more bad knees....

[armywife]

37yr. old mom, 5'3" and 126lbs, would like to lose about 6lbs. more. I love running but my knees hate it. (combo of poor genetics,and overenthusiasum in my younger yrs. ) Twice a week 3 miles on the treadmill at a 12mi/min pace is all i can handle without having problems. One of the trainers at my gym suggested I drop about 5 pounds to ease up the weight on my knees. I would like to try a sprint marathon. Do any of the elliptical machines equal a good run? Any ideas on increasing milage safely?

.....Achtung! the turtle lives

[jasondragon]

Not a fan of the elliptical machines due to the fact that they can restrict the full range of motion when moving the legs.

Cut back a bit on the running by cycling it. For example:
week 1: 10 miles
week 2: 13 miles
week 3: 10 miles
week 4: 13 miles
week 5: 8 miles.

Some sort of cycle that allows for some recovery. Strength training the lower body is a good recommendation, as well as the upper body. How about stretching? Do you have a good flexibility program?

[armywife]

My legs in general are in good shape. Lots of cycling(and spin), as well as hauling around a 4 yr old in a bike cart. Leg curls,dead lifts, calf raises, and squats are in the program as well as cable pulls for anterior and exterior (did i say that right?) muscles. Leg extentions aren't as up to snuff cause the knee "crunchies" get kind of intense sometimes. (glucosamine is on board and helping a lot though)
Yoga on slow days and a stretch class once or twice a week.