SCRANTON, Pa. — A community room at Allied Services in Scranton was not set up for a traditional seminar, but this wasn't a typical seminar. It was a running mechanics seminar taught by Allied physical therapist John Martino, focused on the Pose Method.
"It's a group of exercises that can make you a stronger runner and help reduce your chance of getting hurt," Martino said.
Many of the students ran the TCS New York City Marathon with Team Allied Services and You last year.
Why would experienced runners come to something like this?
"Well, there's always room for improvement," said Lynn Dzielak of Throop.
Some in attendance have run more marathons than they can count, but that doesn't mean they are immune to injuries.
"We see a lot of knee injuries, ankle injuries, hip injuries, back injuries, even some upper body injuries we hear some complaints about," Martino said.
So, they came to jump, stretch, bounce, and balance to find exercises complementary to their physical needs and goals.
"Running is a learning process, and as you get older also, it takes a toll on your body," said Paul Shaffer West Pittston. "You're constantly learning."
Many learned they had weaknesses they didn't know about.
Many of the exercises we learned to improve our posture, pronation, and flexibility can be found on the internet, but personal instruction is helpful to this group.
"There's nothing like to have a structure with it, doing a such as a class like this. You know now what you have to do. You don't have to say, 'Well, this one looks good. I'll start doing that workout.' And it might countermand something else that you're doing," Shaffer.
If you're thinking of getting into running or just improving your stride, this could be beneficial for you.
"This would be one of the best things to do, if you don't know where to go and as far as find a running group. There's hundreds of running groups within the local area. You can find one that best suits you," Shaffer added.