I have awful, terrible running form.
I've been working on trying to improve my running form for a while, but attending a Good Form Running clinic at Fleet Feet on Sunday made me realize I have quite a long way to go.
As the first two pictures demonstrate, I heel-strike like crazy. Now, these pictures were taken at the end of the races, when I was sprinting, so it's probably exaggerated (I hope). Landing on my midfoot is something I need to work on and be much more mindful of. My shoes (Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12s) have a good deal of support (I tend to overpronate and have terribly weak ankles), so it may be tough for me to make the change successfully.
As the third plainly shows, I have a fairly long stride, and seem to float in the air between steps. The seminar taught that the number of steps per minute should be 180. I knew I wasn't near that, but I had no clue how slow I was running - I tested myself with a natural stride earlier, and found I normally ran around 130 steps per minute. Frankly, I have no idea how I'm going to increase by pace by 50 BPM, especially since I don't run with music, which could keep me paced equally throughout.
Since I often run at night, or run on sidewalks and streets strewn with potholes and gaps that I fear tripping on, I look down immediately in front of my feet and lean forward, so my posture is terrible and I don't lean the right way.
Perhaps worst of all are my knee problems. When I get going on a longer run (or hell, even a shorter one), my knees lock and my legs straighten out, which sends shock up through the rest of my body. But since my knees are screwed up, bending them almost always seriously hurts, starting after around mile six or seven. I asked the seminar instructor how I should deal with this problem, and she answered exactly how I feared: that is NOT normal. Talk to a doctor. You might need physical therapy. [or surgery]
And so I'm afraid that despite whatever else I do, my knees will keep me from running success.
Essentially I look like this:
In any case, the most crucial thing I realized from attending the seminar is that it's necessary to practice running, like with any sport. Form has been something I figured I could change as I did my planned routines... but now, I'm going to try to run for the purpose of improving my form. In small doses, a mile or two, I'll go out and just focus on nailing as many positive aspects of form as possible.
In terms of learning how to practice, and improve my form, my timing *might* be perfect:
I already anticipate that my pace for the Half in less than a month will be terrible, and I'm just worried about finishing, so I'm not pushing myself that hard in the weeks leading up to it; and immediately after the Half, four days later, I will be out of commission, unable to run for at least a month.
In essence, I'll need to relearn how to train efficiently again altogether... I might as well learn correctly, this time.
Hopefully, I can eventually look like this:
We'll see what happens.
It's good that you're going to use your recovery to forget everything you know about running, so to speak - your return to running is a great opportunity to start from scratch and to try and implement new techniques.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit concerned, though, that you always talk about your time as being "terrible." I think something that needs adjusting, besides your gait, is your perception. Even elite athletes run slower during a full or half marathon than they would during a 5K or other shorter distance race! I am by no means even close to elite, but my own stats: I can do a 9-9:20 per mile 5K and a 8-8:15 single mile, but there's no way I can keep that up for 13.1 miles. My goal pace is 10:30-10:45 for the half, which is a pace at which I can run without pain or extreme fatigue. Remember the pace calculator I sent you a few months ago? That was a good guide for estimating a finishing time, since it takes into account slowing to a more moderate pace during distance.
And you say you're slower than me, no you're not - I hover around a 9:30 5K time when not killing myself in a race.
ReplyDeleteI GUARANTEE you I will be the one slowing you down, not vice versa, for the half.
In this case, since I could barely finish the 10-mile run, and this is 3.2 further, finishing - hopefully without stopping forward movement at any point - will be considered a success.
I don't have a time goal for the half - I just want to complete the distance. And no matter what time you finish in, it's a PR, because you've never raced the distance before. So no worries, we'll do just fine. They'll have pacing groups, I'm sure, and I'll have my Garmin (and it will be accustomed to Chicago this time) so I can keep track of our pace.
ReplyDeleteI stopped during my first half, kind of. I slowed down during the gel stops and and walked through the 3rd water stop. It's not a failure, though I understand your mindset. You'll finish, I assure you. :)