WalkJogRun Blog

Dr. Nace is our running injuries guest blogger. He blogs twice a month on common running injuries, and also takes questions from readers. This month his injury spotlight is on "jumper's knee." If you have a question you'd like to ask Dr. Nace, or an injury you'd like to suggest he cover, click "Ask the Doctor" at the bottom of the page.

As a follow up to my post on "runner's knee" last month, I thought I'd touch on "jumper's knee" because they have seemingly similar symptoms. "Jumper's knee" is not limited to people who play basketball or volleyball, it can happen to anyone, but those who frequently jump are more prone to this condition.

Dr. Nace answers specific questions from runners on the blog once a month. If you have a question you'd like to ask Dr. Nace, click "ask the doctor" at the bottom of the page.

I have been struggling with soreness to my feet. I have tried a variety of different running shoes, but I have still not found a pair that really makes much difference. Sometimes I can do 16 miles with very little trouble and other times I do 12 miles and I'm in a bit of pain for two or three days. I have seen a podiatrist who supplied me with inserts that lift my instep, but the problem seems to greater if the pavements slope downwards from right to left and the right is a lot worse than the left. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Paul

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing with four members of the Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics. This organization consists a great group of people of all ages who simply love to run. The organization is internet based, and many members meet through Facebook or noticing another member at a race wearing a shirt.

• Heather Zeigler, Marathon Maniac #3086 and Half Fanatic #1343
• Diane Miller, Half Fanatic #1842
• Bob Miller, Marathon Maniac #3875 and Half Fanatic #506
• Abbi Florence, Marathon Maniac #5102, and Half Fanatic #933

If you've never heard of the Marathon Maniacs of the Half Fanatics, you probably don't know what any of these numbers mean. The Marathon Maniacs are a group of people who love to run marathons. The same follows for the Half Fanatics, but they prefer half marathons. Those who are a Marathon Maniac and Half Fanatic, are called double agents. The organization is international, and if you send in your race date information you get assigned a number which shows what number you are within the organization.

It was great getting to talk with these Half Fanatics and Marathon Maniacs. I was curious about the organization since meeting Bob at the Fox Valley Marathon Expo in 2011. He was there sporting his Half Fanatics jacket. You can see him with us in the photo below.

We are casting walkers, joggers and runners to be part of our iPhone video ad. If you are in the Chicagoland area and would like to be a part of the video, we would love to have you join us on Thursday May 17th!

We need walkers, joggers, and runners of all sizes, shapes, and ages. We ask that participants commit to four hours of filming, although you will likely be released earlier. This is not a paid opportunity, but all participants will get bagels, coffee, and the opportunity to be in the ad.

Please send us a well-lit photo of your face, as well as the times you are available on the 17th (some will be filming as early as 5AM.)

At this point it looks like we are not on track to reach our Kickstarter goal and create an Android app for WalkJogRun. We have 23 days left in the project and need to raise over $29,000. Unfortunately, we just do not have the funds at the moment to support the project on our own.

We thought adding a pre-order option for only $3 (40% off) would help add more momentum, but it still looks like the project will not get funded. If you have already pledged to one of the rewards, you will not be charged if the project is not funded. However, there are still a few things we can do to try to get this project funded and bring our amazing iPhone app to Android phones!

Some stats

• 15,000 of mobile visitors per month to WalkJogRun are using the site from their Android device.

This number is probably dwarfed by all the Android users using the site from their computer. We will reach half of our goal if everyone using the site from their Android device donated just $1 or 62 pence to the project. We are certain that if everyone using the site from their computer that owns an Android device donated just $1 as well, we will exceed our goal in a heartbeat.

How you can help

• Share the Kickstarter page!

Even if you are an iPhone user, but would like to see this project be successful, please consider sharing it with your family and friends, or pledging to get one of the rewards.

If you or someone you know would be interested in our advertising sponsorships, for only $1,000 or £600 , their ad can be seen by over 17,000 people in a day! Check out the advertising opportunities on our Kickstarter page.

• Pre-order the app!

If you're an Android user, please pre-order the app TODAY! Kickstarter only gives funding if the full goal amount is pledged.

We'd greatly appreciate your feedback on the Kickstarter project. We really care about this project and would like to make it a reality. Did you consider donating to the project, but decided not to? Do you have any ideas on how to make this project successful in the next 23 days? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

The Kitchen Vixen is our weekly recipe contributor. This week she offers a great vegetable recipe. This recipe can be used as a side, on top of salads, and much more!

Sweet Roasted Root Vegetables with Walnuts & Beet Greens

Who doesn't love baked apples or baked sweet potatoes? But who would've thought about baking them together? Well, I did, but only because I wanted to try something different other than the typical savory combination of herb laced roasted root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and onions.

For this recipe I decided to use sweet potatoes instead of fingerlings or red potatoes which I typically use. I also decided to complement the sweet potatoes with some sweet red onions instead of the more common yellow onions. And then I thought, "Tart granny smith apples might make a nice contrast to the already prevalent sweet taste." OMG, these are the best roasted root vegetables I have ever tasted.

It can be really annoying when you get too many emails. There is a way to stay notified of new articles posted by the websites you love, without receiving emails. We want to make sure that you're always notified of our new podcasts and blog articles, as well as other content you like to read. There is an easy way to get new articles on your own time, without filling up your inbox. It's through a mechanism called RSS.

What is RSS?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. This basically means that you can get the articles from the places on the internet you visit sent right to your phone, or RSS account, such as Google Reader. RSS is a way to clear your inbox and create a virtual newspaper of all the content you love reading, out of your inbox. If you'd like the content to go straight to your phone, we'd recommend downloading Flipboard or NetNewsWire.

In this episode we interviewed Erin Henderson, a mother with 12 children, 9 of whom were adopted. She is also a fairly new runner. Erin has made big strides since going out for her first run three years ago. She has greatly improved her pace, run multiple marathons, including Boston as a qualifier. She is now sponsored by Brooks and part of their Team program.

One of the most interesting aspects of Erin's life is her schedule. She wakes up every morning at 4:00 to go running. That's right, she runs every day.

This is an excerpt from our text chat with Coach Jenny on April 06th. If you have a question you'd like to ask Coach Jenny, click "Ask Coach Jenny" at the bottom of the page. We'll get your question answered during our podcast chat this month!

II find I get really hot while running, even in the winter I rarely wear long sleeves. I'm a bit worried that when it gets warm in the summer I won't cope at all. I have been told by some people to train wearing loads of layers so that my body learns to cope with heat. Would you recommend this or is there something else I should do? -Alison

This week's runner of the week is Barbara O. from Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland. She's 39 years old and hopes to complete her first marathon at age 40. Check out our interview to learn more about her!