July 9th Preview

Praise today to our two runners, Malisa and Ben, who completed the Butte to Butte 10K on Independence Day. At 6.2 miles that’s more than three times as far as we’ve gone in class.

We reach our fourth session (halfway already!) this Tuesday. The distance jumps to 2.0 miles, and to mark that occasion the run has a different design.

It’s two laps. This gives you a chance to test your pacing on first versus second mile. Ideally they’ll be close to equal in time – or better yet, second mile faster than the first. That’s called a “negative-splits” run.

The route: sidewalk past playground, pool and soccer field to 24^th Avenue at Roosevelt Middle School. Turn left, to bike path beside creek. Turn left, then back to start at 1.0 miles. Repeat for second mile.

Weather forecast: temperature about 80 and cloudy.

LESSON 7: Getting Hurt

Runners get hurt. We rarely hurt ourselves in the sudden, traumatic ways skiers and linebackers do, but the injury rates run high. Most of our injuries are self-inflicted – from running too far, too fast, too soon or too often (and sometimes on surfaces or in shoes not right for us). Prevention is as simple as adjusting our routine. Immediate treatment seldom requires total rest, but only a change in activity. Use pain as your guide. If you can’t run steadily without pain, mix walking and running. If you can’t run-walk, simply walk. If you can’t walk, bicycle. If you can’t bike, swim. As you recover, climb back up this exercise ladder.