Seasons Greetings: From Michigan

Sorry, I had to do that...

Hello Everyone, This is Lex Williams reporting from my parents couch in Michigan. Things have been progressing nicely for me as far as training/recovering from surgery goes. I’ve been biking now for just over two weeks and I’m up to 40 minutes per day! Also the last 4 days I’ve been able to get on an Alter-G treadmill at Michigan Rehabilitation Specialists (MRS). This is where my former coach, Ron Warhurst, works out of.

For those of you who don’t know what an Alter-G treadmill is, it’s a treadmill encased in a pressurized bubble that allows you to “Alter” Gravity and run at a percentage of your body weight. Every day, I go in to MRS and put on some compression shorts made of a material similar to what you’d see used for a wetsuit. The shorts have a zipper around the top so when I’m ready, I step on the treadmill and zip in to the bubble. I hit a couple buttons on the touch-screen and the bubble inflates, lifting me off the treadmill track and calibrating for my weight. I can offset up to 80% of my weight to run on as little as 20% of my actual bodyweight, which is what I’m doing currently.

Here's a short clip of my first or second day, That's Ronny standing next to the treadmill. Camera work by Josh Perrin:



Before starting I spoke with Dr. John Grady, who performed my foot surgery in Chicago on November 5th. Dr. Grady did some research and spoke with a colleague about the use of the Alter-G as a tool to help me get back to running faster. He came up with a nice progression to add 10 minutes, 15% of my bodyweight, and some incline to my session each week. I’m very fortunate to be able to use the Alter-G because it allows me to start getting used to the running motion again so soon, even if it is just at a fraction of my weight. I’ll be way farther ahead when I get off the treadmill to do some real running for the first time. Even in just four days, I feel like I've made some big improvements with my foot's mobility and readjusting my legs and body to the motion of running

I’m staying in Michigan until after Christmas and will join back up with my teammates in the Upper Valley shortly after. I can’t wait to get back with the team and my home in NH. Live Free or Die!

-Lex