SeeFluffyRun wrote:
I have learned to love hills. I do run downhill... Free energy is what our running coach calls it. But the first time I went down too fast and hurt my knee so I now respect the downhill. Monster welcome! Signing up for a 5K is very smart. It is the only thing that keeps me motivated. My next run is 12/22. I want to do the half but I am not sure if my calf will heal by then.
Currently I am doing pool running due to my injury. You can pool train for up to 8 weeks without losing any of your training that you have already done. So until it heals I have to drive 30 minutes away to an indoor pool. Oh well, we do what we gotta do.
How's everyone doing? Have you had to make any changes to your running routine because of the weather?
Hey Rozette,
Pretty much the only time I take advantage of the "free energy" in down hills is when I'm good and warmed up and in a race. Even then, it's pretty hilly around here and there were a couple of hills I encountered up in the mountains during my Reach the Beach experience in September which were so very steep they begged caution; too fast and the runner can quickly get out of control and crash, attempt to "down shift" too much and suffer a severe muscle or joint injury.
I must have missed your calf injury; assuming it is not too severe it should be well healed by 22-Dec. I've only done pool work once, and that was right after my cast came off in 2003 following six friggin' months of being non-weight-bearing (NWB) after having my right leg screwed back together. Back then my sturgeon [sic] told me I'd never run again; the pool work was so that I could learn to walk again with a minimal limp. That therapy was cut off after two or three sessions because, "you've already attained the range of motion and the strength for someone your age, and the insurance company won't pay for any more." What really cooked my grits were the non-atheletic teen and twenty-something kids who had suffered less traumatic leg injuries than mine and yet were still scheduled for months of therapy because they were a long way from achieving the range of motion and strength for folks their age.
As for the weather, it's pretty cold and windy up here these days, and given how far north and east I am in the Eastern Time Zone, it is getting dark before 4:30 in the afternoon. What that means is that most of my weekday trail runs are cold and very dark, so, not only have I had to bundle up a bit, I also have to wear a headlight. 
Best regards,
Dale