Snow and More Snow

Of course, Alaska will still get more snow this season but could break-up really be happening early this year. Having lived in Alaska for more than 39 years, I should have known that wasn’t the case. Delusional? Putting my warmer running layers and Kahtoolas away will have to wait because it looks like I am going to need them.

Running on dry pavement in slightly warmer weather was so nice! Oh well…

At least the possibility of biking down the river wasn’t over as was eluded to in this recent blog post. With the warmer temperatures the week before, the river was really opening up in quite a few places. Now that the overnight temperatures were in the teens again, Scott and I decided to head out on our fat tire bikes to check it out. We ended up having one of the best biking days of the season. There were definitely a few sketchy areas but we were being careful.

You might be wondering exactly where we were able to bike! As can be seen in this photo, there was a lot of room to ride.

Even though break-up is not really happening quite yet, the days are getting warmer. Being able to run or bike in shorts is not that far off. Spring is coming…

Running, Cross-training, and Strengthening

Dynamic warm-up prior to heading outside plus a 10-minute walk prior to running is part of my warm-up.

• Sunday Fat Tire Biking 8.5 miles
• Monday Stability Exercises (see below)
• Tuesday Running 2.58 Miles 5 x (5 min run/1 min walk)
• Wednesday Stability Exericises (see below)
• Thursday Running 3.33 Miles 4 x (5 min run/1min walk) + 2 x (6 min run/1 min walk)
• Friday Stability Exercises (see below)
• Saturday Running 3.41 miles 5 x 6 min run/1 min walk 1 x 5 min run/1 min walk

I have been doing mostly mobility work to loosen up the tissues so that I can do the necessary stability exercises correctly. I have a history of doing specific exercises that are geared towards runners with weak hips, yet they didn’t seem to help that much. But I am doing those same exercises with very specific instructions on how to do them and which muscles to target. Sure, I can knock out clamshells all day long but if I am not doing them the right way, what’s the point. So, following the instructions in the book Anatomy for Runners by Jay Dicharry, I have added these exercises:

• Clamshells – I started out with 20/side x 2 but Dicharry recommends 100/day! I will be working towards that. For now, having to put so much focus on making sure I am working the right muscels instead of going through the motion of the exercise is pretty intense. I want to make them count.
• Pigeon extension – I also started out with 20/side x 2. I felt a little pressure in my right knee when I extended my right leg. But…when I really focused on contracting the glutes as I extended my leg, the pain subsided.
• Donkey Kicks with dowel – The idea is to focus on hip extension rather than back extensions. I actually videod myself performing this exercise and it wasn’t pretty. The dowel, whiich is balanced on the lower part of the back, should not move that much which was not the case for me. When that happens, Dicharry says to make smaller movements until your control improves.
• Marching Bridge – I don’t like bridges because my lower back tends to stiffen or become a bit uncomfortable. Tightening the glutes prior to doing the exercise made a huge difference in completing it without the back discomfort. I made sure I could do just the bridge before adding the march to it. Bridge 20 x2 Marching 20 x 2.
• Knee to chest bridge – By bringing the knee into the chest decreases the chances of arching the spine. I really liked this exercise because I felt like my spine stayed stable. Maybe I just have greater glute max strength? 15 per side x 2.
• Single Leg Balance – This exercise requires you to stand on one leg x 30 seconds with eyes open then repeat with eyes closed. Dicharry explains in Anatomy for Runners that it is important to do this exercise 20-30 seconds at a time throughout the day rather than long periods at one time. He also provides guidance on posture and balance prior to doing the exercise.
• Chair of Death – doesn’t sound like something anybody would want to do, right? It is basically doing a squat by positioning a broom handle, stick or whatever you have where it aligns with your tailbone, back and middle of the head. Then, with knees touching a chair or box, sit back in a squat position. The props help to keep proper form. Bend at the waist, not at the knees. I started with 2 sets of 10 with a goal of 3 sets of 10.

Tissue mobility and stretching exercises are still part of the nightly routine.

My running goal for this week is to run a full 20 minutes without the walk breaks. Currently, when stopping for walk breaks, I feel like I could keep going. The only thing to do is to try it and see what happens.

Just a little update on the knee osteoarthritis: I continue to have minimal pain at times that is just enough to be annoying, but the increase in running time has not had any impact on knee pain. In fact, some days even though there is some mild pain, it goes away during the run. Got to keep moving!

Family Fun Time

The kiddos came over for the weekend! Yay! Then, when Sonja and Matt came to pick up Charlie (the other two stayed because they were on spring break), they made us dinner! We played out in the snow some. Well, some of us were playing while others were working hard to clear away that accumulation of snow.

Once Scott removed most of the snow with the snowblower, Tylor plowed the remaining snow with the 4-wheeler. And Miss Charlie loved helping! After the driveway was plowed, Tylor took the girls for a ride. They loved it!

Cooking is definitely not my favorite thing to do so when someone else offers to make dinner, I say go for it!! And take a closer look at those cute earrings that Sonja is wearing. They were designed and made by her!

She is starting her own business making clay earrings. She is not up and running yet, but check her out on Instagram @thelittlethings.ak She is just amazing. I am so proud of her!

Those are the highlights and running updates of the week! Next week’s running should be interesting without the walk breaks. I am excited to see how it goes. Until then…

Happy Running!