Swim. Bike. Run.

I have exactly one month before the TNT Ironman season officially begins with our first group training session.  In an email, Coach Scott outlined where we need to be with our training and endurance by that time.

Your coaches expect you to be injury free, or have been actively following a plan to become so for several months... By January, we expect you to be able to swim .5M continuously, complete a Bike 50M/ Run 5M brick, and continuous 8M run.  If these numbers scare you, try out Swim 2.4M / Bike 112M / Run 26.2M and all in same 17 hours or less.........

Swim: 30 meters

I can happily report that last night Sheila, my swim teacher, taught me how to take a breath properly while swimming.  Turns out, it's kind of difficult and takes some coordination. And practice. I have a lot of work to do. Endurance is on my side.  I've already swam up to about a third of a mile at once with no problem.  But while doing so, I was standing up to take a breath every 4 strokes or so.  30 meters is now as long as I've gone without stopping and with more-or-less proper technique. So I just have to stretch by .48 miles and I'll be ready for January.  And adding 2.38 miles will have me ready for August.  No problem.

 

Bike: 42.6 miles

The cycling has felt good since I first hopped on the bike.  And now my core is even stronger,  my form is improving, and I'm learning intuitively about how to work these gears and how momentum plays a factor.  Having some guidance in January will be great.  Last Sunday, I ate solid food during my ride.  My food of choice was black bean and bread which worked quite well, but I am looking forward to experimenting even more.  I have been excited about this for some time.  I imagine myself scarfing a whole pizza mid-ride some day a la Dean Karnazes during a run. Also, Zito's on 7th ave makes these awesome rice balls that I bet would be delicious around mile 41.  I also decided to google a calorie calculator to get an estimate of what I was burning.  Those 42.6 miles took me about 3 hours.  And in that time, apparently I burned 1900 calories.  Oops.  Way more than I had thought.  That black bean bread was probably about 300 calories.  Guidance from the coaches on this come January will also be spectacular.

Run: I got this

I'm healthy.  And am pretty much in marathon shape, which is where I plan on staying.  To be truthful, I have some plantar fasciitis that I've been dealing with since July.  I should tend to this more.  It hasn't really slowed me down, I think, because I am no longer a heel striker.  So the pain isn't debilitating for me as it is for some others.  I'm going to focus on finally solving this, so that it doesn't become worse.  Foam roller, softball, and minimalist shoes will be my friends in the coming weeks.  Ice and stretching too.  We're all gonna chillax together.

Wrapping paper designed by Emily and gifted to me.  Inside was an old fashion aluminum percolator from a general store in Indian Lake that I had my eye on.

5 Lessons Later...

Sheila, my swimming instructor, is unintentionally shackling my mind with chains.  The pace of this swim class is inversely proportionate to the rate of my growing frustration.  Last week, lesson 5 of this journey, was supposed to focus on breathing.  I was wicked excited about this, because this is my greatest weakness and fear.  Instead, we talked about floating on our backs, rehashed the previous weeks lesson, and discussed how nobody knows how to turn the fish fountain on and how it's great for birthday parties.

I am consciously holding myself back from being disrespectful by feigning interest. I continue to stay engaged and give answers as prompted, but somehow, I am almost always wrong... event though I'm right.  In week two, she asked why the last third of your arm stroke gives you the most propulsion. I answered, momentum.  She retorted, "No- it's because an object in motion tends to stay in motion."  Uh, ok.  Last Wednesday she asked the same question, so I answered, "An object in motion tends to stay in motion."  She retorted, "well, no.  It's momentum."

In all honestly, I don't care about these things.  I just want to make progress.Well, it's more than that.  I want to make progress at my pace.  Anything else is a waste of time. 

Ok, I'm being harsh... The last few weeks haven't been a waste.  My stroke mechanics have improved drastically.  And I do appreciate the detail Sheila gives on these form issues.  And, of course. she is going the exact speed through her lessons as everyone else in the class wants her to.  She's a geat teacher.  I'm the oddball in the group.  Truthfully, it's me, not her. I guess I'm the only one trying to do an Ironman and talking beginner swimming lessons at the Y.

Yvonne, fellow TNTer and Ironman trainee, posted today that she completed her first ever 1/4 mile swim.  I am proud, excited, and envious.  I don't doubt that I'll get there, but I want to be there now. That's all.

"Next week remind me to start with breathing," was the last thing Sheila said on Wednesday.

You can bet your ass I will.

MHRM 9-Oct-2011: Recap

It died a few blocks shy Mission Road.  My watch had a low battery to start with, but I was still hoping it would last at least until the turn around point.  I was trying to do about 18 miles from Pasadena to East LA and back, and didn't have a good sense of distance.  Sure I lived here for 5 years, but I didn't really become a runner until Brooklyn.  The weather was perfect, cool and overcast.  The route was exciting to me, tracking part of my old commute to work.  But this run was sucking.  Big time.

I'm starting this marathon race recap by mentioning this run because of the contrast.  I didn't have a great training season.  It started late because my evolution toward a midfoot strike took longer than I anticipated  I accomplished one great long run of 16 miles in Brooklyn, and this shitty 16.5 mile run in So Cal (nope, I didn't make it to 18).  I was upset at how that run turned out, but I knew from experience that it still counted.  Yes, even crappy runs count.  And now, by this mid September date, my training was wrapping up.  Because of RTB and another calf injury (caused by a big piece of ply wood and gravity- if I had a wood working blog, I'd explain further, but this is a running blog, so...) I didn't have another opportunity to run long.

So what to do?  Squeeze one in at the end anyways?  Ha, don't be silly.  Sure the thought crossed my mind, but I knew that wasn't going to help.  It was what it was.  So I tapered, gathering my strength and recovering for the race to come.

As it turned out, Mark also sustained an injury at RTB (perhaps even earlier?) that put him out of commission.  This race, the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon, was supposed to be our glory run to sub 3:00 finish times and Boston 2013.  Instead, it became a solo run for me and an experiment with effort, water and salt.  Remember this?  And then this?  And this thing I did out of frustration?  I do.  And it paid off.

Sure, I'm ready.  Let's rock.

I was pretty relaxed going into this one, it being my 5th and knowing I wasn't going to try to break land speed records.  I considered that there was a good chance I could PR this one, because the course is significantly easier than NY and I didn't plan on exploding.  But we would see. I wasn't tying myself to pace.  I was tying myself to effort level.

There were only about 1,500 runners (1,000 doing the Marathon) in this event.  Though NYC is the most glorious marathon ever, this was a welcomed change. The race started a 10 minute drive from my parent's house. And I carbo-loaded on my mom's fried chicken and rice.  Yum.  And in the morning, Mark picked us up and took me to the start of the race.  I hung out in his car to stay warm until almost the last minute and didn't bother checking any bag.  I even slept long and well the night before.

Science Series 41: Electrolytes and Me

I've never carried water on any race I've done.  I never felt I had to.  But the math that I did in my quest to be cramp-free suggested that I really should.  And to take salt more regularly as well.  I purchased this bottle with the recommendation of James and Emily who both use it and like it.  This was to be my first race with it.

I lined up at the start about 15 seconds before the gun went off (yeah, relaxed race) and took off with a full bottle.   Mark and Emily were cheering around mile 3 along with my parents and Josie.  They were able to hop around the course fairly easily by car, which was nice.  I had asked Emily to swap water bottles with me about half way through, but I didn't think I would actually need to  One bottle was likely enough, I figured, but just to be safe.

I also packed a Ziplock of salt to carry with me and dipped into it every four to five miles or so. 
 At mile 6 my request for a water refill caught Emily off guard.  She didn't have the bottle ready.  No biggie.  I had enough water to last another few miles when I would see them next.  But then I didn't see them and I went through all my water by mile 10.  I ran with an empty bottle and took water cups from the water stations for a couple miles.  But still, there was no Mark and Emily.  So at the next water station I slowed enough to refill my bottle.  It turns out it's not that hard to do.

Emily cheers.  I ask for water.

 When I saw Emily and Mark at mile 17 or so, Emily ran with me a bit to help me top off my water bottle.  I had already drank more than half of it again.  They soon passed me in the car, one of them hanging our the window beating a metal pot with a wooden spoon.  Around mile 18, they pulled over under a bridge and  the sound of their pot beating was, well, awesome.  All the runners around me loved it.

At this point I had already consumed three bottles of water.  Interesting.


Effort Level & Heart Rate
I was wearing a heart monitor that day, the other element of my experiment.  Unfortunately, I had forgotten to check my trusty Jack Daniels' Runners Formula book to see what my max heart rate should be, so I set it to 155 beats per minute (bpm) and had my watch beep at me if I surpassed it. Rather than measure my effort based on breathing or just feeling, I had the technology to do so by heart rate.I wanted to be sure my effort level remained tame and somewhat conservative for maybe 18 miles or so.  But not even a mile into the race, my watch was beeping at me.

"Damn.  I'm not going that fast.  This doesn't feel that hard."  Either I was even less trained than I thought or I had guessed wrong at my optimum heart rate race pace. After about 3 miles, I decided that the latter was the case and increased my heart rate max  alarm to 165bpm.  By mile 8, I increased it again to 167bpm because the beeping was driving me crazy and I didn't want to slow down.  Yeah, the monitor was doing its job, I just didn't want to listen.

Metal horns indicate the perfect marathon pace.

I was able to successfully hang around 165-166bpm, just avoiding the alarm, for another 8 miles or so. Just after seeing my pot banging cheer squad, I decided to switch the alarm off.  My pace wasn't increasing, but at this point in the race, my heart rate was.  In other words, it was feeling harder.  My beating heart reached into the 170s a couple times in the next few miles, but I didn't need it to tell me how hard I was working. I could feel it.

So In The End...

The mile 22 water station was run by TNT and me and my purple singlet got a huge reception.  What a great place to find a TNT cheer squad.  This marathon isn't a TNT event, but there were a few purple singlets out.  It was a perfect spot to kick it into gear and spend whatever energy I had left over.These last few miles were hard.  They always are.  But I kept pushing.  I saw my brother and Kait, who had just finished the half marathon, about 400 yards from the finish.  My family, Emily and Mark along with Paul were cheering about 200 yards from the end.  They had some killer signs.  I didn't read them because I was moving so freaking fast.  But the crowds love them as did other runners.  The local paper posted several pictures of them in their online gallery.

Family and friends out supporting me, Kait, and the other runners.

Other than a new shiny metal, I came away with a few excellent lessons learned and confirmed.

• Even crappy runs count in training.  I knew this already.  I just want to reiterate this to you, the reader/runner.
• I ended up filling my water bottle four times.  Wow.  And I salted every 4 to 5 miles.  I believe this is what I have to do to be successful in marathons where finish time is important to me.
• Following the heart monitor was a great way to stay disciplined.  It really kept me in check.  And yes, I had guessed wrong.  My proper zone for marathon pace actually reaches up to 170bpm, so I was way too conservative with my original 155bpm setting.  167bpm seemed to be perfect.  My pace was fairly even and the last mile was one of my fastest.
• My evolution to midfoot is confirmed complete.  Yeah, sure, there's always something more to learn and I welcome it.  But I can recall thinking during some runs earlier this year, "This feels horrible.  How the hell am I supposed to run a marathon like this?"  Well, I just did. It felt natural.

Oh, and my time was 3:35:something.  Not a PR, but definitely my most successful race.  That is super exciting to me.  I feel that I've figured a few things out about my running.  And I cannot wait to apply them to my next event.

I got a metal, a sign, and a kiss.  Pretty good day.

Swimming 101

IM NYNJ 2012
284 days to go...

Tonight I earned a $25 donation from Jeanette.  I signed up for and had my first swimming lesson.  I haven't been shy about sharing to everyone how much the swim portion of this Ironman scares me. I've never felt comfortable in water.

Sheila is my instructor's name.  She's been teaching at the Park Slope YMCA for 27 years.  "This is my pool.  That's how I feel.  This is my home and this is my pool."  She went on to say how she has a full time job during the day and that she's here at night because she wants to be.  She enjoys it.  I cracked a smile because it reminded me how I felt about marathon coaching.

She explained to us that safety comes first, and how by the end of the day, we'd be able to cross the pool (width wise, not length wise).  Yup.  We were gonna be taking baby steps.  I wondered whether I was in the right class or not.  I wondered that throughout the lesson.  Most of the time we were holding onto the edge of the pool or using a floatie-thing, even though we were only in three feet of water.

I wondered if I should explain to her that I could actually swim.  I could pull off a few laps in a pool, yes quite awkwardly, but I won't sink. Was I wasting my time and hers?  I didn't need to learn to stand in a pool or float. My discomfort stems from breathing in the water.  Seriously, how?  I mean, I just hold my breath.  Even if my head isn't even submerged.  I panic when it is.  Yeah, that's fun.

But I didn't say anything.  There was no need.  I was learning so much.  The lesson progressed and Sheila explained how my flippers (my feet) propelled me forward.  She explained that if I lift my head up, my feet would head down.  "Everything is opposites in swimming," she expressed.  And most importantly, we practiced submerging our heads in the water. And taking a breath.

I was excited. I could already feel progress.  This class was right after all.

"Thanks for tonight, Sheila.  See you next week."

"See you next week.  Remember to do your homework!"  She asked us to loosen up our ankles.  No problem.  I'm looking forward to next week.

Reach the Beach 2011

On July 25th, MK wrote:

 I am so sorry to say this, but I can't do it this year! ...but did some how have a dream last night that you reported that Warriors had their fastest year ever. 

MK's message was quite foreshadowing.  This year as with last year, I had several potential warriors bow out. But the team we fielded was our fastest. Ever.

From our 2010 team, Kevin, Kara, and Syed returned for more punishment.  Mark, an original Warrior, came back this year despite having his wedding scheduled for the next weekend.  Kevin invited Britt along, who we scavenged from another team  I reached out to Sarah who similarly was part of another team before joining us.  Naomi took some convincing, not only due to the normal issues of cost and time commitment, but because Radie and her Road Soda team were also looking for runners crazy enough to sign up for such an event.  With Radie's blessing, I did just enough arm twisting and Naomi was in.  By contrast, Daniel and Dan were easy sells. Funny story about Dan- Last fall, my brother Ed told me about how he helped carry some guy a few miles to the finish line on the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon (the same I will be running in a couple days) course because he seemed to have broken his hip.  That crazy guy turned out to be Dan.
 

The Warriors of 2011

Casey and Erin were two last minute surprise drops.  Erin mixed up her dates (sounds familiar) and turned out to have a wedding conflict.  Casey developed a calf issue and was advised to skip RTB by her trusty PT at Finish Line.  Sad face. Because of this, logistics were altered.  We canceled one van out of Brooklyn and picked it up instead in Boston.  This saved us a considerable chunk of change.  Britt became the Van Mama and Syed became the Van Papa for our team.

Thursday the 15th came fast. We packed into the van that afternoon and set out.  Due to traffic suckage, we didn't get to the hotel until past midnight.  Any other year and I'd probably be freaking out about not being able to check the team in that night, a process that takes about 40 minutes if things go smoothly, but this year our start time was 2 PM and there would be plenty of time in the morning.  Why were we starting so late?  Teams are seeded by expected pace time with slower teams starting earlier- the first teams going off at 7:30 AM.  RTB deemed us to be "fast".  In fact, of 450ish teams, only 40 would be taking off after us.  I was a bit surprised, but after plugging our times into my spreadsheet, I decided not to argue for an earlier time.  Yup, we'd be fast.  My spreadsheet doesn't lie.

Britt hands off to Daniel.  Mark approves.

Kara's snuggie matches the sky

That afternoon we took off with maybe 15 other teams, including Better on The Way Down which was made up with a bunch of Brooklynites.  The two A-Team teams would be starting 20 minutes after us.  Would that catch up?  Last year they were a good couple hours faster than The Warriors.  Coach Michael's team, Miles #9, was starting an hour after us.  They seemed worried about finishing on time with such a late start, but I was pretty confident they'd catch us.  Road Soda started at 9am.  Could we catch them?  I really wanted to.  Running into friends and familiar teams during the event is great fun.  But they had a 5 hour head start.  The roads of New Hampshire were about to provide an answer.

This year, I had the pleasure to start things off for us with Leg 1.  I hung back behind the other 20 runners who were toeing the line.  Why?  The kills.  Dan questioned this.  His years of track and competitive racing programmed him to always start hard and hold on.  I on the other hand, enjoy starting relaxed... and then picking off runners like a cheetah running down a delicious meal.  I did just that.  I saluted my team at the back of the pack at the start.  By the time I passed the slap-bracelet baton to Kevin at the end of my first 7.97 miles, my 6:47/mile pace chalked up eleven kills.

The Warriors cheer.

Kara is pumped.

Legs 2 through 6 were chopped up due to the damage of Hurricane Irene.  Shoulders were eroded and one particular bridge had a large section wash away.  Kevin had a nice 3.3 mile run.  Kara followed, then Mark.  Britt was our last runner in Van One, but because of the course changes, Daniel joined us to do his 1.95 mile Leg 6.  The course had to be severed at one point and the race restarted at Leg 7 with a predetermined starting time.

Dan would be starting things off for us again.  He declared to the team that he was going to take it easy and hang with the back of the pack to warm up.  his commitment to this race plan lasted all of a quarter mile at best.  A mile into it, he had killed all his fellow runners in his wave.  By the end of his 7.2 mile leg, he had caught five others from the wave that started 20 minutes before him.  Dan got a taste of blood.  And he liked it.

Though for Dan it didn't seem so, the kills came more scarcely in those first legs than in the past.  We were running with faster teams this year and it would take us longer to catch the the slower ones.  It was my fifth RTB and the timing felt off because of our later start.  Darkness came sooner.  We ran into an issue with transition areas running out of food by the time we arrived.  Syed, our tenth runner, didn't start until around 10 PM.  I once again missed out on the Girl Scout spaghetti at TA 18. Yup, it felt off.  But not wrong.  In fact, it felt quite right.  And as the race progressed, it just kept feeling better and better.

Naomi is suited up, with Syed and Kara.

Dan tackles a night run.

Britt "Cyclops" before her leg.

Kevin is sad he's not running right now.

 

I try to race Van Two.

With one exception.  After Naomi's first run at 9 PM or so, she started feeling quite ill.  I hadn't realized how seriously bad she felt because of the good face she put on.  As Van One was finishing our second shift, Syed and Sarah shared with me what was up.  Already the team was working on contingency plans just in case Naomi couldn't carry on.  Syed wanted to just run her legs as well as his.  Sarah said the same.  The same type of chatter was happeing in Van One.  These individuals were selfless.  We caught up with Van Two at TA 16 while Daniel was on the road.  Naomi was wrapped in a blanket, looking a bit pale and pretty sad.  She didn't want to let down the team- it was obvious.  "If you can't run, we can handle it."  I told her of the talk happening and how her teammates were rallying around her already.  "We don't have to decide now.  Don't worry about it.  Rest.  That's your job.  And we'll see."

Naomi did exactly that.  Van One settled into TA 18 to grab some rest (maybe an hour or two of sleep).  By the time we woke, I received a text from Sarah.

All is well.  Naomi is in the beginning of her second leg.  And oh yeah I got 3 kills Captain!

Our mid-night scare was over. Naomi had a good second leg, destroyed her third leg, and The Warriors marched on toward the beach, chalking up kills along the way.

More than any other team I've assembled, this 2011 iteration had a blood thirst.  "See that guy up there?" Sarah asked Van Two.  "I'm gonna kill him!"  That was her first.  We passed Dan on his third leg.  He threw a nod toward the runner 30 yards ahead of him. "That's number 12."  On Leg 25 Britt embarrassed some poor sap right at the end, because he had the audacity to pass her after she had already killed him. I thought she was going to puke (Sarah actually did end up puking next to a cheering santa after taking her last kill on Leg 28). 

Sarah proudly marks her kills.

For me, my most successful killing leg was my first.  But by far, my favorite was Leg 21.  Syed passed the slap bracelet to me just past sunrise.  My right calf was pretty damn tight by this point due to an injury involving a large piece of wood a couple weeks earlier.  I wasn't sure what I'd be able to do on this hilly route.  I wanted to run hard, but that would depend on my calf warming up.  I asked the van to stop twice for me, at the 2nd mile so I could let them know what pace I was aiming for and at 7 AM so that I could shed all the safety gear.  Not only did my calf loosen up, but the run turned out to be gloriously beautiful.  I would crest a hill and a view of the fog-filled valley below would reveal itself.  I'd crest another and see the mountains in the distance, with the sun coloring the sky just above.  On either side of the road was farmland- horse ranches and cows.  At one particular corner, two dozen cows gathered to watch the runners go by.  One mooed as I approached.  "Thanks," I answered back.  I picked off 8 runners on that stretch.

Hot colors (and Warriors).

Kara on the move.

Mark hauls ass into TA 24.

Daniel and his sweet 'stache.

Dawn brought us closer to the finish and to the teams ahead of us.  We were seeing more and more vans, no longer just missing meals.  By mid morning, we were in the thick of it.  We started also finding aches and pains.  Kara shook off her pain to complete her for legs like a champ.  By the end of my four legs, my calf was bruised and swollen.  I abused it in the hills of New Hampshire.  But after a week, I was pretty much recovered.  Mark wasn't so fortunate.  He entered RTB with some tenderness around his ankle, seemingly nothing to serious.  But throughout the event, he was in pain.  And by the end of his four legs (and his wedding the following weekend) his doctor diagnosed him with a sprained ankle.  Mark and his short-shorts performed marvelously, but at a cost of his next marathon, which he has had to put off.

Mark wears short shorts.  Kevin approves.

Team Miles #9 caught us fairly quickly.  Though we hung out at the same pace for a few legs, they were well ahead before dawn.  We saw A-Team vans around and were tagged by them (with a pretty cool Mr. T magnet).  But they never caught up.  We beat both their teams.  Throughout the night and into the next day, I exchanged texts with Radie and Lela, asking where Road Soda was.  We were getting closer and closer and I was looking forward to seeing my friends.  But it wasn't meant to be.  TA 35 would be the last possible chance.  Van Two did meet up with them and exchanged greetings, but their last runner took off a good twenty minutes before ours.  I'm glad at least one of our vans got to see them though.  And I did finally see them at the finish on the beach.

Daniel ran us home.  The vans arrived shortly after he did, once again getting stuck in traffic.  We met him on the beach and celebrated our victory together with metals and photos.  All in all, we racked up about 200 kills and ran at an average pace of 7:49/mile, 21 seconds per mile faster than last year.  We completed the abbreviated 196 mile course in 25:03:14.  Yup.  Not too shabby.

The Warriors reached the beach.

 The speed is nice (really nice), but it isn't what made this team so much fun.  It's the personalities.  The chemistry.  The positive attitudes and laid back manner.  The team spirit. The challenge. Oh, and the poop jokes, right Sarah?  And Kara's Snuggie.  Syed's two children and AARP card.  And Mark's BM count.  And the spooning.  Getting mooned.   These are the things that make a Yogi come back to running a couple months a year.  And another fly in from Denver to do it all over again. As MK has said in the past, RTB is better than Christmas.

"W" is for Warriors.

Sarah also likes jump shots

Aquaman, I Am Not

Tonight marked the first group training session with my brand spanking new Ironman team.  What's that?  You didn't know that I also swim and bicycle?  Yeah, well... I don't.  But I've put  myself in a spot where I have to learn how to and get good at the sports just mentioned in the next 320 days or so, or I'm screwed.  Yay!

Today in the pool with the Ironman coaches and fellow participants, reality filled my nasal cavity and I almost choked on it.  I'm not very comfortable in water. I've actually never really been able to submerge my head in water without plugging my nose.  I panic.  It's psychological, I know.  But it happens.  I've known that my success in the swim would be dependent on me figuring this out.  And now is the time.  Coach Scott even made it a point to let me know.  Before I bother learning any of the efficiency techniques he was giving lessons on tonight, I have to figure out how to breathe in the water. Sure.  No problem.

So while I do that, how about you hop over here and donate a few bucks?

This little running blog is about to evolve into an Ironman blog.  But don't worry, I'll still be eating miles for breakfast.

It's about to get real.  Really realz, yo.

(Mid)Sole Searching: Part II

I was climbing uphill, mid way through the third mile in the golf course on the Boilermaker course in Utica, NY when the thought came to me.  "Man, I am out of shape." For the last few months, I had been blaming my transition to midsole for my discomfort and lack of speed during runs.  There were times that I felt like a gimped horse with cement blocks for hooves.  I don't know where that visual came from, but it's true. On this day, though, fifteen weeks after my midsole journey began, I felt like an out-of-shape runner. Ahhh, progress.

Boilermaker 2011: Can't really see my stride, but you can see that I was a sweaty mess.

---------------------

My transition to midsole was motivated by the nagging pain in my posterior tibial tendon.  It seemed no matter how much rest a got (I took a month off from running), it wasn't getting better.  I visited my buddies at Finish Line Physical Therapy for a few weeks and was given exercises and stretches that definitely helped, but didn't solve the problem.  I went to an Orthopedist to get a professional opinion and an MRI.  He diagnosed me with no stress fracture... and not much more information.  He gave me a green light to run and said I'd just have to work through the discomfort until it gets better.  Yeah, thanks.  I went to an acupuncturist.  That felt pretty good, but didn't really help.

At this point in April, I was wearing Superfeet insoles when walking and stability shoes when running.  I was trying to give my feet as much support as possible. This was the path given to me by the orthopedist.  Then, by chance, I read Born To Run, and this led me down the rabbit hole, toward natural running.  I got rid of the insoles and started minimizing my footwear.  I must have bought a dozen shoes in the last few months (many of which I returned).  I'll be posting a blurb on each of them shortly.

Finding my midsole was just as difficult as everyone told me it would be.  My first three guides all encouraged a gradual process of adapting to the new running gait, though each recommended a different path to get there.  Abshire suggested that I resist the temptation to do my normal miles.  Instead, he supplied a series of strengthening and form exercises to do.  Dreyer suggested that all the exercise a runner needs to develop running form and muscles is running itself.  I cannot say that my method was scientific at all.  I tried a bunch of different things from a bunch of different sources.

WOW did my calves ache.  And my tendons around my ankles were sore.  It felt like what I was doing was just making things worse.  I couldn't be sure if I was doing things right or not.  Some runs were fine, others were disasterous.  I would find myself out of commission for a week at a time because of soreness in my calves and tendons.  I kept going back to these three main sources, looking for something that maybe I was doing wrong.  I would also scour the internet looking for other examples and experiences.  Are my pains normal?  At times I would find things I could tweak. But mostly, I was just being impatient.

Midfoot vs Forefoot
So which is better? Abshire, Romanov, and Eric Orton (McDougall's coach) believe in the forefoot.  Dreyer advocates midfoot.  Romanov's book, The Pose Method, was the first that I picked up and I immediately and naturally began practicing the forefoot strike.  He instructed me to simply let my foot drop naturally and not to place it anywhere.  By lifting the other foot, the already lifted foot would drop naturally to support me.  Quite helpful advice.  In the beginning of my transition, I didn't really differentiate between midfoot and forefoot.  But, as I have discovered, there is a meaningful distinction.

To strike on your forefoot means to land on your forefoot first, then rock back onto your heel.  A midfoot strike has you landing evenly on your foot- heel and forefoot- at about the same time.

From http://icanhasscience.com/

In retrospect, I find it interesting how committed some people are to stating that one footstrike is superior to all others.  I tend to believe that all footstrike types are just tools at a runner's disposal. I am at a point with my running form where my footstrikes change depending on speed and slope.  And I like it.  It makes me feel like a nimble mountain cat and/or ninja.

Check out this writeup by Runblogger.  It's an interesting study done in the mid 1900s concerning foot strikes found in runners who specialize in specific distances.  The author concludes that short distance runners stay on their forefoot while longer distance runners go midfoot/midheel.  Interesting, especially knowing that this was from a time before our beefed-up running shoes with big cushy heels.

Also check out this discussion by other running geeks about Scott Jurek and his footstrike.  One of the most successful ultra runners out there, is all over the place with his strikes, it appears.

Gems of My Journey
So how did I get myself to be a fairly proficient midsole striker? From all the accounts that I've heard, I'll tell you confidently that there is no one way to do it.  Patience is probably the underlying commonality amongst all methods.  Here are a few of the dozens of tidbits I followed that stood out to me.

The foam roller.  That thing has been a life savor for me.  Seriously.  I am a huge foam roller advocate.  I currently use the thing once or twice a week.  This may be the biggest gem that I can offer you through my experiences.  Stretching alone isn't always enough; the foam roller is magical.

Chi-Running posture lessons. Most of what Dreyer teaches in his book I luckily already did intuitively.  But with this transition, it was great to get a constant reminder and to really have a look at the physiology of the practice.  Leaning from the ankles, not the pelvis, and keeping your core engaged I would say are the top two lessons.

Form drills.  Drills such as the knee high toe up move by Eric Orton and Abshire's one leg reaching squats have helped so much that I have integrated them into my standard strengthening circuit.  I will share this in a coming post.


Ryan Hall and his ankle dribbles.  Check out this video.

After watching Ryan Hall do this, hear him explain his theory of proper foot strike, and seeing other video analysis of his gait, I went out looking for his shoes, wanted to dye my hair blond, and start praising Jesus as much as he does.  Seriously.  Does it feel weird to idolize someone younger than me?  Yup.  Does that mean I'm getting old?  Probably.  Oh well.  This video turned the tide for me.  It was of course an accumulation of all that I learned and practiced, but Hall was the spark that got me over the top. I started to primarily strike midfoot and things started to click.

When I run, I imagine Hall running.  I emulate his smooth motion.  I've heard many coaches and experts say that not everyone can run like Hall- not everyone is that lucky.  Well, I want to be one of the fortunate few. 

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So here I am, a self-declared proficient midsole striker.  Yet I am still aggravating my posterior tibial tendon. What the hell.  My hope, in this multi-month experiment, was to prevent injury.  In that regard I am not yet successful.  I wish I could say otherwise.  Time could tell differently.  Perhaps I just need to allow my body to further adjust.  Perhaps I never allowed myself to fully heal to begin with.  Or perhaps natural running alone isn't enough....

I visited a podiatrist a few weeks back and got fitted for orthotics.  It may seem that this flies in the face of my whole natural running expedition, but Danny Abhsire would disagree.  He advocates both corrective orthotics and natural running.

I'm two weeks into running in the orthotics, still landing midsole.  So there is more to this story, enough for another blog entry, I do think.  Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of this Midsole Search saga...

Live to Eat or Eat to Live?

Back in the day, I didn't run because I loved to.  I used to run just because I felt I had to, in attempting to "stay in shape".   To me, staying in shape meant not getting too fat.  I gain weight fairly easily without some sort of exercise, mostly because I LOVE to eat.  For most my life, I've had a bit of chub on me.  And my main motivation for exercise was to lose some chub or at least not gain more chub. Or to built muscle because under the chub is a pretty small guy. I was preoccupied with body image.  And to me, body image was how I looked in pictures and to others. It wasn't very positive motivation, and quite frankly, it wasn't very motivating at all.  I was only moderately successful at sticking with any exercise regimen.

Somewhere down the line, I was introduced to running by Team in Training.  I fell in love with running (we got married and are expecting babies).  Running became about joy.  My exercise motivation came from wanting to complete a marathon and be faster. Fitness became about distance and speed, not body image.  My number one motivation for exercise became PRs and greater distances.

Fuel for my muscles (aka, leftovers in the fridge)

What's my point?  Well, there are two things that I want to highlight. First, the tone of my motivation to exercise changed to what I consider to be more positive. Secondly, body image meant less to me.  It wasn't that I stopped caring about body image, it's just that my motivations changed and my priorities changed and my definition of body image changed.

I wish for anyone looking to lose weight to motivate in a positive way.  Doing so translates to tangible results that I can completely explain. In fact, I feel it's more important than all the other elements that I can explain (math and science).  If you're reading this blog, you're most likely already a runner and are exercising regularly which is fantastic.  Hopefully you're like me and also fell in love with running.  If so, the universe has given you an advantage.

Inspiration
I find these individuals and their stories most inspiring. I think you will as well.

The Other Inside (My friend Hollie)

Great t-shirt.

One Twenty Five

Runblogger

Ben Does Life




Science
So here are some resources.  I'm not a nutritionist or a diet coach. But I do believe that knowing is half the battle (G.I. Joe!).

• Research has shown that for every pound shed, a runner can drop two seconds of their per mile pace
• It takes 3500 burned calories to lose a pound
• How many calories one burns while running depends on speed and weight, but I like to use a general 115 calories per mile for myself.  Here's a calculator for those who want something more specific.
• So if you do the math, it takes about 30 miles of running to lose a pound of fat, assuming your diet remains the same.
• A 30 mile week is a healthy mid-season marathon training week for a beginner.  So you can see that losing weight via running is a gradual (and healthy) process.
• Cutting back on calories will speed the process, but you must do so in a healthy way.  If you're a runner, you've got to feed your muscles fuel so they can function and repair.  Please don't ignore this.
• Also, don't ignore the fact that you need rest days.  These days of rest are when your muscles actually build and repair themselves.
• Check this iPhone app out for some convenient calorie counting.

(Mid)Sole Searching

Once upon a time, I was introduced to what I thought was the perfect running shoe, the Asics DS Trainer (version 11).  Since Asics altered the fit and feel (they're on like version 16 or so), I haven't been using them and I've been quite sad about this.  But a few weeks back, I spotted Asics re-released DS Racer which look exactly like the shoe I've been pining for... And in a moment of weakness, I bought them.

Asics DS Racers 8

What makes me weak is not the fact that I'm addicted to running shoes.  Sure, I've purchased over a dozen in the last few months.  But I think there's a normal explanation for that.  What makes me weak is that even though I know these shoes will not help me with this new midsole strike I am trying to master, I was longing for the days when I didn't put so much thought or effort into it and just ran.  I miss those days.  Slipping on the DS Trainers for the first time back in 2006 made me feel like a speed demon.  Wearing them at any time made me want to just take off running.  These days my calves are sore and my ankles and tendons ache.  I don't feel fast (because I am not) and I grimace at the thought of putting on running shoes.  Not happy.  Where is the love?

The DS Racers did not disappoint.  They felt exactly like those magical shoes that I remember.  In fact, they were even better because they were lighter. But when I started running back and forth in my apartment, I discovered that they feel like every other firm shoe with a substantial heel to toe drop I've been wearing- they weren't right for me.  I knew they wouldn't be.  Even though they hugged my foot like they were made just for me, when I landed with a midsole strike, they just didn't feel right.  Too firm.  Heel was too high.  I got none of the magic.

So I started heel striking just to see- I was desperate for that feeling of ease again...

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While in San Diego with Coach Jack Daniels, a coach wearing Vibrim FiveFinger shoes suggested that there was a correct way of striking the ground- forefoot.

"I don't believe all this talk about one foot strike being better than another," Coach answered back.  "There are all these methods out there- Chi Running and The Pose Running... They get you to follow their programs and what happens is you naturally start taking quicker steps!"  Coach Daniels was referring to the emphasis he put on taking and maintaining 180 steps per minute. He believed that there was no evidence that heel striking led to more injuries.  He felt that over striding led to more injuries and taking 180 steps per minute not only made a runner more efficient, but deterred over striding.  "Don't get me wrong.  I love those things," he said as he pointed to the footwear.

Coach believes barefoot and minimalist running are important training tools, but not meant to be done for long distances. But he dismissed the fact that modern running shoes were evil and supported his argument with his experience working in the Nike Shoe labs.

For the 1500 or so miles I ran in the DS Trainer v11 shoes, I never had an injury. Going back to these shoes and heel striking may not be so bad...

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As I took a few running strides, landing on my heel, the shoes reminded me why it was so easy.  That gel cushioning in the heel is great. And the way my foot transition from heel to toe was very responsive and light.  These DS Racers are great.  But I wasn't feeling great.  I was feeling, well, bouncy.  And inefficient. How did I ever run this way?

I am in limbo.

I took one shoe off and studied it, as if my stare could draw out the magic that I've been longing for.  I love these shoes, but I can no longer run in them.  It was like spending time with an ex-girlfriend.  I remember the great times we had and the miles we covered.  But I'm in a different place in my (running) life now.  We just don't fit together like we once did.

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Alberto Salazar's responses to Amby Birdfoot's questions in an interview from last summer in Runner's World is something that I reflect on."There has to be one best way of running. It's got to be like a law of physics."  Granted, Salazar is not a physicist and his own form while competing wasn't perfect by any means, but the claim just seems to make sense.  Can everyone master the "best way of running"?  Should they?  Should I be trying?

What motivated me was my mystery calf injury.  At this point I'm pretty sure over-pronation caused it. And over striding and heel striking caused that (along with my imperfect feet).  Hence the change.  But I'm not out here trying to compete with the world's elite.  I just want to stay healthy.  And maybe Coach Daniels is right- if I just don't over stride and keep to 180 steps per minute, I'll be fine with a heel strike.
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I removed the other shoe and slipped on my Merrill Trail Gloves.These shoes feel great.  But they are too minimalist, basically Vibrims without the toes, for me to run high mileage in at this point.  I ran back and forth to compare with my running in the DS Racers.  The Trail Gloves just felt right.  Damn.  I took them off and slipped into my Altra Instincts which are also zero drop and have no support.  They basically feel like running in slippers. My form felt quite good, but I need more support.  Perhaps because my feet aren't strong enough.  These shoes weren't quite right either.  I turned to the Saucony Fastwitch shoes that I have most recently been running in.  They are too firm.  Then I moved to the Nike Frees... Yes, I've got a lot of shoes, but my huge collection is driven by my desire to run with ease once again.  I look forward to the day when I have, at most, two pairs in my rotation.

I sat on the couch and picked the DS Racers back up.  They even felt great in my hands.  There are runs where I believe I have found my midsole stride and others where I just feel awkward. With a large sigh, I repacked the shoes.  They aren't doing me any good right now; I need closure on that part of my running life.  The DS Racers are going back to the store. I don't quite have the solution yet, but I have to keep the faith.  Things will get better.*

* They have already gotten better.  Details to come!

Coach J.D. and Me

I recently took part in a coach certification seminar given by Team in Training national head coach Jack Daniels.A legend in the world of running, Runner's World labeled him The World's Best Running Coach.  And I was lucky enough to geek out with him a bit in San Diego.

Coach Jack Tupper Daniels, Ph.D.

Coach Daniels is hilarious.  One never knows what to expect when walking into a hotel seminar room.  I'd say 88% of the time you are going to be bored to death.  Not the case here.  Having gone through training seasons as a participant and as a coach with TNT, the material wasn't unfamiliar to me.  I also read his book, "The Running Formula" recently to prep myself for discussion.  I know, I know... I'm a huge geek.  And if you didn't know that yet, well, you're missing out on some great stuff. I left with three new ideas for excel spreadsheets.

As a physiologist, Coach Daniels contributed greatly to the principles running and our understanding of how the body responds to stress (ie, training).  His deep experience has given him a pragmatic understanding of the development of a runner.  One can converse with the coach discussing the effects of altitude on hemoglobin's ability to carry oxygen molecules, or a more anecdotal topic like the time he and his wife went to the Oympics to count the steps per minute of elite runners.

On our way to lunch, I approached the coach to ask him about beginners and run/walk.  We sat together at lunch and I was able to pick his brain further.  Then after the seminar I followed up with some questions on nutrition and glycogen consumption during a run.  There was quite a bit to take away from the day, but here are a few highlights.


180 Steps Per Minute
So Coach Daniels and his wife went to the Olympics and literally counted the stride rate of the world's elite runners.  What he found was middle and long distance runners were always on or near 180 steps per minute. A runner must find a middle ground somewhere between managing two energy consuming actions: taking a step forward (swinging one leg forward and pushing off with the other) and landing (absorbing impact forces of your body which are 2 to 3 times your standing weight).  The less steps you take, the less impact force you have to deal with, but the only way to do this and cover the same ground is to take larger steps, which takes energy.  So yeah, balance.  180 steps per minute.

This stride rate is not exclusive to elite runners.  In fact, Coach Daniels stressed to us that this is one of the most impactful elements we could share with our beginner runners.  I''m happy to say that we've been sharing this tidbit for as long as I can remember.  Are our runners following it?  Hmmm, good question.  Are you?


Breathing Rates
It is always a good idea to breath in time with your steps.  Always.  The rate at which you breath can vary.  Most commonly in a race scenario, a 2-2 is used.  That is, breathe in for two steps, breath out for two steps.  Easy runs can be done at 3-3 or even 4-4.  A runner can also do a 2-3 (breathe in for two steps out for three steps).  A 2-1 is also possible, as Coach Daniels explained it is the most efficient breathing rate (yields the most volume of air transfer per minute), but it is not very common.

Breathing in time to your cadence insures that your body will get a regular dose of oxygen, but also, it will allow your body to exhaust the unwanted carbon dioxide building up in your lungs.  Exhaling deeply is actually more important than inhaling deeply.  Regulating this breathing is also a traditional relaxation technique (tai chi, yoga, etc).

For me, everything starts with my breathing.  It is my best way to regulate my pace and stay focused.  And every once in a while I shake things up with a deep breath to break up my time on the road.

The importance of Easy Pace Running
 If you're training to run a long race, you run long.  Pretty simple. And you can run longer if you are running at an easy pace.  Right?  Your goal is to develop endurance, build a strong base, and stay healthy and easy runs are the way to accomplish this. There is a time for speed work, sometimes incorporated into easy run workouts, but to ignore the importance of easy running invites injury from over training.  I've been guilty of this in the past and I am empathetic to those who just want to run hard all the time.  But it can get you into trouble.

As I said above, I use my breathing to control my pace.  I breathe 2-2 during hard runs of higher effort levels.  And I breathe 3-3 for easy runs.  Sometimes even 4-4. If I cannot maintain my pace while breathing 3-3, I'm going too hard.  Coach Daniels said the same exact thing.  Conversational pace, even if you are not conversing with anyone.

My sister, Josie- a run/walker- completing the Brooklyn Half Marathon along side our brother, Ed.

Run/Walk
Coach Daniels is a huge advocate for run/walk.  He has practiced this technique for his own training. And as a physiologist, he tested the effects of run/walk in his lab with some positive and perhaps surprising results.  It is absolutely possible to be faster as a run/walker than as a runner.

A run/walker is basically doing intervals of hard and easy effort. That easy effort allows the body to recover and a runner can then cover a longer distance than just running alone.  This seems like common sense, sure.  But I want to emphasize just how remarkably the body can recover in a short period.  You may think a run/walk regimen helps just a bit, but Coach Daniels research shows that is is quite significant.


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Changing Seasons

Summer season has wrapped up quite successfully.  The participants were great and I believe they've developed a bond to each other and to running that will stand the test of time.  I am grateful to have been part of it and look forward to future seasons, events, and runs with this crew.  I love seeing Alade running with his friends in the park, knowing that he is infected with the running bug and is passing it on. And having Kate and Ayça in the Fall season, as well as many of the summer mentors, is great.  I look forward to another glorious season full of hard runs, brutal weather, and cheeseburgers.

Lake Placid team the morning of the event

Reborn to Run

I feel vindicated and ordinary all at the same time. According to Christopher McDougall and his book, “Born to Run”, I’m not crazy because I run. I am supposed to run. We all are. You non-runners are the crazy ones. So there.

Admittedly, I am way behind on the Born to Run bandwagon. While this book was sweeping through the running community and Vibram’s five-fingered-footwear was making its way onto runner’s soles (even infiltrating my RTB team), I wasn’t interested enough to pick up my own copy. The impression I got from those who told me I needed to read this book was that it was a 280 page argument for running barefoot. I understood the argument, but wasn’t much interested I suppose. It didn’t sound that entertaining.

Kevin, my RTB Warrior teammate sports his Vibrams

I spotted McDougall’s book in the Hudson News bookstore at JFK right before yet another flight. I was actually searching for “The Conservative Soul” because I had forgotten my copy on my last flight and was only 30 pages in. They didn’t have a copy, so I picked up “Born to Run” and hey, from its description and praises on the back, it seemed more like an adventure story than a lecture on proper running mechanics. I love me a good running adventure story (check out Bart Yasso’s “My Life on The Run” for some great inspiration) and sometimes I do need to be reminded why I love running so much (like when I come to the realization that my calf has been nagging me for SIX MONTHS).

I loved this book.

I could probably sing the reasons at the top of my lungs via this blog and not spoil it for anyone, since I’m probably the last of my running friends who have read it. But still, I won’t just in case. I do want to mention how loaded this book is with anthropology, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was one of my many almost-minors in college. I’m not taking everything the author says as gospel, even though I would love to. But it has spurred me into doing further research on my own- looking at my stride, checking out persistence hunting, and growing Latin grains in my backyard.

If you're looking for a great resource on the grains described in Born to Run, check out my friend and fellow runner, Ana Sophia Pelaez's article and interview with McDougall.

The persistence hunting will have to wait until I'm back in shape.

The Godfathers

As for my stride... As MacDougall described his quest for an answer to his foot pain, I felt empowered to start an exploration of my own with my calf pain. The Calendar had dipped into April by that time, five and a half months since the calf became an issue. I wasn’t satisfied with what my doctor had told me. Of course I was thrilled it wasn’t a stress fracture, and he did give me some clues, as did Michael at Finishline PT and Mark Thompson, my newly acquired acupuncturist. Mark, who is also a PT, suggested I get orthotics. He took one look at my right foot, saw how my arch collapsed, and made the call right away. I was ready to try it immediately. I was ready to try anything really.

But Macdougall led me in a different direction- natural running. I began "practicing" a midfoot strike in my hotel room shortly after my plan landed. And even before finishing his book, I ordered three more.

* The Pose Method of Running by Dr. Nicholas Romanov
* Natural Running by Danny Abshire
* Chi Running by Danny Dreyer

Dr. Nicholas Romanov

I started with Dr. Romanov’s Pose method, which describes running as a skill activity, just as skiing or even dance is. These activities are taught with a series of poses and movements. Ballet has great examples with first position, second position, etc. In skiing, those who were trained may recall french fries and pizza. Romanov states that there is a running pose that we all strike when performing the act of running properly. He also stressed that a runner should allow gravity to work for us.

Danny Abshire

Danny Abshire explained to me why “traditional” running shoes were no good. He criticized the raised heel and pronation control. The raised heel, designed to cushion the heel upon impact, interfered with our ability to land properly and naturally on our forefoot or midfoot. The pronation control in these heel striking shoes, only exasperated the unnatural heel striking stride. Abshire explained how the lower body is a natural spring and that heel striking with a straight leg negates this physiological feature.

Danny Dreyer

 Danny Dreyer believes that chi plays a crucial part in good running form. If you don’t know what chi is, you obviously haven’t seen enough kung fu movies and we cannot be friends. Dreyer defines Chi as "energy - the life giving, vital energy that unites body, mind and spirit." This energy flows through our body, but only when our body is properly aligned and we are receptive to it. Sounds hokey? You must be a Westerner. He stressed posture above all, as well as relaxing and running tension free.





These three runners, coaches- and yeah, I’ll say it- godfathers of this natural running resurgence (my godfathers, at least) have lots of common threads in their theories and practices. As a matter of fact, Abshire receives praise from Dreyer and Romanov on the back of his book and Abshire sites Dreyer and Romanov repeatedly in his text. Their shared intent is to make running easier, and injury free. I won’t attempt to summarize their writings any further than saying each believes strongly in mid/forefoot strikes, “proper” footwear, proper posture, and letting gravity help out while you run.

Weapons of Choice

As I read these books, I began testing a sampling footwear that I felt these coaches would recommend based on their arguments. The Runblogger was a huge help. Also, via his site, you can receive a nice 10% discount at Runningwarehouse.com. He has a great post reviewing a ton of minimalist shoes and regularly reviews new equipment.

The qualities I was looking for in a shoe are:

Low or no heel rise (zero drop)
If your heels are raised to far above your forefoot, your posture actually changes to compensate. Also, you put more stress on your calves. And midfoot striking is more difficult (heel striking is encouraged). Most "traditional" running shoes have heels that rise more than 10mm.

Minimal "traditional" stability qualities
The stability built into "traditional" shoes assume a heel strike. If I were to land on my mid/forefoot, their intent of stabilizing my over pronation would be neutralized.

Minimal cushioning & Flexible Sole
Now, I don't mean barefoot running here. I just mean that I want to feel the road. This one has always been a requirement of mine. But the authors argue that the nerves in your feet communicate with the rest of your body, instructing it how to move. If they cannot feel the road, what you get is "stupid feet".

Sampling: Brooks Mach 12, Newton Distance, Merrell Trail Glove

After reading a bunch of reviews and ordering 6 pairs of shoes to try in my apartment, I settled on two.

The Altra Instinct
It's got zero drop (meaning the heel is no higher than the forefoot), moderate cushioning, is flexible, and has a roomy toe box. Altra is a start up shoe company. Those stores that are stocking them are having a hard time keeping up with demand. I ended up ordering mine from a running store in Miami.

Merrell Trail Glove
Also zero drop, roomy toe box, but these puppies have no cushioning, only a 4mm sole to protect you from rocks.

I want to stress that I am not going barefoot. The Altras have been working well for me because they protect my feet like traditional shoes, but allow by feet and biomechanics to work as they "naturally" should. They are a great compromise shoe. The Merrells are very minimal, but I am only using those in small doses as a tool to strengthen my feet.

The winners: Merrell Trail Glove and Altra Instinct

Form, Form, Form...

My transition to midfoot strikes began the first Saturday in April. I'm 5 weeks in now and still working on it. It hasn't been easy. The godfathers all suggest disassociating the transition with result oriented goals. In other words, do it in the off season when you don't have to worry about speed or mileage. Each of these natural running books offer a program to get you transitioned over, but I haven't committed to any single one. I've been trying ideas from all of them. Probably just in the past week, things started clicking on a consistent basis. I still cannot do all the things I used to- speed work is a challenge as is carrying a back pack while I run- because I have trouble maintaining proper form.

I blamed my lack of form for my calf injury in my last blog entry and I stand by that accusation. As a coach, this is the one thing I stress the most with my runners. All of us TNT coaches do. I remember Lisa, Jim, Michael, and Ramon doing the same to me when I was just starting off back in the day. Runners World has an interesting article on the topic in the latest issue (while you're there check out an article my friend the infamous MP was quoted in concerning BQing).

Posture is also stressed heavily by the godfathers. And though they heavily favor mid/forefoot striking, they recognize that a runner- from beginners to elites- can get away with heel striking while remaining healthy and quite speedy. I ran for two years- two marathons, a few half marathons, two RTB relay races, and tons of short races with training probably totaling 1,500 miles- without a running injury. In fact, I recovered from chronic patella tendonitis during this time. Yup, running, even heel striking, *helped* my knees.

Fellow Warrior Erin (aka Lady Southpaw) showing off her pretty much perfect form

This transition I am undertaking is a personal one. As I've tried to take my running to "the next level" (in my case, I wanted to be faster), I got injured frequently. And it was because I wasn't holding good form with the speed increase. I've found new shoes, but they're not magical shoes that will protect me from injury and make me fast. These shoes, I hope, will just be tools that will help me hold proper running posture, and sustain it for the duration of my runs (it's why I do all that core work too). The same goes for all those wacky barefoot runners out there. Shedding shoes isn't a magic fix- the intent is to *force* a runner to run with better form, otherwise he will end up with a stress fracture.

If you heel strike, you can't go minimalist. You have to protect that heel. But it doesn't have to be a huge heel. Asics DS Trainers, a stability shoe (that I used and logged over a thousand miles in) has a heel rise of about 8-9mm. Not bad. Nike Frees have maybe a 7mm rise, but no stability element. Saucony is releasing more and more low drop shoes in the 4-5mm range including their latest version of the Grid Fastwitch which has a stability element. Runningwarehouse.com will give you this stat on each shoe you search for. But if you're getting into the shoes for the first time, I still recommend trying them on at your local running shop, such as our friends at JackRabbit who even have a treadmill you can take the shoes for a spin on. How they feel other than this heel rise issue (too narrow? cramped toes?) is absolutely important. And again, shoes are just a tool for you to sustain proper form. Listen to your body.



If you're reading this far into my blog, it's probably because you're a runner. And If I know you, you've probably already heard me preach these things a million times, but I might as well at least list these important running form points:
* Keep your back straight and don't lean too much.
* Shorten your stride length (except for you Suzy) and aim for a cadence of 180bpm
* Soft steps
* Feet pointed straight ahead
* Keep relaxed, lose the tension in your shoulders and back
* Neat arm swings, 90 degree bend
* etc...

And of course, listen to your coach.

Shout Out
This summer season of Team in Training has been excellent. Our runners have graduated from hill training and are on to speed work and pacing. I'm proud and excited.

Shout out to my Team in Training peeps, Summer 2011