Get Back on Track with Sore Knees

I ran Boston in 1991 and New York in 2000. In the years since New York, I have slowed down, the knees get sore, etc. I have decided to find out if I still "have it" for one more marathon. Could you offer a few tips to get my 55-year-old old body started on the right track? --Kevin Kelly, Foxboro, Mass.

joe dowdell, weak knees, sore knees, muscles, fitness, marathon training The first thing, I would suggest is to go see an orthopedic, who is a knee specialist, and find out exactly what is wrong with your knees. Best case scenario, you may just need to start on a strength training program that focuses on building strength and stability in the muscles of your core, hips and lower extremities.

I once attended a lecture, given by Greg Roskoff, the founder of Muscle Activation Techniques, and he made a statement that always stuck in my head: Pain is usually an indicator of weakness! So, if any of the above muscles are weak and not functioning properly, you will more than likely experience pain somewhere else (in your case, the knees) in the kinetic chain as a result of this dysfunction, which for example could be in the hip or ankle joint. The term "kinetic chain" simply means that all of the muscles in the body are interconnected. In other words, the muscles of the ankle will affect those of the knee; the muscles of the knee will affect those of the hip and so on.

Worse case scenario, it may be a more serious issue, like bilateral degeneration of both knee joints, and in that case going out and starting on a marathon training program is probably not a very good idea. Marathon training is very hard on the body, even when someone is already in good shape so if you are already having joint issues, I would find out what you are dealing with first before you chance injuring yourself even more.

However, if you do get clearance from your doctor to train for a marathon, it's important to strengthen your core while building your endurance for the 26.2 miles. Here are some of my favorite core moves for long-distance runners.

Good luck!

Originally posted on http://www.thatsfit.com

About Joe Dowdell

Whether you're looking to bulk up, slim down, or get fit for a particular match or race, That's Fit has you covered. Joe Dowdell, personal trainer, strength coach and co-owner of one of Men's Health's top 10 gyms in America, is available to answer all of your training questions. Please send your questions to personaltrainer [AT] thatsfit [DOT] com. You can also follow Joe on Twitter.

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