Run, Dave, Run!

Recently I decided that my exercise regimen needed a change. So I started the Couch to 5K running program. I've never been much of a runner; I've had knee trouble for most of my life and running has never worked for me. But I found this program that gently, over the course of two months, gets one to the point where one can run 3 miles (5K). So I'm giving it a try.

And it's working! I just started the third week, and I've discovered that my knees are fine as long as I follow a few rules:
+ Include my hamstrings in my pre-run stretch
+ Wear a support on my right knee
+ Don't rollerblade within 24 hours of running.
+ Stretch my back out on a regular basis.

The last one is interesting. My back gets stiff and prone to injury if I don't stretch it on a regular basis. But I've found that stretching my back will tend to reduce stiffness in my knees. I think this is because everything is interconnected: a tight back pulls on the glutes, which pull on the hamstrings, which pull on the knees. Stretch the back (and hamstrings), and the knees loosen up as well.

If I stick with a program I will be jogging three miles three times a week by the time I go to Southern Decadence. Then, of course, I get the experience of jogging three miles in New Orleans. In August.