A Tip For Beginner Runners

For some reason I've been having a hard time thinking of things to blog about lately.  I think that part of the reason is because I don't really feel like I've made any new changes lately, and partly because I've been busy and distracted with life.  I'm not sure how full time bloggers come up with things to write about everyday, my life just isn't that interesting!  I mean how many times can I possibly write about coconut oil before I scare everyone away?

Last week we started the Couch to 5K.  Now I realize I'm kinda cheating since I already completed this program a couple years ago, but running is one of those "use it or lose it" kinda things…. and since I haven't been running I've completely lost it.  The one thing that quickly came back were my sore knees.

I run on a treadmill in my living room, nothing about it makes for a good photo. :)

*Side note* About 10+ years ago I had an illness called Graves Disease.  Part of my treatment was some pretty high dosages of Prednisone (a steroid) for about a year.  Side effect of those steroid treatments were some pretty messed up knees, along with a slew of other things… don't even get me started on my disdain for steroids now!

Anyways, one of the most valuable things I learned last time I did the Couch to 5K was the importance of stretching before and after running, especially if you have bad knees like I do.  But not just any stretching, dynamic stretching.  Dynamic stretching is just like regular stretching except you do it while you're moving.  This is the video I followed on dynamic stretching.  I do each exercise for about 30 seconds and it has seriously diminished (and often eliminates) any pain I might get in my knees.  Without the dynamic stretching I tend to feel it in my knees after about 1 minute of jogging.  Everyone is different, and you may need to stretch more or less than I do, but keep on testing it out until you find what works for you.

I am a complete beginner and I'm just passing on info that has worked for me.  From what I've read it's best to do dynamic stretches before running and static stretches after.  Static stretch are when you've cooled down, usually sitting in one position and holding each stretch to help pull and lengthen the muscle.  Static stretches are pretty much the normal stretches that most people are familiar with.

I hope this helps!  Don't skip stretching, it doesn't take much time and your muscles like the prep. :)

Anyone have any suggestions for stuff to blog about… Help! Please!

-Bre