Miles Mountain Bike Marathon

Since the Berryman marathon / 50-mile back in April - Miles, my 10-year old stud of a son, has had a goal; Ride an entire marathon on a mountain bike. A REAL mountain bike marathon......Berryman! Since then, we trained together almost every weekend - he rides, I run. His conservative goal was a marathon over two days. Therefore, we set up a spike camp at the fifteen mile, Brazil Creek, camp ground. 5-miles into the ride though, he had his mind made up that it would be a one day finish. He did it. He's a stud.

He also enjoyed driving Dad's car but that's another story.....not for Mom to know.

Ozark Trail meets Berryman

There was some uphill walking involved. Always is when biking tough trails.

And even a little bit of downhill walking.

But mostly, super, hardcore, single track!

Two very handsome men.

Pedialyte does wonders for restoring electrolytes

My nasty old legs

Technical downhill

Priceless

Yes. He rode this......clean.

First injury. This one set him back a few minutes but didn't break him.

As mentioned above, our spike camp we set up in advance, just in case he needed to bail at the 15-mile mark. Pre-race dinner was Ramon Noodles and local grown green beans

Brazil Creek crossing. 15-miles down and 11.2 to go.

Yes Mom, we read every night in the tent.

Finish Line Rock! Goal completed! What a summer.

Wiped out in the back of my car like a bowl of mush. We enjoyed long talks about how resting is where muscle and strength is restored and built. Talks of what next, what is possible? Ten years old and everything worth while in this world is in his path and within his reach. This is my boy!

Kaylan's first Century

Kaylan and I rode Bike MS (160 miles) last year and we are signed up again. This year we set a goal to ride the century option (100 miles) on day one.

With this goal in mind, last weekend we signed up for a 70-mile tour that had a 100-mile option. It was a cool, beautiful morning. I mentioned to Kaylan "you know, the weather may not be this nice in four weeks, we could do our century today" I added "no pressure though honey, if you still want to live in our house and be part of our family, no pressure". Another rider overheard us. At the next aid station he chimed in and said "you really couldn't ask for a better day, no wind, perfect temperatures, great roads". Again, I remind her "no pressure".

A little farther down the road, both feeling great, a thought strikes me. I say "Kaylan, if we wait until Bike MS to do your century, you will be 14 years old. If we do it today, you will always be able to say you did your first century at 13 years old". No significant response. I think "don't pressure her. She will do it on her terms".

Then we are speeding down this sweet downhill and see a Y in the road. Some riders are turning left, some going straight, one turning around and a couple standing over a map. I look down and see, painted on the road, the words "70 mile turn left. 100 mile go straight". Just then I say "Kaylan, it's decision time. This is the"..... Before I can finish she says "100!" and off we go. We are now committed to riding 100 miles in a single day. Did I mention she is 13-years old?


We did it! We knocked the bugger off. Kaylan, dare I say, is as good a stoker as her mother when we knocked out big miles, back in the day. What a great day. What a great kid. Kaylan Rocks! I'm a lucky Dad.

6:30am. So nervous she can hardly stay asleep in the car.

Shivers

The start


Kaylan's view for 8-hours of riding

Lucky she doesn't have to look at this mug!

Side angle view

70 mile mark and still smiling

Aid station PB&J never tasted so good...Superfood!

Kaylan freaks when she catches Dad drinking a Coke and eating Cheetos. I told her "when you are 90-miles into anything human powered - anything goes".

Training ride pictures





I'm 44 - still the Dad. Kaylan is 13 - still the teenager. But when we are cranking, chained together, literally pedaling in tandem, down country roads, we are really good friends. This is fantastic father, daughter bonding time. We train for hours which means we talk for hours. We talk about everything in her life and mine. No topics are off limits and she doesn't have to look at me. We live the good life, a mile at a time.

Advice from a friend (putting 100 milers on hold)

Ron
I have now read this email - probably dozen times. You are very thoughtful, and helpful. This is obvious, but wise advice Ron. Many of life's lessons don't have to be learned through experience, the hard way. We only have to look around and listen to others who have lived more. I'm not a religious person but I almost feel as if calling you, the work you did for us and your timely advice are meant for me.

You are a good person Ron. Thank you.

Pat
Thanks for the note and good to hear that you found a "starter" bike for Miles. It won't last long before he will want an upgrade.

In reference to the 100 milers.....you have competitiveness that I haven't felt since sitting behind a steering wheel at over 150 mph as a young man.

At some point one has to weigh the competitiveness against the most important part of a person's life: the family. We both know that your wife is already a saint (so you're covered there) but the years with the kids are much too short. Wake-up one morning and they will be grown.

When I look back on my early life with my late father, I cherish the "one-on-one" time doing things that we enjoyed in common....fishing and working in the garage. No doubt he could have been doing bigger and better things. But he gave that time to me because he loved me more than those other things. IE Priceless.

Miles needs to learn to ride off-road and for that he needs to follow your rear wheel. He needs to hoop, howler, fall down, get dirty, laugh etc. He needs to see you do the same. A special trip (not that much different from the ride with the daughter) to a distant single track isn't beyond consideration. Northern Wisconsin has some sane single track. Even Kansas. I'll find something and forward it.

As for running....why not think quality as opposed to quantity? Other than the ego thing, what does a Leadville 100 provide that a quality marathon in southern Missouri can't? Other than massive amounts of risk and pain. Reward is all internal anyway. Find it elsewhere. I threw over 10 years of trophies in the dumpster.

Lance once said: "it's all about the bike." I disagree....it's all about balance. And besides Lance destroyed one family, marched through starlets like water and now has started to mess-up a second family. Where is your balance?

You're pedaling in the right direction. Don't stop!

Tailwinds. Ron

Ron
On my run Wednesday night, I came to the conclusion that it's just too much time to keep training for 100s with the kids activities and work. Also just don't feel like I'm getting good one on one time with Miles, my 10-year old. With Kaylan, we are starting training for MS bike so she's covered, but again, how to get in the hours of running to stay in 100 mile shape? So I give up on 100 mile races for a few years (months - who knows)

Miles showed an interest in mountain biking at Berryman. I'm running along Wednesday night thinking "me, Miles, in the woods together, both learning an endurance sport together?" Yesterday we cruised some garage sales and picked up a $30 mountain bike that was obviously never ridden but left outside. I suspect the reason it was hardly used was because the fork was installed backward and the rider's feet hit the tires when turning. After a couple hours working on it together, re installing the fork, replacing the seat, adjusting, cleaning etc. Miles and I went out to my favorite mountain biking (running) trail where he could ride and I could run.

Nirvana. Life is good.

Berryman 2009

This was the third GENESYS running of the Berryman marathon and 50-mile trail race. GENESYS people give new meaning to the phrase "work hard - play hard". This year's course was more difficult than prior years due to a recent storms. These storms left over 70 big trees down on the trail as well as a whole lot of water. In spite of conditions, everyone finished and most returning marathoners bettered their time. This is an amazing group of people. A full trail marathon, on a tough course like Berryman, is no small feat. Yet look closely at all of the smiles in these pictures. The smiles say it all.

Pre-race. Nervous smiles. A cool morning following an overnight storm. The undeterred runners see a little more rain before the day is over. All agreed that rain is better than heat. These are "cup half full" people.

We had two more 50-mile bad asses this year. John Fralick and my Brother Matt both ran the entire 25 mile loop.. twice. So now the GENESYS 50-miler list includes Mike Gase, Pete Leon, Casey Yunger (2nd year) me and now Matt and John. Who's next?

Cheering every runner to the finish line are bell ringers Kaylan Perry (my daughter) and her cousin Madison (Matt's daughter)

The pictures to follow are roughly in order of finisher times. I regret that I missed Griffin Weyforth's finish (too fast). I didn't take my own photo but I can proudly say I finished 3rd overall! My best marathon effort ever.

Tim Hazlett, running friend and soccer Dad, finished his first trail marathon. Tim is a 3:27 road marathoner. His Berryman was 4:37 which supports my theory that you have to add an hour to your road time for a true trail marathon.

Don Fredericks (most improved) ran his third Berryman, bettering his time by over an hour with a 5:18. Don has suffered two broken backs and open heart surgery. He has been another of my hero's since I met him. A good person.

Pete Leon pulled off his fastest Berryman marathon yet at 5:19.

Randy Nuttall (Wolverine Fluid Power) previously a fast road-runner, pulled off his first trail marathon. And yes Randy - you did beat my first Berryman.

Dave Swift (Owens Corning) finishes with Brandon Vega. Dave's first with a very respectable time, and Brandon's second Berryman.

Belinda Roberts - Mother of our own Jonathon's Roberts, finished her second Berryman. Jonathon, who has run multiple marathons, didn't participate this year as he spent all his training time studying for his PE exam. He also sacrificed his Berryman to be in China for us. Thank you Jon. John Sr. Belinda's husband, has been training for months for his first 50-miler. His flight was canceled due to storms. Major Bummer.

Jake Hawthorne beats his parents 2007 marathon times by almost half!

Keith Davis (Owens Corning) and Jake finished together.

Angela Perry, Matt's wife, finishes just under 7-hours. She could do better but had knee issues. Angela is the strongest first year marathoner I have ever had the pleasure of training with. In spite of a rough race, she was planning her next race within an hour of finishing. I think she's converted. She's a stud.

Scott Story (Barnes Distribution) and Don Waldman (Ford Motor) finished together. Donny is my hero this year. He is a cancer survivor having endured very harsh treatment in the mid 90s. His cancer has been in remission but his lung capacity is diminished. Then, last fall, his numbers began to rise again. He and his Doctor agreed to marathon training as an alternative to a second round of more traditional cancer treatments. He didn't miss a single mile of training and his numbers haven't increased in the past 12-weeks. Think about that.

Donny also turned 56 years old Sunday!

John Kriegle (Compuware) finishes his second Berryman with a huge time improvement.

Happiness

My lovely wife Tracey finishes her second Berryman and third marathon. She improved her time and didn't get lost this year!

I'm so lucky.

Kris Dickerson and Matt Johnson finish together. This is Kris's first and Matt's second Berryman. Matt wins the award for most conservative training program.

Casey Yunger - third Berryman, second 50-miler and first to finish of the 50-mile GENESYS studs.

Matt Perry and John Fralick finishing their first of two 25-mile laps, looking strong.

Short break before going back out to finish the long run of their entire lives.

John Fralick's first 50-mile! Stud.

Deservedly Proud.

Matt Perry finishing 50-miles of rocks, roots, water and fallen trees. Budweiser in hand.

Matt's handsome son Caden.........

Matt's ugly dog.......

We were a smaller group in 2009 which stands to reason because we are a smaller company. In spite of a difficult year, this amazing group of athletes trained harder than ever and finished with attitude. Me and Donny.

My son Miles and Caden, Matt's son, try their hand at mountain biking the Berryman trail. Neither remained upright.

John brings his own person hot young chearleader.

Dave is whipped.

Randy looks like he could do it again......next year?

I missed photographing Griffin's finish. This was his second Berryman. He's ready to take on a 50 in 2010.

It's all about the the buckle, the medal, the running hardware, running bling.

Owens Corning is a better company for having these two guys as fit as they have been in thier entire lives.

You could run around in the woods with these beauty's if you sign up to run with us next year!

Me and the most beautiful trail marathoner I have ever met. Life and love is good.

For the finishers, you make up the less than one tenth of one percent of human beings who have gone the distance. For you 50 milers, you aren’t human beings at all. You are animals. And to think you guys did this together on a hilly, wet, rocky trail in a national forest. I sincerely hope each of you gained something special from the experience, not only the event but the whole experience. A marathon is not a single day. It is at the least a 16 week experience of discipline, work, cold, sunshine, wind, early mornings, soreness, snow, ice, sunsets outdoors and self awareness. At most, the experience can be life changing. As I like to say, we only get one shot at life and this is no dress rehearsal. Congratulations.

An invitation to all. 2010 training starts in seven months. Join us. Make the committment and we will help you get to the finish line.

Berryman is here! Race Day Checklist

Thursday pasta and pictures at our house:

All runners and family are invited to our house tomorrow night for a pasta dinner and group photo. We can discuss travel, camping, race, post race plans and compare notes. I will hand out GENESYS / Berryman custom running jerseys for all. I am also making up a race kit for you which I will also hand out Thursday. Each kit will include:

Napkins

Advil

S-caps

Vaseline

Band aids

If you can't make it by the house tomorrow (Thursday), I will bring the shirts and race kits to the race.

.

Camping Checklist:

Tent, sleeping bag, cot, pillow
Pee-bottle - I like to keep a throw away bottle in the tent so you don’t have to go outside at night if that makes sense.
Bug spray - Mosquitoes get restless in the evening.

Camp light / flashlight. I like headlamps.
Coffee - If you are a coffee drinker, you will need to plan accordingly. I use a little stove and a press. The Starbucks bottles are easy too.
Dinner - Friday, the night before. Think carb’s, healthy proteins and salt. Rice, pasta, soup, potatoes, etc. Not a lot of fruit or fiber if you are not accustomed to it.
Late night snacks - It’s good to sip water and even a little Gatorade or snacks at bed time to top off the tank.
Breakfast – Bring a light breakfast such as bagels, PBG, bananas all good. Eat a little extra salt, V8 is good.
Sweatshirt, pants for the evenings. Can get cool at night.
Camp clothing -Comfortable clothes for after the race. Crocs are nice.
Camp chair. Handy at the end of a marathon.
Water - The camp site is rustic and I can’t remember if there is water.

Race Day Check List
Suggest packing everything you plan to run in – in a separate bag. Shorts, socks, shoes, hat, bottles, gels, etc. It’s nice not to dig around at the last minute wondering what you have forgotten.
Don’t over dress. It will hopefully be cool in the morning and maybe even raining. Best to shiver for a few minutes and avoid carrying extra clothing the last 24 miles. I suggest dressing for 20° warmer than actual forecast temperatures. You will warm up fast and again, it's is expected to reach 85 degrees.

Blister care - If you get a hot spot on the back of your heals, duct tape them right away. They will have duct tape and Vaseline at aid stations. Wool socks - no cotton.

Electrolytes - If it’s hot, one to two electrolyte capsules every hour does wonders to stave off cramping and nausea. I will set you up. Aid stations will likely have them too. Gatorade only goes so far and is a lot of sugar.
Hydration - I suggest carrying one or even two water bottles if it’s hot. I like to keep pure water in one for pouring on my head and shoulders. You can refill at aid stations. They are approximately 5-miles apart. I don’t recommend the big 70 oz camel backs. Too much water and weight on your shoulders. They will have some sort of Gatorade, Succeed or PowerAde, but I go easy on those unless you are use to it. They will also have Coke / Mountain Dew which does wonders toward the end of the race.
Bug spray - Ticks, horse flies, etc. unless you run too fast for them to catch you.
Food - Bring a little to eat on the course if you plan on taking a long time. Only eat things you are accustomed to. The race is not the time to try new foods. They will have candy, fruit, cookies, PBJ, pretzels, etc. at aid stations but you may want to carry your own gels, Cliff bars, candy or Cliff cubes, whatever.

Poison Ivy prevention - for the ankles if you are susceptible.
Ipod - if you are hip
Sun protection – Sun screen and a visor or brimmed hat if you plan on being out there a long time. GENESYS will supply the high tech, light colored, running shirt.
Shorts - Wear running shorts you have run in before. Be careful of seams that will chafe.
Drop bags - There will be drop bag service at roughly the 16 or 18 mile mark. You put whatever you need in a bag and they will bring it out and back for you. Extra socks, shoes, food, shirt, hat, food, sun block, etc.

Run your pace!. You don’t want to go out too fast or get caught up in someone else’s pace. I promise, no matter how slow you start, there will be plenty of time at the end to use up your extra energy and then some.

Other Stuff:

Allow around 5.5 hours drive to Berryman. Directions on the website.
People who arrive first on Friday, please pay for and stake some extra camp sites. We can always double up if this doesn’t work out.

Also, it's tricky to find. I suggest finding the campground Friday night so you know.
If anyone has family or friends coming, please encourage them to take pictures. I also have an extra cowbell that needs some serious ringin.
You will likely be zonked at the end of the day Saturday. Hang around, drink a beer or two and make the trip home Sunday.

You may not sleep well Friday night. No big deal. They say, and I agree, that the night before - the night before is most important. Get a good night sleep Thursday.

Rain

Rain is no big deal. Honest. Just be prepared to run with wet feet. It won't be much worse than wet sweaty feet. I wouldn’t bother with changes of shoes during the race because you just get wet again. You may consider covering your feet with a light coat of Desitin to avoid rubbing / blisters. Good wool socks and trail shoes are still the best bet. They push water out and wick moisture. We run with wet feet all the time.

Since it is expected to be so warm, I wouldn't bother with rain gear. Once you are wet, you just keep going and realize it's actually a welcome relief from the heat.

I do suggest having rain gear and warm dry clothes for the end of the race. We have a tradition of cheering in every runner no matter how long they take. Noise makers are good too! And cameras. and, and, and.

Heat

Expected 85 degrees. This is another matter. Heat can be tough, early in the season, when you aren't acclimated. We are providing white shirts which helps. Sunscreen on the neck and arms is a good idea if you are planning on being out there a long time. A visor or light hat too. However, much of the running is under the tree canopy.

Electrolytes are most important. I'm bringing a little care package with S-caps. In hot weather two every hour does wonders. As I said last week, when your electrolytes get out of balance, everything goes to pot including your stomach. Take electrolytes. On a real hot day, Gatorade is not enough. Plus it's a lot of sugar. For more advice on heat, read last weeks blog.

Note from the Race Director

See ya saturday...make sure you take some jumping beans,there are trees down on the trail.

See you there!

5/9 Berryman Training Update (50 mile advice)

TWO MORE WEEKS!!!!!!!!
2008 finish line - Pete Leon (50 miler), Rusty Brown, John Fralick (2009 50 miler?) Casey Yunger (50 miler) and Scott Schaeuble

Jonathan, Belinda (Mom) and John (Dad) at the finish 2008.

Some advice to a freind (John Roberts) contemplating running his first 50.

1. At some point soon, you have to say "I'm doing it" Otherwise, you are working against yourself mentally. If you say "I'll see how I feel after the first lap". It's highly unlikely you will head back out into those woods again. It's more mental than physical John - honest. Think about Rockin K. If you had signed up for the marathon with the attitude that you would decide after the first loop, there is just no way you would have headed back out on the course. If however you said, for weeks in advance, and again when you woke that morning, that you were doing 50 miles no matter what, you would have finished the first lap thinking "OK, half way there, still holding it together. Got to eat. Got to get in and out quick. Don't sit down, etc. etc."

2. The next thing is to know what it feels like to run on dead legs. This means April 25th / 26th, three weeks before Berryman, you do back to back long runs. Like a 20 on Saturday and a 20 on Sunday. The point is to start Sunday the 26th sore, tired and brain dead. You will have bad thoughts like "screw this" and "why?". Then, five, six, eight miles into the run you will start to think "wow, I didn't think I could bounce back like this". By the time you reach mile 15, you will be hurting but you will also say "look at me, whodathunk?" Here is the important part John; That Sunday morning, dead leg, feeling will be very similar to how you will feel at the end of Berryman lap No. 1. Sunday the 26th may be even worse because you will have stiffened up overnight. The beauty is, standing there at the beginning of the second loop, the dead leg feeling will be familiar and you will know from personal experience that you can push through it. And you will. You will leave your friends, family, the chairs, food and the starting line and you will head back out there because you will know that you can. That is what the back to back weekend, the Sunday morning, dead leg, feeling will gain you. It's valuable knowledge when your body is screaming at your to stop. The body will do what the mind wills it to do. But the mind has to be prepared and experienced.

So - you need to switch your entry from marathon to the 50 now so that they get that shiny new buckle ordered for you. Then at roughly 5:30pm on Saturday, May the 16th, 2009 you will be honored with the coveted buckle that says "I am one proud, bad-ass, 50-mile, tough course, ultra runner" I can't wait to see you at that finish line John.

Suggestions for race day and the the next two weeks
You asked about food. My suggestion on food is tied to heat. It can get hot at Berryman so you will really have to keep your electrolytes right. I suggest one to two S-caps every hour. Even three if it’s really hot. If your electrolytes get low, you stop processing water and it all goes to hell from there. Your water will start sloshing around in your stomach, you lose your appetite, get nauseous, your temp rises and then you’re just screwed. I would have a little bottle of chilled Pedialyte at the turn just in case. Pedialyte does wonders when you need to get your electrolytes back quickly. It’s at any Walgreens or Costco. The other thing, get your body accustomed to drinking lots of water now. This is so your kidneys get used to the workout. Otherwise they literally get sore, during the run, from processing so much fluid. It freaks you out.

If you have a chance to get out and run in the heat, or just be in the heat - sauna, steam, hot car, etc. I would. Hot runs early in the year are tough, so anything you can do to acclimate would be good. While running, I would carry an ice-water bottle and also a Heed or Succeed mix bottle to refill at aid stations. Use some of the ice water to dribble on the top of your head every so often. This really helps bring your core temperature down and feels great. Then you might consider a bandana that holds ice. You wear it around your neck and let it drip ice water down your back. Check this link Bandana On the same site you can also buy a hat with at little zippered pocket on top to hold ice. I would only suggest the hat if you really struggle with heat. I could loan you mine. I never use it. Let me know.

As for eating. Eat really well the next three weeks leading up to the race. Eat more complex carbs the week before. I’m not a believer in eating huge portions the week or the night before – just quality. The night before, a good dinner of carbs with some protein and then top of the tank at bedtime with more carbs but nothing really fibrous if you aren’t used to it. Even just a Gatorade at bedtime is good. I would eat a decent breakfast. Then a little more, a gel or a bar, right before the gun fires. Drink 20 to 30oz of water before you start as well. I would avoid any dairy on race day but then again I would avoid dairy any day.

Once you start running, the trick is to take in calories every half hour. Be fanatic about this part. Most people who DNF an ultra do so because their stomach fails them, not their legs or lungs. If you have an alarm on your watch, set it for every half hour. You won’t feel like eating later in the race so you have to keep fueling early, even if you don’t feel hungry. Your body’s natural defense, when stressed, will be to stop the appetite and subsequently shut down the body in order to stop whatever activity is stressing it. You kind of have to trick this defense mechanism. Always back up what you eat with more water. A Good plan is an S-cap and some calories, backed up with water, every half hour.

As you get toward the second half of the second lap, anything goes. Soda, candy, potato chips, cookies, whatever looks good - eat it. Simple sugar and caffeine at this point are like rocket fuel. Now is when nutrition goes out the window and you are just fueling. I never drink soda but I always finish races hopped up on Pepsi and Mountain Dew. IT’S AWESOME!

You might struggle with blood sugar. If, during the race, you get light headed, really groggy or kind of foggy, a Jolly Rancher between the cheek and gum does wonders. You might have a couple natural ginger candies with you as well in case you get nauseous. I can give you a couple if you remind me.

If you still get low on electrolytes after all this, you may move past nauseous and actually throw up. If you feel it coming on, just get it over with. Throw up, start over and things will get much, much better from there.

I never was a big fan of gels but I’m becoming a believer. They are handy, slow release carbs, without having to break them down in the stomach. By all means, don’t experiment the day before or on race day though. Eat only what you are used to eating. I can eat most anything, any time, but I have heard countless stories of people trying some new protein powder or something, on race day, and getting in all sorts of trouble.

You are ready. Worse that can happen (above) will set back an hour, maybe two. No matter how bad you may feel though, it always gets better. This I know for a fact and every ultra runner I know says the same thing. No matter how bad it might get, you just keep forward motion and it gets better. My first 50, Berryman, I had a friend pace me on the second lap. At thirty two miles I was literally looking for a place to pass out where I wouldn’t hit rocks or poison ivy. I was shuffling at best and really hurting. At forty miles my wife Tracey joined us and between 40 and 50 I dropped them both! This has been the case for many of my races. There is a mileage threshold, it moves higher and higher as you do more of these, where you go through hell. Like you can’t go one more mile and can’t even imagine the entire remaining distance. Then you just do it…..….and then it really does get better.

Yoga and running

You might say I’m a trail running evangelist. I have helped dozens train and finish a full trail marathon. I have helped a few finish 50-milers. Two are really close to attempting the 100 mile distance! I’m also a wellness and nutrition evangelist but that’s another story. When I am recruiting new trail runners, I often hear “I can’t run because I have bad knees”. It is almost always untrue. Many have decent knees but bad stride and bad shoes. Pavement and sidewalks certainly don’t help the situation.

Stride, shoes and sidewalks aside, I firmly believe running can cause knee pain that can be avoided via yoga. In simple terms, running tends to overdevelop some of the big muscles. These big muscles overpower the less developed, smaller, muscles in a classic tug-of-war battle held at the knee joint. This is especially true for people previously inactive or people who do too much too fast. When this tug-of-war takes place, the alignment in the knee is altered. This is ok if it is done slowly. If not, it can cause inflammation. More running, more big tight muscles, more inflammation. Vicious cycle. So it’s not the knee, the knee just gets caught in the middle and feels the pain.

The stretching we do in Yoga helps these big muscles. The body is like a sling. Pull in one place and you feel it in another. Running can take it out of balance. Yoga can bring it back. The hamstrings, hips, calves, the I.T. band are all stretched, loosened and elongated so to loosen their hold on the poor knee. I believe Heidi Valenzuela (my instructor)http://www.yogaxoga.wordpress.com/ just may have helped add twenty plus years to my running career.