Nice run today. Great weather! Activity Route: Boat Ramp to Yacht Club Elev. Avg: 350 ft Location: Richland, WA Elev. Gain: -10 ft Date: 02/23/08 Up/Downhill: [+183/-193] Time: 02:28 PM Difficulty: 2.0 / 5.0   Weather: Fair   57 F temp; 35% humidity   57 F heat index; winds N 6 Performance Distance: 8.00 miles Time: 1:11:54 Speed: 6.7 mph Pace: 8' 59 /mi Calories: 1026 Map Richland, Washington   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 56 +0' 57 6.0 -0.6 -16 ft 2 10' 17 +1' 18 5.8 -0.8 +7 ft 3 9' 35 +0' 36 6.3 -0.4 0 ft 4 8' 43 -0' 16 6.9 +0.2 -14 ft 5 11' 30 +2' 31 5.2 -1.5 +6 ft 6 9' 23 +0' 24 6.4 -0.3 +7 ft 7 9' 54 +0' 55 6.1 -0.6 -7 ft 8 9' 12 +0' 13 6.5 -0.2 +6 ft end 10' 50 +1' 51 5.5 -1.1 0 ft Versus average of 8' 59 min/mile

Posted from runtracker.runnersworld.com

Here is a hill workout I ran last Tuesday. Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 382 ft Location: Richland, WA Elev. Gain: +10 ft Date: 02/12/08 Up/Downhill: [+164/-154] Time: 05:04 PM Difficulty: 1.5 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 3.01 miles Time: 0:26:20 Speed: 6.9 mph Pace: 8' 45 /mi Calories: 389 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 10 +0' 25 6.5 -0.3 +20 ft 2 8' 43 -0' 02 6.9 +0.0 +23 ft end 8' 27 -0' 18 7.1 +0.2 -33 ft Versus average of 8' 45 min/mile

Posted from runtracker.runnersworld.com

Meteor Shower

Looks like tomorrow morning would be a good time to get up early and run while its dark! Another meteor shower is here!
Here is the link to the article:
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/080103-meteor-shower.html
Marjorie

Starting Off the New Year

Here are a couple of links to Runner's World videos on building core strength. We don't often think of it, but core strength is key to successful running.

Video 1 - Don't let the title of this video fool you. It really is for running, not just good looks.

Video 2 - This the link to part 2. It is also embedded below. (Sorry, the Runner's World site didn't have the code to embed part 1.)



Give these techniques a try and then post an entry to let us all know how it is working for you.

Ron

I Graduated!

I've graduated from physical therapy for my knee.  I've been running for two weeks now since being cleared to run by the Dr.

The PT progressed from light bicycling on an exercise bike to light ankle weights to heavier ankle weights and some squats either free standing or against the wall with an exercise ball.

I have complete range of motion with my right knee.  It probably feels better that it did before the injury.

One thing that amazed me was how quickly my quads and hamstrings atrophied in my right thigh.  I wasn't off of my leg for anything but the surgery.  None the less, the muscles are significantly smaller and still need some effort to build them back up.

Running is going well.  Yesterday I had a fun run with Andrew and some of his fellow Hanford HS alums.  We ran to Clay Lewis' house and back from the HHS track.  Clay has inspired these young people and they like to visit him when they are home.

On this past Saturday I ran in the annual Cable Bridge Run.  I took it very easy and let myself ease into the running.  It felt great to be running in a race again even if I did start out slow with a tremendous number of people in front of me.  As I warmed up I still ran easy and focused on my Chi Running form, particularly body lean.  By the middle of the race I found myself running sub 8's and ended the race with about an 8:06 average pace.  Much better than I expected without really pushing it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.  Maybe I will see you at the Pooch and Pal run on January 1st at Little Cross.

Running in the Dark

I have realized in the last few weeks that there are a few plusses to running in the dark. In my case early morning around 5:15 or 5:30 am is when I get started. This is always the time I go during the week, except in the summertime when I don't have to get up as early to get the kids going for school.
For the last month I have been watching the Comet Holmes. It is an incredible sight really, so bright you can spot it even when the sun is coming up.
Now yesterday morning and this morning I have been watching the Geminid Meteor Shower race across the sky. I remember staying up late freezing my butt off last year on my balcony trying to spot this same meteor shower and this year saw it while somewhat staying warm! (Even though it was 34 degrees out)
I will be the first to admit that I don't LOVE running in the dark. I get nervous to hear the coyotes howling in the early morning hours. I hear a noise and don't know what it is until I am about on top of it. In the winter I freeze! But looking up and seeing some incredible sights makes it seem worthwhile.
Marjorie

Physical Therapy

I learned a little bit from my 2 knee surgeries that I can share. Be patient and disciplined with your PT/recovery. Once you learn the PT routine, you can do most of the exercises at home which is much more convenient. They kicked me out of PT early because I was very diligent in doing exercises on my own. Your knee will tell you when to back off if you are being too aggressive with the exercises. The healing and strengthening process is quite interesting as you progress from day-to-day and week-to-week, much like training for a race. A few setbacks may be encountered, but you will notice relatively steady improvement.

If you have access to a hot tub, I highly recommend it. I found that a few minutes in a hot tub with the jets pointed directly at my knee did wonders for the soreness. Biking and elliptical trainers are wonderful, low impact ways to keep you cardio system in shape, strengthen muscles and assist in getting range of motion back. The quadricep muscle seemed to instantly shrink after each surgery and was very difficult to get back to normal. The bike and elliptical helped develop the quad a lot. I have an both an elliptical trainer and recumbent stationary bike in my den which I use when my knee is acting up.

Hang in there Ron...you will be back on the trails before you know it.

Steve W