<p>One of the great things about being “middle aged” is that we don’t really have to give a [you know what] if somebody else is going faster or farther. Just being out there, in the game, doing it, is more than 95% of the people our age are doing. :)</p>
<p>^Nike for the “mature” - just do it … Sloooowwwwwlly ;)</p>
<p>And I resemble that remark…
Not sure MomWC qualifies, though. Have a hunch “slow” is not in the vernacular when describing MomWC 
More like energizer bunny!</p>
<p>I second the big 2000 party though!</p>
<p>So I added a glute bridge to my “cooking dinner” routine last night. Deceptively easy looking, but I certainly felt it. For a few months now I’ve been doing “front core” but in reading that core challenge you guys linked for me I realize I’ve been neglecting the “back core.”</p>
<p>I also bought a resistance tube/band with handles. I ended up a tangle on the floor. Will have to study those moves a little more closely, I’m afraid :)</p>
<p>Thought this was fun to look at - the first 100 running SHOES to cross the line at the NYC marathon this weekend - pics of the actual first 100 runners feet and then a synopsis of the shoe they were wearing:</p>
<p>[The</a> First 100 Shoes to Cross the NYC Marathon Finish Line - Page 2 of 101 | Sneaker Report](<a href=“http://sneakerreport.com/news/first-100-shoes-cross-nyc-marathon-finish-line/2/]The”>The First 100 Shoes to Cross the NYC Marathon Finish Line | Complex)</p>
<p>I saw that about the shoes. Remember that a lot of the first hundred finishers are paid to wear those shoes! This year’s NY Marathon had over 50,000 finishers making it the largest marathon ever. I hated the crowds in 1979 when I ran it- and have never been back. They do an amazing job of keeping it organized, and lots of people love it. You get up at 3 or 4 am for the 10am start and wait in lines and lines for shuttles, bathrooms, security checks etc. </p>
<p>At Kona Ironman there were multiple surveys done as the athletes left transition, both to the bike and to the run. They did everything from photographing all the shoes, all the bike components, wheels etc to asking each athlete if they had a coach. In triathlon there are lots of Zoot shoes. I personally think Zoot is too light for a full marathon for most mortals. Newton was also big at Kona. Not as many Hokas as you see at most triathlons since this was the world championships and the athletes went with less shoe.</p>
<p>I had a good run this morning- finally. 6 miles before work and it was light to start with a beautiful sunrise. I never stopped- usually I have some stops for equipment adjustments, music changes, bathroom or something. 6 miles done! 50 degrees and clear.</p>
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<p>I’m finding glute bridges to be one of the most deceptively difficult/frustrating exercises. Everyone starts out feeling it in back of the thighs – like a hamstring cramp – because we use those muscles when our glutes can’t fire. Ideally it should be felt in the butt (“glutes”). iPod nazi has a very effective three step cue: Squeeze… lift… down.</p>
<p>I just keep chipping away at it. I’ve been doing a single leg version with the other leg outstretched straight recently.</p>
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<p>I’ve finally realized that I’ve had a cold (without ever feeling bad). I’ve been suffering from dry nasal congestion for a week or so. Today it “broke” with all the sneezing and running nose that you get at the end of a cold. Bizarre. No fever, no aches. I guess that’s a good thing.</p>
<p>My favorite glute exercise, that I do in every warmup, is this one:</p>
<p>[Quadruped</a> Hip Extension on Elbows - YouTube](<a href=“Quadruped Hip Extension on Elbows - YouTube”>Quadruped Hip Extension on Elbows - YouTube)</p>
<p>Something about being on the elbows locks everything else out and forces you to really focus on the glute. This one also feels like a hamstring cramp at first, but it starts to activate the glutes pretty effectively.</p>
<p>The other one that I really love – it’s my favorite warmup exercise – is this one for rotating the upper spine:</p>
<p>[Quad</a> Position Thoracic Extension Rotation - YouTube](<a href=“Quad Position Thoracic Extension Rotation - YouTube”>Quad Position Thoracic Extension Rotation - YouTube)</p>
<p>If you rock back to put your butt near your heels, it completely locks the hips and lower spine out of the picture and you can get a fantastic stretch as the elbow rotates up towards the ceiling. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found it hard to do something like turn around and look behind me when backing up the car. This one directly works on that.</p>
<p>kmcmom:</p>
<p>Here’s the band-assisted leg raise that I do:</p>
<p>[Active</a> Straight Leg Raise (ASLR) - Band Assisted Leg Lowering - YouTube](<a href=“Active Straight Leg Raise (ASLR) - Band Assisted Leg Lowering - YouTube”>Active Straight Leg Raise (ASLR) - Band Assisted Leg Lowering - YouTube)</p>
<p>This is very humbling exercise, if you figure that the ideal is to get both legs up to 90 degrees (straight up and down). Another one that I do in every warmup and just keep chipping away. I’ve seen a lot of progress, but it’s measured in months, not days or weeks.</p>
<p>Any band will work for this one. You are just using the band to help pull one leg up and lock it. A rope or a belt would also work.</p>
<p>Mornings are a lot better now that there’s light earlier! </p>
<p>Just entered the draw for the Nike DC Half. By December 6th, I should know if I’m in or not! That will keep me running in November. This month I am just going to run for the fun of it. Keep working on mileage. I set a goal to lose 23.6 pounds before the end of the year, and Runkeeper informed me this morning that I was more than halfway to my goal. Those congratulatory emails are a real motivator!</p>
<p>Gym workout.</p>
<p>1/2 running, 1/2 strength training.</p>
<p>Re post last night, couldn’t agree more, iDad.</p>
<p>KMC, I think that side lying clam shell is a great at home glutes exercise. Don’t know if there’s anything special to be aware of with it.</p>
<p>3 mile planned run became a 2 mile run when I had to take time out to get air for my low tire. 2 mile run was suppose to be on a sunny 62 degree day but which actually ended up being 52 and fully cloudy. An afternoon that I hoped to take a couple of hours off for that 62 and sunny ended up being yard work done after the 2 mile run in 52 and clouds until it was too dark to see, so about an hour and a half of yard work. Moral of this story: make do with what you get!!!</p>
<p>Clam shell is great. Another one that seems to work better emphasizing quality (slow movements) over quantity.</p>
<p>iPod nazi has a fun hybrid. Doing a combination side plank with clam shell. You start from a bent knee side plank position. Plank up. And then do the clam shells.</p>
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<p>Another hip exercise that I do in every warmup these days are called Big-X walks:</p>
<p>[X</a> Band Walks - YouTube](<a href=“X Band Walks - YouTube”>X Band Walks - YouTube)</p>
<p>I do them with a resistance band from each foot to the opposite hand and then a mini-band around my ankles to make it hard to step laterally. I do 12 in each direction. Wow. What a workout. Really fires the hips and lats.</p>
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<p>Poor hip/glute activation is almost always the worst weakness in all of us, even in very athletic people and especially in runners. It’s a side-effect of our seated life. So it’s a lot of bang for the buck to focus on this stuff in workouts.</p>
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<p>I had a girl sprain her ACL this year. Had they not done an “ACL prevention program” this summer that consisted of lots of lunges and squats, etc and built up that hip strength, she would have torn her ACL no doubt in my mind. That time spent saved her a lot of heartache and overall saved about $80k in medical expenses…</p>
<p>Another variation of the clamshell that I like is to be side-lying with your legs and your torso in a straight line and then bend your knees. Then you abduct your hip. That will really focus in on the glute med whereas the regular clamshell involves a lot of the TFL as well.</p>
<p>Tabata Kettlebells :)</p>
<p>Deadlift, Swing, Snatch, Push Press. All single arm. 4 minutes of pure torture My ladies really enjoyed it today. We had 5 ladies in class today so I cut down the time by about 10 minutes, but really worked them hard instead. We did a couple of circuits including two sets of Tabata Kettlebells.</p>
<p>Awesome video. A rant about a heart healthy seal of approval for an awful product:</p>
<p>[The</a> Heart and Stroke Foundation Owes Canadian Parents an Apology - YouTube](<a href=“The Heart and Stroke Foundation Owes Canadian Parents an Apology - YouTube”>The Heart and Stroke Foundation Owes Canadian Parents an Apology - YouTube)</p>
<p>Tabata Kettlebells</p>
<p>I feel their pain, hops_scout. The little kettlebell circuit I do kicks my butt like nothing else. It is very similar to a tabata timing, usually taking me about 3:30 to finish a set of eight exercises (four on each side).</p>
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<p>I know you do heavier weight than we do. When I do the circuit that you do (5 reps each here) it takes us just over a minute. We attack that nonstop. This Tabata Kettlebells is much longer obviously. I may have to find a substitute for the Push Press in Tabata mode…</p>
<p>One lady was headed for Portugal in the morning… she may regret having participated in class before sitting on an airplane for 7 hours tomorrow…</p>
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<p>Push presses have always been my kryptonite, guaranteed to gas me in no time flat. Still, I am shocked at how hard they are as the fourth exercise in a non-stop circuit. The first few times I did the circuit, I could barely get the KB to move on the push presses.</p>
<p>It’s better now. I can get it overhead and lock it out, but only if I do my weaker left side first (when I’m only halfway thru).</p>
<p>God love academic freedom What an awesome video, idad. Hope it goes viral :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the other videos. My core is much stronger these days, which should to some degree protect me from a rotational facet joint lock up, but I think I should read some more McGill on spine loading before I try that quad one :)</p>
<p>I don’t know if it means I’m totally messed up kinesiologically, but I also feel that glute bridge in the front top of my thighs, which is also where I have the most visible muscle definition. Maybe it means I’m doing it with poor form or tried to get my feet too close to my butt, not sure. And maybe the upward trajectory of the hill means I’ve developed that front muscle more than the back and its just tighter.</p>
<p>I like side planks, if you can call it like (but am much better at front planks) so maybe I’ll experiment with the clamshell in the next while.</p>
<p>Thanks for the continuing tips, guys. I am definitely getting better at this – with a lot of help!</p>
<p>Three indoor miles yesterday. Cold and snowy last night. Back inside today.</p>