Stride modification

First off, this week has been fun...Kendra went to a running clinic and I went to a nutritional seminar for distance running. So we've got a bunch of new info. Here are some of the things I am trying with my stride. I'll share some nutritional info later.

Keep in mind that I am leaving out the basic fundamentals of a good running stride so the assumption is that one is already in place. These are the slight changes I made. When done alone, without an already properly aligned running gate, these adjustment could very well cause you to face plant, not kidding. And all this is very high level, reach out to me if you'd like more detail.

1 - 2 inch increased forward lean, can increase as much as 2 more inches depending on speed desired. Full body is leaning, not just from hips or mid-torso. Body is still aligned, just leaning slightly forward. Keying on gravity to pull me forward as opposed to the push of my legs.

Heels slightly higher through back and knees lower in front. This was/is hard for me because I was basically trained as a sprinter through college.

Less rigid lower legs, feet land aligned under me, not in front. Due to relaxed lower leg and low knee lift, foot barely clears ankle. Foot strike is (more) quiet.

Chin in neutral position, arms swing no more than forearm length and stay at 90 degree angle. Slight inward/outward motion is natural.

How this feels to me:
Feels like someone is pulling me forward from my mid torso.
Knees, hips, ankles, lower back feel incredibly better due to less impact (not lifting knee as high).
Cadence feels faster.
Calves are little more soar, but all the bones are good to go.
Ran 13.2 yesterday and my body felt like it only ran 8-9. That's a great thing! My average split was 7:47.

I've also modified my diet...but I'll add that in a different post.

Stay healthy!

It's feeling nice outside

The weather outside is the reason why I call NorCal home. It's a beautiful 68 degrees and it's just shy of noon. Love it. Needless to say, it's the perfect weather for a run.

After traveling for business last week, I was able to get somewhat back in the groove of things. Last Sunday, I enjoyed a 16-miler. The first 6.4 miles @ 7:48 splits; next 7.5 miles @ 7:25 splits; last 2.1 miles @ recovery 8+ min. splits.

I ran 5 this morning...You know, I love the Nike +...but that darn thing is not accurate. It was off by 1/4 of a mile, which in a short 3-miler is a big deal. So here is how it truly went...
M1 - warm up at 8:11 pace
M2, 3, 4 - Tempo at 6:33 pace
M 5+ - cool down at 8:50 pace.

I am so thankful to God for my health and that my body is holding up. I must give proper respect to my foam roller. Without that thing, I would be very sore after each and every run. Kendra also showed me a better way to roll my IT band...First off, rolling that band freakin' hurts! But it feels so good afterward. My quads are so tight...the roller has helped immensely and I would recommend that everyone try it.

I've got the San Jose Half coming up and if things go well, I will hopefully be finishing in around 1:30. Stay healthy and happy everyone! And by the way, great job to all my friends on Facebook that have been increasing their running!!

Renewed!

Battling of achilles bursitis, somewhat in check. Thankfully it is not bugging me like before. That was big worry for me, but so far so good.

After all the weeks/months of just running to log those miles, this week is my first week of targeted marathon training, and so far so good.

I ran 10.5 mi. earlier this week and avg. 8:13 splits. This was after the first 3.1 a 9:02 pace. The last 7.4 were at 7:52 splits.

I ran 5 miles this morning:
Mile 1 - warm up @ 9:10 split;
Miles 2-4 @ tempo in 20:07, 6:42 splits, needed to be at 6:54 splits, a little too fast;
Mile 5 - cool down 9:22 split.

I felt great, hopefull that'll continue. Hope everyone else is doing great!