Pre-Hab. Now Would be the Time, eh?

Blah. Winter. Yes, technically, it's a couple weeks away but 3-4inches of snow crashed the weekend here anyway. It was snow in the air, but it became nearly ankle deep slush on the ground.

DC Winter Wuss that I can be, I'm searching for productive indoor, at-home exercise options.

Below, examples of strength and stretch moves tailored to help runners fix imbalances, avoid injury and tightness, and generally strengthen the bits and pieces that play roles in the running movement.

The nice thing about video is the pause, rewind, or ffwd. Follow the whole routine or skim through to pick up new moves and eyeball form. The Howie Long look-a-like instructor/author, Mark Verstegen, is pretty well known. "Core Performance" is one of his better books.



And, two short (really) articles here and here (foot and ankle focus - the amazing toe towel scrunch) on similar strength and stability exercises.

Digging a New Groove

Forcing myself to find a run-free regimen. Hope to get into a long term routine of swim, easy bike and prehab/rehab of broadening my core and minor muscle group work. Work the stuff that is neglected or is a secondary supporting muscle group as related to those that get all the work when engaging in the primary three.

Will blend running back into the mix when it's prudent. The ultimate 2 words of runner desperation - water running - have popped up and bounced around my big noggin. For a nanosec. I just know running in a pool would suck. It will be a last resort.

This evening, walked down the metro escalator with a normal gait and no discomfort for the first time in nearly 2 weeks. Knee not bothering me swimming or biking, tho not testing it with any heavy loads, intensity or long duration. Still stiffens up over night, and probably when sitting at work.

The last few days:

Wed. 1-16-08
Right knee status quo.
Core 30+mins

Thur. 1-17-08 Swim, Bike
Right knee quite tight out of bed, after swim. Sore spot is area and above below outer corners. Sigh.

Swim
6-7a coached session at G'town Prep, ~56mins in water
200 free warm-up
2x50 side (w/zoomers)
2x50 1 arm "
2x50 stroke and glide "
2x50 catch-up "
500 free "
5x100 w/:40 RI - swam 1:49-50 for all.
100 cool
1700 total yards

Bike
Bike QR trainer, gradual warm up and stay in small ring 39x14/13, into big ring 53x15-16. A few 20-30sec easy standing. No knee bother at all while riding.
Entire workout (158 watts):
Duration: 1:03:50

Fri. 1-18-08 Bike-Swim-Core/Lift
Bike QR trainer, easy like yesterday
Entire workout (159 watts):
Duration: 1:02:17 (1:03:54)

Swim 40mins - Free, side, stroke and glide, fist, free, kick bd, free
Core/Lift 30mins - (back/abs/sides/tris/delts)

Bilateral = Hypoxic

Humor up front. Bikesnobnyc gem re wooden handlebars. Yep. Wooden handle bars. The prime line:

Together with a brakeless bike, wooden bars will transport you to that next level of sublime uncertainty, and simply arriving at your destination with all your teeth will feel like a Tour de France stage win.

Tue. 1-15-08
Swim-Bike-Core
Right knee better out of bed not too stiff (only 5hrs of broken sleep, less time to stiffen up?), can walk 95% normal ROM out of bed but still funky, full and tuggy feel in spots around knee.
6-7a Swim, solid 60mins wet.
Pretty worked by the time I crawled out of the pool.
Def felt whipped at times mid session, esp for the 2nd half of each bilateral breathing 100. Hello hypoxia. Lats begging for O2. Slight nausea as blood diverted from gut to extremities.

• 200 easy free warm-up
• 6x50 kick bd (25 at 90% effort, 25 at 70%)
• 10x50 w/zoomers (25 hard free, 25 moderate stroke and glide looking for 10 or fewer strokes)
• 7x100 free bilateral/3rd stroke breathing (:30 RI)
• 2x50 hard "bucket" effort (if you aren't wishing for a bucket at the end of the 50 you didn’t go hard enough) (:49 & :52 for the 50s)
• 100 easy free cool down
  

1900yds total

Bike - 40mins easy QR trainer half 39x14, then 53x15, cool in 39x14

Core – 15mins