Running up a tab - Mar 3 to 9

[teigyr]

I sort of ran today. For a short while, on a treadmill while a bunch of PTs picked apart my running form. It was pretty educational. Now I want to stop running all together for a while, "fix" things and try again. Interestingly enough, my form gets better as I go a little faster. So *that's* my problem, I've been running too slowly all this time.

You know, not that I know what I'm talking about but during those brief bouts of going faster, it feels MUCH better. Maybe it's more natural when you go faster? What did they pick apart? Did their suggestions make sense?

It's strange that we need to learn things that we should do naturally. Kinda.

Anyway, it sounds very productive

[Wahine]

Well, the biggest thing is that I'm not getting enough push out the back of my stride on the right that is leading to some stability problems there. And I don't have enough stabilization in the frontal plane. What that means is that my pelvis rocks a fair bit if you watch me from the front or back. I already knew about that one and it's mostly only there when I'm tired, otherwise I can control it. The bad thing is that I'm running tired most of the time, definitely when I'm racing so I need to work more on it.

[jesvetmed]

Teigyr: I remember a chiropracter I visited several years ago was horrified that I was jogging, and figured it was the root of all of my evil (OK, not ALL of it!). But he said that he always recommends running full out because it is less stressful on the body, and then walk fast until heart rate drops to a certain point, and sprint fast again until you can't go further... continuing the cycle for whatever period of time you like. I tried it short term, but like the mind-losing cadence of jogging much better. Maybe there's something to that, though?

[Wahine]

Whether fast running or slow running is better really depends on the persons movement patterns. Usually I'm just as good running slowly as fast but right now because I'm tired and sore it's easier for me to compensate and change my form to avoid weight bearing in certain ways that are sore. Make me run fast and I kick in more stabilizing muscles and don't have time to compensate.

A lot of runners in the middle of the field get worse when they run fast because it emphasizes their form faults.

A lot of people have worse walking faults than they do running because they get lazy when they are walking and don't engage their stabilizing muscles as much.

[KSH]

I did 2 hours and 15 minutes... 12 miles... at a 11:22 minute mile pace this morning. I did that was a 5 minute walk, 2 minute run combo. So for each mile I run only 2 minutes of it.

Oh, the pain. It was a hard one on my body today.

*Limps away*

[jesvetmed]

70 minutes, 6.4 miles on the treadmill... yuck.
Longest run to date! Felt OK cuz I did it slower than I might have run a 5 miler. BUT... did in my calves! I was supposed to swim 45 minutes following, and I only made it 25 before I had to give up due to the calve cramping constantly. OK... got a ways to go but improving all the time!!!!

Wahine: That's interesting, and I know it is true for me -- I'm all over the place chugging along when I'm tired. I feel like I have "good" form (what do I know?) for the first 2 miles out -- abs tight, straightened up. But on the way back I KNOW I'm hunched over and shuffling. It's hard to concentrate on form when you can barely breathe!

Jes