Core Support

The NY Times has a good article in their Play Magazine section about the prevalance of back injuries among high torque/high impact athlete groups. The article touches on various causes behind back problems among athletes, gives a glimpse into young, elite level tennis players and what their backs look like (do not let your children get involved in elite level tennis. Ouch). The article also provides three core strenghtening exercises to help build a solid back support system:

SUPPORT THAT LAZY SPINE: Entire books have been devoted to workout routines for the back. But you can save yourself some trouble by focusing on these three exercises, which work most of the large muscles in the body’s core. Do them four times a week, breathing slowly and steadily throughout.

CURL UP

Lie on your back with your knees bent. Slide your hands under your lower back to provide support; you don’t want your spine flat against the floor. Straighten one leg. Then, while keeping your neck and lower spine straight and unmoving, lift your shoulders and chest off the floor. Hold the position for about eight seconds. Repeat 10 times, then switch legs and do another 10.

SIDE BRIDGE

Lie on your side, with your legs bent at the knee and your upper hand across your chest. Bend your lower arm so that your elbow is pointing away from your chest. Slowly raise your shoulders, keeping your spine straight, and hold for 8 to 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side. After a few weeks, do the exercise with your legs straight.

BIRD DOG

Start on all fours, then slowly lift your right arm and left leg until each is parallel to the ground. Hold for eight seconds. Repeat with the opposite arm and leg. Do 10 reps on each side. Keep your spine straight, hips level and abdominal muscles slightly contracted. And don’t forget to breathe.

Med School Stairs

Portland is a great city for running; a lot of urban parks, a lot of trails and a lot of ways to work in both pavement and trail running in the same outing. The city also has a variety of great urban features that can add immensley to a good workout.

For a more intense leg builder I rank Terwilliger Boulevard and the Medical School Stairs (as I call them) at the top of my list. Terwilliger winds from downtown all the way to Tryon State Park, and along the way passes some great scenery. A paved path parallels most of the road, which is itself rather hilly. About 2 miles from downtown (starting at SW Washington and Broadway to 6th Ave to Terwilliger), or about 4 miles (starting from Tryon Creek and Boones Ferry Rd) lay the Med School Stairs. They start on Terwilliger and descend up to what I thinki is the Veteran's Hospital. I am not sure how many stairs there are, but its enough to get legs burning. It is the closest I've come to a stadium run in Portland.