Lifting up as you go down.

I've been thinking about downhill running lately. Probably because I do so much of it. Also, Kara had a post recently about foot strike and mentioned how landing heel first effectively means that you're putting on the breaks. I so agree.

Downhill running is tricky. It is easy to just pound down the hill, not worrying about form, just letting gravity pull you along. But, as I said, it is tricky and I learned this the hard way.

Let me go back in time to my glory days. 2004. The marathon. My (I hope this won't always be the case) one and only. The flat and fast course in the race description was code for enough downhill to shred your shins and macerate your toes if you are not careful and you enter the race without ample downhill training. Only, I apparently didn't have the appropriate decoder ring so I couldn't read the message. The downhills kicked my butt. Or, I should say, they kicked my legs and feet.

There was one downhill stretch where I thought for sure I would end the race with broken foot bones. The pain, in a word, sucked.

But the last miles of the race were actually flat and after I finished I was so happy that I forgot about those pesky downhills. Sure, my feet were tired and sore but, hey! I just ran 26.2 miles so they had every right to be tired and sore. It wasn't until I started adding hills and downhills back into my running that I realized that running down a hill involves some skill.

Now, I'm used to running downhill and I do it, mostly, injury-free. I was thinking about how I've been able to do this when I was out for my run on Saturday. The one thing that occurred to me and the tip that I wanted to share with you is this: I feel my body anticipating (does that seem weird?) lifting my foot up well before I land. It is tough to explain but I was listening to my body as I ran down one particularly long hill and I felt a lifting sensation in my legs as I was preparing to land each step. Each time I would land, it was as if I was already lifting my foot, so my landing was as light as possible.

For me, that's the key to running downhills effectively. I hope it works for you, too. If you have other ideas, please share. I'm always looking for good tips!

I might have to change my name.

Not my name name. My blog name. I'm thinking The Happy Cross-trainer.

OK, not really.

Running is still my #1. But, I'm getting into this cross-training thing. I worked out with Jackie Warner on Thursday and did one of the Biggest Loser workouts on Friday. Saturday, I felt the effects in my core, my butt, my arms, my whole body! I'm hoping that this renewed enthusiasm for cross-training will have a positive effect on my running. I think it will. It certainly can't hurt. I had a decent run on Saturday and an enjoyable, although fairly slow, run on Sunday.

In other news . . . I made my September to Remember goal! If you recall, I set out to run more than 60 miles this month. As of yesterday, I had run 71.1 miles -- well past 60 and I will probably sneak in another run before the month comes to a close! I'm so happy with how I did and grateful to JKRunning for setting up the challenge.

Yum!

And now, for your Friday, I present . . . food!

I've been mixing it up around here, trying new foods and new recipes, all in an effort to eat a wider, more healthy variety of foods. Weekends are a great time to try out new recipes, since most of us have a little more time then. So, here's the first of what I'd like to make a weekly habit: Friday Yummies!

Couscous Salad*

1-1/2 c. couscous
1-1/2 c. boiling water
1/2 c. fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tsps. white vinegar
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 c. grated carrots
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. slivered almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Pour couscous in a bowl and pour water over it. Cover and allow couscous to soak for about 5 minutes.

Whisk (important! Use a whisk!) together the yogurt, olive oil, curry, salt and pepper until slightly emulsified. Fluff couscous with a fork. Pour yogurt sauce over couscous and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix again. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve cool or at room temperature -- I prefer it at room temp.

Enjoy!

*Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa.

Reading.

I finished reading Bart Yasso's book, My Life on the Run, about a month ago. I enjoyed it; it was a quick, fun read. At one point, I thought about posting a review but I didn't get to it before I had to return the book to the library. So, the review is gone forever. I will say that Bart's stories of far-flung and often loony runs and races gave me the itch to get out there and run some different races. I'll let you know when I actually start to scratch that itch.

Yesterday, I picked up Run Less, Run Faster and Ultra-Marathon Man at the library. I have a long-term goal of running another marathon in two years. It's just not on my list for right now but I think that fall 2010 will be the perfect time for me and the marathon. I can see possibly using the FIRST plan outlined in Run Less, Run Faster when I do get around to training for that marathon. We'll see if I use any of the techniques and training plans for my current runs. Since I'm working on my endurance, I'm hoping that I will pick up some tips from these books that will help me improve in that area.

Also yesterday, I had an enjoyable, easy run that had only one down-side: My socks! On most of my recent runs, I've been wearing the DryMax socks that I won from Runners' Lounge. Yesterday, they were dirty and I am not one for re-using the dirty socks. Too skeevy for me. So, I went for the Thorlos and . . . unh-unh. They made my feet feel heavy and hot. Lesson learned: It is time to splurge on a few more pairs of the DryMax! I've been trying to get by on the two pairs that I have (weak, I know!), but that requires a lot of coordination in the laundry department. I guess with the money I save from taking books out of the library I can afford some socks, right? Yeah -- why not?

Have a great day, everyone!