Running 101

It was a few weeks ago that I christened myself a “jogger, but not a runner”. Fast forward 5-6 weeks and I’ve run enough miles (74.5 since the Urban Dare post) and read the blogs of enough running coaches that I think I’ve got the basics down. This is a far cry from a year or two ago when I’d decide to go running once in a blue moon, covering far too many miles on my non-runner legs, and hobble back home with an injury.

A little background: I haven’t always been athletically inclined, although I did play field hockey in high school for a semester. My jock phase abruptly ended in 2001 when I was in a car accident that forced me onto crutches for about 2 months and into physical therapy for 6 additional months. I regained full range of motion but lost a significant amount of muscle, mobility, and strength as well as suffering nerve damage. On paper I was doing fine (I didn’t require any more physical therapy aside from a cortisone shot to the knee every 6 months or so), but I felt lethargic and much weaker than before.

Strength Training Basics

A muscle is like a car. If you want it to run well early in the morning, you have to warm it up - Florence Griffith Joyner

Strength training is one of my favorite forms of exercise so I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss it a bit. It seems most exercise enthusiasts are divided into two camps: they love weight training and the challenges and opportunities it presents, or they despise it and treat it as a nuisance at best and an option at worst.