Pre-run Warm Up... & Gear Check (sort of)

You know what I dislike about late Fall? Cold weather and short days! Although I noticed that I tend to spend a lot more time doing my pre-run stretching nowadays - it's too darn cold outside to be doing any kind of stretching for any length of time, so I always do it indoors... and boy is it comfortable indoors! Here's five of the seven stretches that I always try to incorporate before running: 5 Injury-Prevention Stretches for Runners (Mike Clarke @ Active.com)

I'm way too impatient as you probably already know, but a solid ten to fifteen minutes of stretching can do a world of good for a workout - plus, I like to throw in jump roping to get the blood flowing as a pre-run warm up. I like the Lifeline Jump Rope (LifelineUSA.com) and have included jumping rope as an in-between circuit exercise for the past year. It's cheap, fast, and definitely gets you warmed up in a hurry when it's cold outside! See how happy I am?

I normally do three to four sets of 1-minute routines, averaging about 80 to 90 jumps per minute. If you've ever considered the addition of jumping rope into your workout regimen, try to avoid jumping on concrete or hard surfaces - you'll want to take it easy on the joints and the abuse adds up rather quickly. I usually pull out a rubber mat for this and they're relatively cheap at places like Costco and Sam's Club.

Also, other than the jump rope itself, here's another Gear Check item that I was introduced to by a fellow runner and sports PT that I frequently like to pester with eleventy gabillion questions whenever I get the opportunity:

I like these inserts and have tried plenty of different brands, but these seem to work very well for me. I have a couple hundred miles on my current set and have enjoyed a noticeable improvement in my right heel (pain-wise). I have low arches so the Blue Superfeet is the recommended insert. They're not cheap and run about $40 dollars... whenever I get a $10 cash back award from Sport Chalet or see a 20% sale at Dick's Sporting Goods, I'm all over that Superfeet display - I may have a couple spare pairs sitting in shoe boxes just waiting to be used!

Well today was 10.75 miles for me and it felt great! Great weather, not too warm (a benefit of late Fall you say?!), but I must say my legs felt like I was hauling weights into the first two miles. After that second mile, however, everything seemed to pick up just fine. This is my last long run before the Las Vegas 1/2... although I'm quite positive a 9 miler is in my near future on Sunday. I know, I know! Tapering is important!

Say, anyone else here use shoe inserts? What works for you?