I'll be thrilled this summer if my tomato plants don't freeze.....

OK, I am still having a good day...so lets not talk politics or war...What are everyones plans for the summer?

More recording and composition projects, plus writing and reading and art.

What do you write HB?

HI!!

My summers consist of participating in many races and runs. My BIG traditional race is an Adventure Race in Monterey. I set a goal three years ago to finish in less than 6 hours and 30 minutes but I haven’t reached my goal (yet). My first race was 5 years ago and it took me 7:13. Last year I finish in 6:42!!! This is my year!!! It’s a 105 mile bike; 15 mile run and 5 mile kayak!! I am also going to Oregon, in July, for a1/2 marathon in the wine country!!

When I am not training I go to Vegas, LA and Lake Havasu and any hot spot I can find to get my summer party on!!

I am also going to Austin/Houston to visit Teri – my really cool chicky friend I met on Mingle!! She is teaching me to disc golf and I’m taking her to an Astros game.

Music and prose fiction, occasionally poetry. Hoping to make progress on my novel this summer.

Very Cool, I write poems sometimes just to get my feelings out. It is a great way to relieve stress too.

How do you not get shin splints? I just started running a couple weeks ago and boy do my shins hurt!!

More than likely your anterior tibialis aka dorsi-flexor muscle and or the tendon is weak. It’s the little muscle over the shin that pulls your foot up. When you feel pain in the shin bone (tibia) that is a result from damage or injury to the muscles and tendons attached to the bone.

There are some exercises to strengthen the area I copied from my data base (I’m a fitness trainer):

Standing Toe Flexes:
Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of a step and your heels extending over the edge. Your feet should be parallel to the floor. You can use an aerobic step or stand on the bottom step of a staircase. Slowly lower your heels toward the floor--slowly count to five to time the descent. You should feel a gentle stretch in your calf muscle and you should feel the muscles in the front of your shin contracting. Lower as far as you can but do not touch the floor. At the end of the motion, rise up onto your tip-toes in one explosive motion. Hold for one second the lower your heels back to the starting position. Repeat five to ten times.

Seated Dorsiflexion:
Sit on a chair with your knees bent 90 degrees. Rest the heel of your left foot on top of the toes of your right foot. Lift the toes of your left foot toward the ceiling while gently resisting with your right foot. Repeat five to ten times on each leg.

Hero Pose:
Kneel on a yoga mat with your shins and the tops of your feet flat on the floor. Keep your knees together and spread your feet apart so that your lower legs form a "V" wide enough for you to sit between. Sit back between your feet. If the stretch is too deep or puts strain on your knees, sit on a book, pillow or yoga block. Hold this pose for 30 seconds.

Reclining Half Hero Pose:
Sit on a yoga mat with both legs extended. Bend your left foot back so that your shin rests on the floor and the sole of your left foot faces the ceiling. Lean back on your elbows to stretch the quads and shin muscles. If you can, try lying flat on your back. Hold this pose for 30 seconds, release your left leg and shake it out. Alternate to your right leg. Increase intensity by starting in full hero pose and laying back into full reclining hero pose. Do not attempt full reclining hero pose unless you are able to sit comfortably in hero pose without support.

Or you could stop running.............

More than likely your anterior tibialis aka dorsi-flexor muscle and or the tendon is weak. It’s the little muscle over the shin that pulls your foot up. When you feel pain in the shin bone (tibia) that is a result from damage or injury to the muscles and tendons attached to the bone.

There are some exercises to strengthen the area I copied from my data base (I’m a fitness trainer):

Standing Toe Flexes:
Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of a step and your heels extending over the edge. Your feet should be parallel to the floor. You can use an aerobic step or stand on the bottom step of a staircase. Slowly lower your heels toward the floor--slowly count to five to time the descent. You should feel a gentle stretch in your calf muscle and you should feel the muscles in the front of your shin contracting. Lower as far as you can but do not touch the floor. At the end of the motion, rise up onto your tip-toes in one explosive motion. Hold for one second the lower your heels back to the starting position. Repeat five to ten times.

Seated Dorsiflexion:
Sit on a chair with your knees bent 90 degrees. Rest the heel of your left foot on top of the toes of your right foot. Lift the toes of your left foot toward the ceiling while gently resisting with your right foot. Repeat five to ten times on each leg.

Hero Pose:
Kneel on a yoga mat with your shins and the tops of your feet flat on the floor. Keep your knees together and spread your feet apart so that your lower legs form a "V" wide enough for you to sit between. Sit back between your feet. If the stretch is too deep or puts strain on your knees, sit on a book, pillow or yoga block. Hold this pose for 30 seconds.

Reclining Half Hero Pose:
Sit on a yoga mat with both legs extended. Bend your left foot back so that your shin rests on the floor and the sole of your left foot faces the ceiling. Lean back on your elbows to stretch the quads and shin muscles. If you can, try lying flat on your back. Hold this pose for 30 seconds, release your left leg and shake it out. Alternate to your right leg. Increase intensity by starting in full hero pose and laying back into full reclining hero pose. Do not attempt full reclining hero pose unless you are able to sit comfortably in hero pose without support.

Or you could stop running.............

Politics, and war.