Running comeback

Happy Wednesday all!  Which is really my Friday given my upcoming trip to the FL in the AM.  And boy did I start off this faux Friday right- with a nice run of course!  I've been slowly coming back from a moderately serious knee injury after last October's Chicago Marathon.  I managed to complete the NYC half marathon in late March but have been re-struggling with the pesky problem ever since.  I'm finally back after a VERY gradual return, tons of cross-training, and a complete gait change.

It turns out that most people (including myself unfortunately) are naturally "heel-strikers" when they run, which means their heel hits the ground first in their stride.  While this is fine for walking, it can lead to serious knee problems while running long distances, mainly because it forces your knees to absorb the shock from the strike of your foot (see the leftmost illustration).  And when you're old like me, your knees need all the help they can get.  That's why "mid-foot striking" is recommended and, while it may be a class-A pain to completely change your gait, it can really help with injury recovery and prevention because your calves, quads and gluts absorb that shock (and I've got plenty 'o gluts back there y'all so I may as well make that junk in my trunk earn its keep).  This is for reals- the first time I tried this new gait change (after watching tons of videos on youtube to make sure I was doing it right), I could barely run one mile because it was so taxing on muscles I never use, and afterwards I had to wait an entire week before running again because my calves were so incredibly sore!  Just ask my mang because I wouldn't shut my yapper about it during our entire Texas vaycay.

I'm hoping these efforts will culminate in (1) the utopia of long-tern injury-free running (always an indefinite goal); and (2) my beginning training in a few weeks for the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon in DC on Halloween weekend (see map below)!  My favorite running partner, Biscuit, and I signed up together earlier this year and have both been struggling to come back after the Chicago Marathon.  She's a fantastic runner and, despite her being at least 3 inches shorter than I am (thus one would infer she'd be a slower runner given her shorter gait), she kicks my *ss and really forces me to push myself to the limit.  I was considering the New York Marathon this fall, but decided on this one given the fact that I may not be in DC forever and, well, I can try the New York one if and when I'm a New Yorker...(God willin' and the creek don't rise).  Not to mention Biscuit is a political superstar and given this year's elections, November would've been a little too late for her to be logging in 40 miles per week and whatnot.

And I've been dying to try one of the Disney races sometime- their half marathons look like so much fun, not to mention they just added a new food & wine half in October.  The October race may be reaching given my unpredictable geography around that time (even though I haven't given up on it yet), but maybe at the very least I can get some ladies together for the Princess Half in February...I've already started twisting arms in preparation!

Now y'all go out and work on your fitness Fergie-style!  xo