Readin' Up

Spent a few hours last night meandering over runnersworld.com. I found it linked on a friend's blog and thought it worth my few evening hours to read a couple articles. I am so glad I did! I learned so much about myself, how proper running/walking shoes are VERY important, and a few tips on keeping my ankles, knees, and hips healthy (all body parts I have issues with).
One thing I learned is that I underpronate. You can watch a short explanation video here. In short - my ankles don't have the ideal curve when I land on my foot. Instead, I land more on the outside of my foot and roll heal to outside toes instead of to my big toe area. Unluckily for me, I also have weak ankles from so many injuries, which means even when I'm walking slowly, I have a tendency to roll my ankle. I do it all the time! Sometimes if I don't catch myself, I also hurt my knee in the process.
Luckily, mine is not an uncommon problem. It's not a common pronate, but enough people suffer from it that they make shoes specifically for it! Yay! Running shoes with extra cushioning are on the menu for me. Without it I have too much shock going through my legs leading to joint problems... (sound familiar??)
I also found some videos showing special moves to keep your ankles, knees, and hips in proper working order. They improve their strength and flexibility to prevent injuries. You KNOW I'm all over that. I'm starting today! Many of them remind me a lot of the Pilates moves I used to do; so I think I could chalk it up as exercises in my workout log. :) Woot!

Check it out! www.runnersworld.com