A simple runners workout...for this simple runner anyway.

OK, so other than about 30 to 40 miles a week I am trying to rebuild my core strength which is often harder than the running mechanics...I started in the gym, when i could do semi weight bearing exercises and I have tried to tailor my workouts to be less about just general strength and more about engaging muscle systems that can help and will benefit me. I have has allot of help with this from my friends Mandy Jacobs and Cris Mills, who runs a great website called surfstrengthcoach.com, although it is exercises for surfers, the core work and leg work is the same so it is a great site, check it out for sure! Anyway...i have tried to find good pics of the exercises, if you need more info, you tube has a ton of videos or email my buddy Cris at his website... here goes.

I start out with 3x15 reps of stability ball push ups. Push up mechanics are vital, and as Cris will tell you most people do not do them right so make sure that you body is in line, and your core is tight. you can do it two ways, toes on the ball or laces on the ball (you can also do it shins on the ball)...i like to do it with my laces on the ball.

You can also do them with your hands resting on the ball, I cant do anymore than 2 sets of 15 on that right now...once i can get to three sets i will switch on and off between the two or just move to the inverted position.

just another word on the push up...here is surfstrengthcoach.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=989YaLvRwjI&feature=player_detailpage

Next is stability ball hamstring curls, again 3x15....with this one, again make sure your core is tight and watch the knee flare...you want to keep your body in line, don't let your knees flare out.

Stability ball lunges, again 3x15, you can incorporate weight into this exercises, i do it with 15-20 pound dumbbells in my hands, you can also use a medicine ball. again watch your form...the picture is a bit misleading as you never want your leading knee to go over your toes,NEVER. Watch your posture also.

Squats, i do dumbbell squats, I find it easier than a barbell squats...don't know why, i just do. 15-20 pounds in each hand and 3x15 reps. You can also use a single barbell holding it on the mid line of your body. Again, watch you body mechanics on this, knees behind toes, imagine sitting down on a chair....sometimes I have to stand with my toes at the wall just to make sure my mechanics are correct.

Stability ball knee tuck. I do 3x15 of these also, and again just as with everything else body mechanics is vital, good spinal alignment, a tight core, and make sure that you done flare those knees. The image for this is not very good, so i included the you tube for it...you can also do the pike version which has a more dramatic hip flexion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRPgWP-hDr0

Stability ball crunches, 3x15, do not pull on your neck, your neck and shoulders should be loose, its your core that should be tight. your head should come up with the crunch naturally...you can do it with your arms positioned like in the image or with them crossed on your chest...either way.

Finally, side plank hip abduction...body mechanics!! watch your hip alignment, and stability arm placement, make sure shoulder and elbow are in alignment. Although this photo is of a woman, she is doing the exercises how i do it, with the arm abducted. again 3x15 per side for these.

every other day I add in the push-up with dumbbell row. 3x15 for these, is the goal...I can only manage 3x8 right now, and I am using 15 pound dumbbells...with a 10 pound i can do 3x12...maintain that good push-up form throughout.

So that's it, an average Joe runner's core training...usually 4-5 days a week for this, it takes me about 45 min or so to get all of it in, and i don't have to go to the gym if i don't want to... mix that in with 6 days of running and hopefully I can build back up my core strength. Again, many thanks to Cris Mills of surfstrengthcoach,com and Mandy Jacobs for all their help! Run Happy loyal reader!

Hunter Valley NSW, Gardens Running Festival 21k

With all that has happened in Colorado in the past week and around the world over the past few years, don't we need the Olympics right now? Isn't sport a welcome respite from the problems and difficulties of our world, war, economic depression, famine, atrocity committed against one another...isn't teamwork and sportsmanship a breath of clean air. To some sport may not matter, to me it does....
Ok, so Australia has always been a dream destination. I think it started with crocodile Dundee, i just envisioned the whole country being like Walkabout Creek, or whatever the name of his little town was. Although the dream was Australia, Sydney is not Walkabout Creek, it is a big, thriving city, that seems to take health a wellness seriously, as evidenced by the number of runners and joggers we saw at around lunch time, near the botanical gardens and the opera house, yeah I could live there. Newcastle is a beautiful seafront town, with an equally active lifestyle, could live there too.(Brenna especially liked the shopping in Sydney, it had a Target).
So our trip started with a bit of a stumble, we checked in at our gate for our trip from Penang to Singapore, and luckily we arrived early. We needed visas for Australia, something both Roxanne and i found unusual. it seems the only country that Australia does not require a visa for is New Zealand...So our Australian adventure almost ended before it began, the folks at the Singapore airlines desk, were very helpful and in 15 minuets they had taken our passports "upstairs" and gotten the visa approval we needed. I will be sending a very nice note to Singapore airlines on their behalf. Crisis averted we began our journey. after a stay in Changi Airport, Singapore, we took off for Sydney, and 8 hours later we were in Australia, tired, but no worse for wear. we decided to rent a car and since Roxanne has been driving on the right side of the car and the left side of he road for over a year now, and in Penang no less, we figured Australia would be easy. It was pretty easy with a GPS and the Holden Commodore was a very nice car (GM owned). So it was off to Newcastle, and other than a stumble finding the hotel, which had gone from being the "Sebel Newcastle Beach" to being the Novatel...we found it and got settled in. The next morning we decided to go out, pick up my race kit and check out the gardens, despite the chilly and windy conditions (it was about 62F), the gardens were very nice and we could only imagine how beautiful they would be when it was not winter. We also saw Kangaroos in the fields by the side of the road...it was awesome!

We headed back to Newcastle and decided to get in a bit of walkabout along the ocean, then had dinner and retired for the night, as we all had to get up early the next morning.

Race day! an early morning drive to Hunter Valley reveled even more Kangaroos at the roadside! The day broke cold, windy and cloudy, with some early morning rain and the threat of more, it looked to be a very cold and wet race. The running gods were kind though and the weather held with only some light rain at the race start and the wind calmed a bit, it was still in the high 50's low 60's at race time. Perfect weather for a race.

Gun time 7:30AM and we were off, the course was a beautiful out and back with some hilly sections, trail sections, some of it through the vineyards. The was a huge, and i mean HUGE hill at about the 10k mark. It was a very tough course with the hilly sections and the changes in terrain. Finished in 1:48:22 chip time and 1:49:17 gun time.

OFFICIAL TIME	OFFICIAL PLACE
AVERAGE PACE: 05:12	of 520 TOTAL finishers. 70.77% of 260 MALE finishers. 56.15% of 73 M40-49 finishers. 52.05%

NET TIME	NET PLACE
AVERAGE PACE: 05:09	of 520 TOTAL finishers. 71.73% of 260 MALE finishers. 56.92% of 73 M40-49 finishers. 52.05%

I was astounded at my pacing and my time, especially since a year ago I was still in a hospital bed recovering from two surgeries. The cool weather helped and the endless training did what it should. Thanks to Brooks Hanson Distance Project, I did not hit the time I wanted but I am happy with my result. I also tried out the Brooks Pure Grit for this race and I had not used them before, they were perfect for a mixed terrain race! Thanks to my wife and daughter who have not seen me run a race in some time, it was so nice to have them both their and i think at the finish line both Rox and i shed a tear...its been a long and at times difficult journey back to recovered. I think I can safely say that I am RECOVERED. The rest of our trip will be covered in our other blog, be sure to check it out, Rox got some great pics, and we had a great time. This is a race I hope that I can do next year, might be the last before we leave Asia! Loyal reader thanks for keeping up with me, I Ran Happy, and I hope you do too!