Core Exercises

The core plays a huge part in maintaining good running form and given that I am currently injured, I thought I'd spend a little more time focusing on strengthening my core. There are hundreds of exercise routines available on the interweb and through a process of elimination, I have selected a few exercises that I do regularly.

Plank:

1. Lie in a push-up position with your forearms on the ground
   
2. Keep your body in a straight line, your elbows directly below your shoulders, and your abdominals pulled in.
   
3. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
   

Side Plank:

1. Shift to your side, keeping the elbow directly under your shoulder and both feet on the floor, top foot in front.
   
2. Lift your hips until your body is in a straight line.
   
3. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
   

Bridge:

1. With your head, shoulders, and both feet on the floor, push up into a bridge position (I fold my arms across my chest to make sure I am not using them to keep me in position)
   
2. Contract your glutes and hold for 30-60 seconds
   

My typical workout consists of two repetitions of:
Plank (30 secs)
Side Plank right (30 secs)
Plank (30 secs)
Side Plank left (30 secs)
Plank (30 secs)
Push Ups - 20
Bridge - hold 30 secs
Bridge - 10 reps of push up, hold 3 secs, return to ground
Bridge - hold 30 secs
Bridge with right leg extended - hold 30 secs
Bridge - hold 30 secs
Bridge with left leg extended - hold 30 secs
Bridge - hold 30 secs

Injury Update

After nearly four weeks of not running, I decided to take my new running shoes for a short mile run along the greenway on Saturday morning. The run itself was fine and my knee and shin felt good throughout. However, as the day went on, the pain below my knee came back first, followed by the tightness and pain in my soleus muscle. I have to travel this week, but I am going to set up an appointment at the doctor for the following week to find out whether it is the soleus muscle causing the knee pain or whether it is the knee pain causing the soleus pain or whether I have two different injuries.

What is clear is that even with nearly four weeks without running, my soleus muscle certainly hasn't healed. I am going to cut out the cycling this week, and go with swimming and upper body weights only and see what the doctor has to say.

Marathon Deferment

Unfortunately it is with great sadness that I have come to the decision to defer my entry in the Marine Corps Marathon until 2011.

There are currently only 74 days until the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon and I haven't run a mile in a long time. My leg problems still haven't gone away completely and there simply isn't enough time to train to be able to complete the marathon in the way that I want to.

I have learn't a lot from this experience - mainly that ignoring even the slightest new niggle or pain isn't a good idea. If I had paid more attention to the pain in my shin and calf and rested, I probably wouldn't be in this situation.

I have a number of different options of what to do this fall instead of the Marine Corps Marathon, but they all are based on a full recovery from this injury that I currently have at the moment.

I'll keep everyone updated on my progress as I recover from injury and get back to running again (hopefully soon)

Injury Update & New Shoes

I haven't run since Monday July 26th. The pain in my shin took 3 days to go away but the pain in my knee took longer. I am currently pain free and I have been to the gym every day this past week doing some combination of weights, cycling, swimming and the elliptical attempting to keep some kind of fitness and strengthen my lower body.

Following a trip to the local running store I have decided to change running shoes from the Asics Kayano 15 to the New Balance 759. While the Kayano's worked great for about a year (I first got them in March 2009), they are a stability shoe and I appear to need less stability now than I did when I first got them (I have lost 15lbs in weight and have changed my running style). I do have a very high arch and the Kayano's haven't been providing enough support for my mid-foot, so the 759's are a neutral-cushioned which are designed for runners with high arches.

Of course, only time (and miles) will tell whether the new shoes make a difference or not. However, given that there are only 12 weeks left before the marathon, I am considering deferring my entry until next year as I simply won't be able to complete the level of training that is required for me to be able to safely tackle the 26.2 miles.