn calories, not carbon, and help reach the 35 million mile goal by September 30, 2015.