Wednesday, August 23, 2006

What a Great Day


I was really on track this morning. And another great morning for a run. I was just below my easy pace @10:20. I've been using this week to work on my feet turnover and deep breathing. I'm pretty impress how much of a difference it makes when you stay focus on your running. I've been looking for my own stride now for a while. I have often, in races focus on someone way in front of me and tried to imitate there steps but it never last for long. On my long runs I try to picture different people running and try to imitate their form that too never last for long. So gradually I'm searching for my on form. I'm pretty sure I have a form now, but I'm looking to improve it and be more efficient. I'll see how it goes this week focusing on quickly turning over my feet and deep breathing. So far I'm feeling really good about it.

I got a chance to go to track with the group. I got there a little late again so I warmed through the park. I got back to the track just as my group was finishing their 1st set of 1000's we were doing 5 of them tonight with .25 jog between. I did all 5 and I'm still feel good. Just hope I did not over do it for my Tempo tomorrow.

August 23, 2006

9.05 miles AM

7.41 miles PM (warm/ up 5X1000/ .25 jog/ cool down)

3 comments:

Jim said...

Dawn . . . For years I searched for the "perfect gait". I had read books, listened to coaches and observed fellow runners. After a couple of years of experimenting and messing with my stride and cadence I was about to go nuts. I happened to be talking to a fellow runner at a race one day a couple of years ago. He was an older fellow that I have seen running for years. I mean older . . like in his 80s. Anyway, I got to talking to him about stride lengths, cadence, foot turnover. He just chuckled and said something that struck me-"it's running, it's not science". He told me to remember how I used to run as a little boy and then he asked me if I worried about cadence, etc back then. I guess I looked dumbstruck so he laughed some more. Then he simply said "just have fun and listen to your body". Long story to tell you this-we are all built differently and we al feel and behave differently. The footfall of the runner next to you will not match yours and vice-versa. A Zen quote from the movie Legend of Bagger Vance-"you have to find your natural swing". As in golf, running requires you to find YOUR NATURAL SWING (or stride).

Have a great day! AND HAVE FUN!

Phil said...

Dawn ... you'll find that you actually have several running forms depending on what your doing. The results on any given day will vary, which is why a constantly tell people to NOT be disappointed if they don't run the exact pace that their training plan defined for a given day.

I'm not the smartest guy on the planet, so I did have to learn that I needed to shorten my stride and increase my turn over rate to get my speed up. Seems obvious now, but it didn't until I tried it. In the end, you need to do what feels right for you. Since no one is built exactly like you with your same level of conditioning, what someone else is doing is probably not what you should be doing.

Fortunately, running is pretty simple. You can try to adjust your stride length or adjust how fast you're feet are turning over (there are other factors, but these are to big two). Once you find your groove and settle in, the rest comes naturally.

Distance running becomes a zen like experience. There isn't any beginning and really no end ... there is just the running.

DawnB said...

Just want to thank you both, very sound and good advice. Both of you are so inspirational. Wow is all I can say and thank you again for taking the time, with both of you I'm sure to keep on track and achieve some of my goals.

  I am still here!  Ended 2021 strong.  Felt good and was back in the best shape I've been in a while . Went back to the office June of ...