Wettest March on record

Wildside Trail

And how did I celebrate this? I went and ran 8 miles on trails for the first time since early january and that freaking fall on cement.  I was nervous about this run but so looking forward to a return to trails. Everything is feeling good but trail running adds in a couple different layers to just running. 

You tend to have a lot more side to side motion when trail running on technical, rocky or muddy trails. This is a great thing for my hips and upper body. The extra movement almost feels like a good stretch for me and I know my hips/tight hamstrings will feel better from this. There are more hills than a regular road run and of a different variety. The trail tends to have sections which go up and down over a very short sections and not to mention longer climbs. Considering that I typically only feel the knee now when walking up hills, I figured this was a good reason to make sure i was running with proper form (albeit very slowly). 

The best news is that the knee felt good. I am pretty sure i am favoring that leg a bit as I am a bit distrustful of it but I've maintained good strength while biking so I'm sure it is just a matter of getting back out there.

Bike Minded

The new, free gym has opened up at work and I tried a lunch time run. With all the construction around along the Seattle waterfront, it did make it interesting. The path has been redone and I think it is a bit wider. It will never be wide enough to keep the stray and clueless tourists who have no idea that is a commuting corridor from getting in the way but I was happy to see the improvements.  There were lots more runners out there than I have ever seen on a lunch time run but then it wasn't icy or snowy which is my usual reason for running at lunch time. The showers were fantastic! I hope to utilize this option more often. 

The Foot bone's connected to the...

Take care of those feet. It's all connected. As an athlete, those connections matter and when something isn't properly, just wait as something else will compensate. Then ouch!   

How's the Knee?

I've been getting this question a lot lately as I'm running around at work.  And the answer is "pretty good!" Oh i still notice it although most of the time I do not.  I happened to mention to someone that I could run again but was feeling pretty limited. "How limited?" Oh I only run a few times a week right now but I can do 8-10 miles with no problem.  This elicited the usual shock of "you run 8 miles before work?"  Haha!  Oh yeah, i forgot that's not normal. I was happy to add in an easy workout with some lunges. The knee held up!