Last night after work I went for a good 45 min run along the truck route in Merritt. Very windy, but pretty. My knees held up just fine. But if I'm going to start upping the distances to train for the half, I'm going to need to cross-train so I don't end up crippled in October. I don't want to invest in a gym membership, so I'm looking for alternative ways to cross-train.
Any suggestions?
I think quads are the most important muscle group to strengthen if you want to avoid runner's knee. Something about the knee cap tracking correctly. If anyone knows about exercises that can be done at home I would be more than grateful to hear about them.
Perhaps get a big yoga ball and the look online for exercises you could do with. It is mostly for core training, but perhaps you could do some squats or something using the ball for support under your bum while putting all the effort into your quads. I may be talking nonsense, but perhaps if your core is strong too it will align you body in such a way that it won't so much stress on your knees...?
ReplyDeleteUltimately I'd recommend Bikram's yoga because whenever I do it, my knees strengthen in no time, but I don't think you have that at your disposal in Merritt.
It's amazing what you can find on the internet, though. I'm sure you could find all kinds of exercises you could do at home :)