July 08, 2021
INTERVIEW
### Guest Quote [00:00:00]
My suggestion is don't wait. I feel like a lot of runners would wait like, oh, let me just take a couple days off.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:00:05]
Let's see how I feel. I'm like, and they don't do anything. And then they get frustrated. With the system or with the therapist or a trainer, whoever they want to go to.
Um, but I'm like, and my question is like, well, what have you done in those two weeks, two days? Cause sometimes with running. As you guys know, rest might not be the best scenario, right? It could be an ice bath. It could be a stretching. A lot of it is just weakness, overuse. So, my biggest thing is what I try to tell him, reach out to a trainer, a PT sooner than later.
### Episode Intro [00:00:43]
###### Bertrand Newson: [00:00:43]
Hello and welcome to the RaceMob podcast. This is episode number 56.
I'm Kevin entrepreneur technology and fitness nerd. And I'm joined by the head coach of RaceMob and master motivator. The incomparable Bertrand Newson. ### Guest Introduction [00:00:56]
###### Kevin Chang: [00:00:57]
Irina is a rock star, physical therapist, and a valued member of the RaceMob and two legit communities. Her nickname is rocket and she recently opened her own business, rocket physical therapy. On today's episode, we dive into arena start and how she got into one of the most prestigious PT schools in the country.
We get into the lessons she's learned from years of running and over a decade of working with other runners. She tells us the short daily routines that help her prevent injury, why dynamic warmups are so crucial and the important post-workout routines that speed up her recovery.
Plus we dive into how this busy mother of two finds the time to train for boston and start a new practice in the midst of a pandemic.
You can find all of the show notes online at RaceMob dot com slash podcast and without further ado here's our conversation.
### Start of the Interview [00:01:49]
Hey, RaceMob crew! We're so excited to welcome the one and only Irina Stiasny to the RaceMob podcast.
Irina is a physical therapist, proud member of the two legit crew probably got in from a Hammertime workout this morning. So she's probably been up since very early, , proud mother, , busy as all get out.
And thank you so much for coming onto the show and sharing your wealth of knowledge with the RaceMob audience this morning.
###### Bertrand Newson: [00:02:16]
Yeah, our sincere pleasure! Boy, I've been looking forward to this conversation for awhile are gonna, you've been a huge supporter of, uh, RaceMob into legit fitness. You've been our resident. Physical Therapist, you've really helped many of our athletes being, participating in our town hall, Q&A's. And now we have an opportunity to share your knowledge with many other members of our running community.
### Irina's Origin Story [00:02:38]
So let's jump right in. First about you, the individual, you are a physical therapist, how did that, and helping others being happier and healthier versions of themselves, how did that get on your radar? And then kind of take us through your experience in getting into running and, and we'll go from.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:02:53]
So I was a very active kid originally I'm from Soviet union, uh, Moldova. So when I was about eight . I try out for track and feel local team. I made the team, but then you need a physical, well, when you go to the doctor and then that's when I got diagnosed with a heart murmur and then pretty much my running career at that time was over according to that physician.
So no running. I still play street soccer with my older brother, as you can tell, I can stay still. So that started as a childhood. So , I was on medication, , for a few years and then we immigrated to U.S. in 1996 and that's the first place we went as to cardiologists because I told my mom, like, I feel fine.
Like I want to be active. I want to play other sports. There's gotta be, I mean, maybe a us medicine is better. That's what I was. I was just needed like, uh, somebody telling me what I want to hear.
And I did went to cardiologist and then he cleared me. He's like, "there's nothing wrong with you." I mean, kids have heart murmurs, like G feel out of breath and I'm like, no, And my mom had a hard time be like, just don't run, even now.
I'm like, okay, I'm trying to find marathons. Like, just take it easy. Just have fun. And I'm like, mom, I'm trying to for Boston. She's like, no, no, no, but just be careful. I'm like, mom, I'm fine. Like it's okay.
But racing, I didn't get in until grad school and undergrad, I went to the university of San Francisco. Initially, actually I wanted to be MD. So that was a pre-med track until I took organic chemistry, and the I'm like hmm, maybe not.
And then I went to a local hospital to volunteer and that just didn't like the patient-physician interaction at bedtime. It's like, not something I was looking for. I'm very personable. Like, I'm all about building relationship.
Like I want to know like kind of watch people journey and not like, okay, here's your pill. I'll see you never type of... That's just not me personally. And then I changed my major to. Kinesiology. And I was always an athlete and heart, and I felt like that was kind of like my calling. , so I just follow that, track that into USC at the time.
I did not know it was number one 15 in the nation that kind of just like here's the five schools. My parents were okay for me to go from like Sacramento to LA my family is very supportive. You know, they were behind me all the way. USC was tough.
It was probably the toughest three years. Um, very fast paced program. Um, it's all year. So you don't get summers off, but yeah, um, very challenging, but very rewarding. And that's when I got into racing.
Like my first half marathon was I think it's still called surf city and orange county. I believe. And that's when I did all the newbie mistakes, you know, cotton socks, and I'd be like, oh, you're giving me a goo, let me try it. And I'm like, oh, not that one. I'm not going to say what happened. You can use your imagination.
Um, but I finished it. And after that I was like, okay, I, this is like my stress relief. So like, I would be at school from 7:00 AM in the anatomy lab. 7:00 PM in the last class. And then I will go home and be like, there's no way I can study, like brain is fried. So I will go for a run and I just get out of Burbank and that just run for whatever miles and then come home and I feel refreshed and then I can study.
And then that kind of just clicked. And then I got people to run with me and then I did about 20 or 30 halfs and then I'm like, okay, I need, maybe I can
###### Kevin Chang: [00:06:27]
20 or 30, 20 to 20 or 30 halfs? Oh my god!
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:06:30]
Yeah, Yeah above. above. And then I'm like, okay, I think I can do the full, but I figured I need like, I'm part of the team. So that's when I did the team and training. That's how I know some of the two legit, like Victoria, and Iraj got into it few years when I got out.
But yeah. And then leukemia lymphoma is close to heart because Rob's dad unfortunately passed away from lymphoma way before I met him. Um, so it's a big thing we've donated every year, raising money for that. So, um, so that's kinda how I got into it.
### Precautions as a Female Runner [00:07:02]###### Kevin Chang: [00:07:02]
talk to us a little bit, I guess. I mean, you had mentioned that USC is not in such a great neighborhood. What did you have any fears when you started getting into running as a, as a female runner, um, running in that area, did you take any precautions or have any thoughts around.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:07:16]
So the actual school isn't that in a good neighborhood, but I live in Burbank Glendale, which is suburbia. So I didn't feel like, and there's actually like a trail right behind like a park, which had like a thing, like 5k loop. So I just kind of going around. But yeah, I was very cautious. At that time I didn't trust myself with the pepper spray, so I would run with my car. So I hope I never have to use it, but just for protection.
But I will never run like early in the morning or late at night. It was always like when it's light. Cause I'm very much aware. , and I always run without music at the time. , I only run music now and my, one of my plugs that always off, just so I'm aware at all times of my restaurant.
### Team and Training Program [00:07:59]
###### Kevin Chang: [00:07:59]
That makes sense. Talk to us a little bit about team and training. You know, I always see the purple shirts out there. Uh, uh, it's, it's pretty fantastic. Organization, they donate a lot of money towards the leukemia lymphoma society have got to know a number of people who have gone through the program. A number of people who would have ever thought about completing their first marathon were not for team and training.
So talk to us about how you got into the program, what they kind of provided you throughout that whole journey.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:08:27]
I signed up 2008, this summer. That's when I was studying for my, my boards, but unfortunately my grandpa passed away very suddenly from stoke. It was just like complication from an open heart surgery. He was determined to do surgery so he can fly to USC for graduation. And then unfortunately got a clot and passed away a few days after my birthday.
So my birthday has not been the same ever since that, but because of that, I was just not into it. So I had to. Tim and training. Cause I just, I needed to heal from, you know, take my time and just do much. So I studied for the boards. I passed my boards and then I knew I haven't finished business. I might quit, but I'm not going to quit all the way I had to just start it again.
So in 2009 I joined and that's when I met Juana. Repeat. Couple other Too-Legit friends that, I mean, we have friends ever since it's been like 11 years. The biggest thing for me is the community.
As you say, like you need people that thinks the same, that elevate yourself. So I need, and that wasn't a fast run of event time, even though if you asked me a PhD disagrees, but I still talk to them for my friends that I used to run it.
I mean, my first marathon of his legs, six hours and seven minutes. And that mile 23, I was texting my boyfriend husband at the time. Why am I doing this? Like, uh, we're done and you know,
###### Kevin Chang: [00:09:48]
We've all been there. yeah. We've all been there.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:09:50]
It was Nike. And there was Nike marathon. So, you know, I don't know if you guys know the route it's,
###### Kevin Chang: [00:09:56]
It's hilly it's, hill.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:09:58]
It's San Francisco it's hilly, but the, the last, like 19 to 20 or 30 miles, you're going around, like Marcet and people call it for a reasonable like it's "more sucks". I mean, it's just.
And I will never forget on mile 19. Those, I mean, God bless that child has a poster, says you almost there. And then my mentor was, Jennifer was right next to her, like try to ignore the poster, you know, you get in there. And I was riding with, uh, what, a friend of mine. Um, and she was hurting.
I mean, it was to the point where like, I knew that if I stop, I'm done, so I just needed to move. And, um, I love you, but I got to go like, like lane again now, like I finished it, but, and then of course you do the same thing. Every runner, I'm never doing it again. Never. I am done like one and done, you know, my father was there for me.
It was more like running from my grandpa. So like I knew I had to get it done because I wanted to do that in 2008, but mentally I was just not there, but even now, like I still donate. It's a special place in my heart, you know? And then I became a mentor.
So then I mentored people for two more years, but we still get together once in a while and go for a run. And unfortunately, because of COVID, I think they're not trying right now. It's all online.
### How did the Program Work [00:11:16]
###### Kevin Chang: [00:11:16]
I guess, how did the program work when you were a part of it? Was it meeting once a week meeting a couple of times a week. Do you have training plans?
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:11:23]
Yeah. So on Tuesdays were track workouts was run by, I believe they were willing to coaches. I actually don't know. And then you have a mentors where you just in a keep in touch, you email and you're like, you know, do you need anything? And then on Saturdays is our long runs.
And then you supposed to do, thursday like buddy runs, but there were not, um, let's say as organized as like we do into legit, like, okay, we'll meet on a Monday here. It's five 15. Let's go. It was more like, you should do this and you should do this cross-training. But you know, as a newbie, you're like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm busy. I have to go to work.
And I mean, then reality hits. Right. But then you learn when you get on the marathon and you're like, I should've done that.
###### Bertrand Newson: [00:12:08]
Yeah.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:12:08]
And I should've done that. And my, you know, maybe Nike frees are not a great shoe at the time, but they look cool. It's a cool color. It's orange. Yeah. And then you take a little bit more classes about running a therapy and you're like, oh.
I did this wrong. And I did this around and I did that. Right. You know? So like, so now that's why I'm a big believer. Like I try to get the beginners before they get in trouble. Um, that way they can miss all the mistakes I've done. Um, but luckily I didn't have major injuries, so I was very lucky.
###### Kevin Chang: [00:12:42]
That's great. Yeah.
And we do hear a lot of stories from people in Team and Training who have gotten injured . Sometimes even though you have that buddy system, or even though you have that advisor system, you do need some professional advice or actual advice from physical therapists or from people who have been there, done that before I'm been there multiple times.
### Advice to Beginners and Beginner Mistakes [00:13:01]
So, I mean, now that you've worked as a physical therapist for a number of years, now that you've worked with runners for over a decade, Talk to us a little bit about some of the advice you do give to beginners and some of the things or the most common mistakes you see beginners.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:13:16]
so the biggest thing I feel like for beginners is it's hard to differentiate "am I having soreness from a workout or am I having a pain, actual, sharp pain from an injury" Right? Cause you know, I don't want to say run in hurts, but like when you run, like, yes, I just came back from a track workout. Am I sore? Yeah, I am. But I know it's not pain, but I feel like a newbie won't know the difference.
My suggestion is don't wait. I feel like a lot of runners would wait like, oh, let me just take a couple days off. Let's see how I feel. I'm like, and they don't do anything. And then they get frustrated. With the system or with the therapist or a trainer, whoever they want to go to.
Um, but I'm like, and my question is like, well, what have you done in those two weeks, two days? Cause sometimes with running. As you guys know, rest might not be the best scenario, right? It could be an ice bath. It could be a stretching. A lot of it is just weakness, overuse. So, my biggest thing is what I try to tell him, reach out to a trainer, a PT sooner than later.
And a lot of people think like, well, I don't have insurance or I need a prescription. While in California, you were partially direct access. So you can see me as a PCU or anyone else. Without a prescription from a physician, you can just walk into the clinic and say, I have knee pain and we can see you for 12 visits or 45 days, whatever come first.
But a lot of people don't know that. So then it's like, well, I don't want to go to the doctor to tell me what, what is the doctor's going to tell you, stop running. That's the number one thing they tell you as a runner myself. I don't want to hear that. You don't want to hear that. So I think part of that, um, and lack of strength, training, crush, training, I mean, all we want to do is running.
So for me, the way I see it running is easy is what are you doing the time that you don't run that keeps you running for 10, 20, 30... I mean, I want to run until I'm a hundred. I just saw a video. Somebody posted a couple of days ago on Facebook. It's a sprint Joan she's 86 years old and she started running.
###### Bertrand Newson: [00:15:26]
Awesome.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:15:27]
I'm like, I want to be like that. Right. I don't care if I have bionic knees and hips. Hopefully not, but that's also what people think. Right. Or like, oh, you're run so much, Irena. Aren't your knees going to hurt? Like, didn't your grandma had replay. I'm like, yeah, my grandma had a replacement, but she didn't do any activities. That's probably why she got in the problem she had.
So my biggest thing, like I crossed right. Probably as much as I run and coach knows that.
###### Kevin Chang: [00:15:55]
Yeah. I mean, we've seen you do the pushup challenges and all sorts of other strength training workouts that you post on onto Facebook. So we know that you're a big proponent of cross training.
And I agree with you there when you mentioned that. People are sometimes too afraid to ask for professional advice. They, you know, just sit on the couch, they think it'll go away. They're just doing running. And they don't realize that there are other things, other mechanisms that can help them get back into running quicker if they do it. So both from a playability side, from a strength side.
### Common Injuries for Beginners and Recommended Workouts [00:16:26]
So talk to us a little bit about some common injuries you may see. From beginner runners and maybe some of the workouts or some of the exercises you may prescribe or ask a runner to do in order to get.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:16:37]
So for beginners, the biggest thing is shin splints. I used to be a strength trainer at Montevista high. But a lot of it is choose. So number one, you want to have proper stew and I'm biggest believer. Like you have to fake your feet.
It's not like, Ooh, coach has new Nike's, let's put them on. And I think my feet is just going to go in there. , for me personally, Nike is just the one. Bidwell for me. , it's a great shoe. It's just not for me.
And go to a store in your town. Like for me, Ranya revolution, Chris is my go-to. I literally refer every client, every runner, every parents, every teenager there, just because I trust his knowledge and he can look at your feed and be like, oh no, this is not your shoe.
You should get this. And I'm like, okay. And it never fails. , so that's one thing. And then. Stretching strengthening calves. I feel like as a runner myself included, we kind of forget about them. We always be like, oh, let's do dead list for hamstrings and glutes and hip strengthening.
And we kind of forget the little muscles in your feet and calves, since, you know, calf is to muscle. We do a lot of heel raises, but I, we hit in the soleus. They actually helps you with speed. So when you sprint, you might strain that. And I had strain calves in the past. So I'm full believer, doing heel raises pretty much every day in a different position.
sitting to get solace and stand in, you get even like a toe grabbing, like grab marbles for my toes. Cause you don't really strengthen your toes. They work pretty hard when you run and the mobility of my big toe. That's also important. Cause you got to push off of that to get your glutes involved.
It's just your body is as one, right? It's never like...
###### Kevin Chang: [00:18:21]
Yeah, it's not isolated.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:18:22]
No,it's not.
###### Kevin Chang: [00:18:23]
None of your muscles are isolated.
I guess people would be surprised to hear for shin splints that you're looking to activate calf muscles, or you're looking to work out calf muscles.
### Shin Splints [00:18:33]
Is that the case that if you saw somebody with shin splints or somebody who is starting to feel some pain and again, like what is the difference between just some ache in the shin versus some actual, you know, damage that might be happening in the shin?
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:18:47]
Yeah. So Shane is, it's kind of a delicate, right. Because you can get a stress fresher there. So how would, you know, like, isn't it just, the shin was a stress factor, right?
So my biggest thing, like if you have pain walking you in trouble, like then I will be like, you know, if you alter your mechanics. Like if you limping, like if you start running and you feel like you overcompensating, then I will refer out for an imaging.
I'd rather be, you know, raw. And I'm fine being wrong. I want to be wrong. Cause I don't want it to have a stress fracture versus like, oh, if it's like for a long. So a lot of times like stress fresh as you run, you're going to have pain. If it's just inflammation of attendant on the muscle, as you run more, it feels better.
Like if, like you say tendon Achilles tendonitis, the first step, you're like, oh my God. Like, uh, but as you kind of go, you warm up and feel better and then you run 10 miles and then you, okay. And then the next day you're like, oh. You know, it hurts again. So that's kind of where I go.
And a lot of times also with shin splints, it's the core, if your pelvis, like, how hard are you hitting your ground? Like, can you unload? What are the muscles? So a lot of times people have really weak core, like your abdominals, your transverse abdominis, like how good are you keeping your hips level versus like, are you hitting the right more than the left?
Cause it's, there's always one chin hurts more than the other, but at least from my experience, it's never both. And then if you touch it, like if you touch it, is it like a hotspot? Like, are you like, oh my God, if somebody comes to any closer, you like punching them, then I will think a stress factor
and then young kids kind of prone to that because all they do is run, run, run, run. They don't stretch. They don't ice strengthening is like, I don't have time for that. I have to study for chemistry or whatever class they're in.
###### Bertrand Newson: [00:20:33]
Not just kids. Not just kids!
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:20:35]
Yeah. It's not kids Yeah. I know someone. I'm not going to blast them here.
###### Kevin Chang: [00:20:41]
Okay.
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:20:41]
But that's what I'm saying. Running is easy. You put shoes on and you go outside. The other stuff is hard. That's when you find the time. So what I started telling my clients is because I'm busy too. Right? So break up your routine. I give you 10 exercise.
I didn't tell you to find 45 minutes in your day. I asked you to find two, three minutes in the morning, during the day between you zoom. I mean, everybody now is on zoom, right? So it's like, you can stand up and do heel raises while you're talking to your boss, you can squat five times while you're washing your dishes.
It's like add it to your routine. I mean that honestly, that's how I get all my stuff done. Everything is scheduled. Like if it's not in my phone, it never happened. Like everything's scheduled. I mean, pick up my kid.
I mean, I have two kids with distance learning. It was very hard. I mean there's days, you know, tears and screaming. I mean, you know, and I don't sugar coat, like people like how you do it. I'm like, it's not easy. I mean, I, I'm lucky I have my parents, um, local, they encountered.
I mean like today, I'm like, I need you to pick up Tahlia. I have to take my layer to the doctor, my pet, my dog game. I mean, that's what you do. Cause my husband works really long hours. He was going for promotion, fingers crossed. He gets it and he said, I'll be less stressed. And I'm like, mmhm.
###### Kevin Chang: [00:22:00]
Yeah, never the case. Right?
###### Irina Stiasny: [00:22:01]
That's never the case. He's in the tech world. You know, it's always revolving, but, but he's very supportive of the way you know.
He's not a runner and people like, oh, don't you want him to be around him? Like. It's like, why not? Because I want to run. He takes care of the kids when I run, but I didn't want him to be active. And it's, it's a process. I think as kids get older, you know, we'll go out on the bikes, he's a biker. He likes to bike, play tennis.
But he's very supportive and, I mean, that's what helps out. Otherwise it's hard to be away for three, four hours when you run 22 miles this weekend.
###### Kevin Chang: [00:22:33]
Yeah, that's absolutely true.
If you like our podcast and sign up for our newsletter, where we give you weekly tips on how to run your best race and have fun in the process. Just go to RaceMob.com and sign up today.