Howdy fellas, I'm baaaaack

[Winged One]

After some healing time for my knee, I've returned. All pain has completely dissipated, so here we go again.

I've continued to lose weight even in my absence from the boards. When I was last active here, I weighed around 190lbs. Now I'm 177. That's pretty tremendous for me. I've also tried my best to at least maintain my strength with some not-so-regular exercise...hopefully the weight I lost wasn't muscle mass...There's no doubt I have slipped a bit in strength and endurance though, so I've adjusted my skill points accordingly.

Well, I guess I should start making some goals now. Any tips for avoiding knee injury when I run? I'd like to continue on my path to being an Assassin, but I'm nervous about injuring myself again while running. That's what screwed up my challenge in the first place.

[Lydieboo]

Any tips for avoiding knee injury when I run?

Welcome back! As for tips to prevent another knee injury: Take it slow! Do TONS Of research on protecting your knees while you run, and invest in bodyweight knee strengthening exercises, like squats and lunges. I would actually really advise against using machines to strengthen your knees because, as runners, our knees are major stabilizers, and you want to be able to compensate for changes in the terrain. That means your knees need to be strong at many different angles, not just the angle a machine forces it into when it's running on a metal track.

Also, remember that your body isn't an archipeligo, it's a continent. The parts don't operate independent of one another. If your back is weak, you have to compensate for that somewhere else...a lot of the time it falls to your knees and ankles. If you want to be the best runner you can be, make sure your core and back muscles are strong, that you're using good form when you run (not leaning forward or back or pronating abnormally on one foot), and that you're not wearing your muscles out without letting them repair. (When our muscles get tired, we often rely on our tendons and bones to support us, and lose our good form, which is what causes injuries.)

Get plugged in at runnersworld.com or something that talks about injury prevention, and then follow the advice of seasoned runners.

I hope that helps! Just remember, running alone isn't enough to make you the best runner you can be - any running mag/forum will tell you so. Good luck!

[Winged One]

I would actually really advise against using machines to strengthen your knees because, as runners, our knees are major stabilizers, and you want to be able to compensate for changes in the terrain. That means your knees need to be strong at many different angles, not just the angle a machine forces it into when it's running on a metal track.

No problems there, I avoid machines like the plague for the reasons you've mentioned. My form is probably to blame for what happened, so I suppose I should look into how to run properly.

[Laureleye]

What Lydieboo said. Welcome back.