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The Course, the Cannon & the Near Catastrophe

6/6/2016

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​A cannon blast rang out over the high school grounds.  My keen intuition told me something wasn’t right…that and the fact that the sound of ambulance sirens soon followed.

It was the first year for a local half marathon race.  The race was created in order to help raise money and awareness for a local organization that worked to help people with disabilities.

My good friend Kevin was asked to help with the race. He knew a lot about putting on road races and he knew people.  Well, he knew me anyway.  He got me involved. I was there to help out.

It was the morning of the race and the race director had just shot herself testing the starter’s cannon.  It was pretty serious.  But she was to be OK. 

The race was to start soon.

When Kevin and I learned what had happened…namely, that the race director was on her way to the hospital…we realized we were going to have to do everything ourselves.  That meant starting the race…coordinating the volunteers…if there were any…making sure the race was scored…handing out awards…and so on.  We had to do this despite virtually no preparation. 

I can’t remember why this responsibility fell on us.  But with Kevin, I didn’t ask those sort of silly questions.

The day before…while I was out putting out directional signs on the road…I learned two things:
  1. A half marathon is a long way.
  2. If you are going to use spray paint on the road, you need to get the kind of paint that actually sprays when you hold it upside down.

While I was out spending my Saturday trying to put paint markers on the road with spray paint that wouldn’t spray, I realized what an undertaking this race was. It covered a lot of territory. There was a lot of course to marshal. There were a lot of places to go wrong.  It required a lot of volunteers and a lot of signage.  My lousy little road markings weren’t going to cut it. 

I had a bad feeling.

My anxiety over what was to come was building even before the race director shot herself with a cannon.

As Kevin and I scrambled to figure out how to make the race happen, we noticed a conspicuous lack of course volunteers.  Maybe that’s because there weren’t any.  Luckily, we were able to enlist the help of a couple of good friends who happened to be hanging around.   We were going to have to manage with just the four of us.

As the start of the race approached, we noticed a small police detail gathering.  Fantastic! I breathed a big sigh of relief. Apparently, a policeman on a motorcycle would serve as a lead vehicle and escort the lead runners over the circuitous course.  At least that would take care of the leaders.  All we had to do was make sure the rest of the field followed along.

Not only that…apparently there would be some police help at some of the more dangerous intersections.  Things were looking up.

As the runners gathered for the start, I noticed something interesting.  There was a wheel chair competitor.  Apparently, the race director felt that if you are going to have a race to benefit folks with disabilities, you should allow people with disabilities to participate in the race.  Makes sense.  But it did make me a little nervous.

I had been involved in two local races prior to this where there were wheel chair competitors.  In one of them, the wheel chair competitor was so fast that he and the lead vehicle got out of sight in a matter of minutes.  It happened so quickly that the rest of the field went off course less than a half mile into the race.  We ended up at a highway.  It was a dead end.  Must of looked like in the movie “Animal House” when the band ended up down the alley.

In the other race with a wheel chair competitor, the wheel chair entrant got bumped and tipped over in the first 100 yards.  Luckily, two good samaritans picked him up, got him into his chair and he went safely on his way.

Kevin got ready to start the race.  I got in my car ready to go out on the course and make sure everything went OK.  Our other two “volunteers” went to strategic locations.  The lead police vehicle was ready.  All was set.

The race started and the fellow in the wheel chair took off like a rocket. It looked like he was shot out of a…well…a cannon.

Wow…that guy in the wheel chair is really moving…I thought.  It looked like he had a pretty good lead and the race had barely started.  I quickly hopped in my car and headed out.  I wondered what would happen if he got a big lead…like that other guy had…when everyone went off course.

It was a beautiful April day.  Sunny and warm.  The nice weather had brought some pretty heavy traffic.  People were out and about.

I positioned myself at a fork in the road about a 1 ¾ miles into the race…about the first place I thought there could be a problem.  As I sat there, all I could see was a line of cars.  No sign of any lead motorcycle.

I looked closer.

What is that?  No.  Oh no. There was the wheel chair racer in and among a bunch of moving cars. No motorcycle in sight. You could barely see him because the cars obscured the view.  He had cars in front and cars behind.  He was racing down the middle of the road amidst the heavy Cape Cod traffic.

My heart stopped.

My imagination ran wild.  I saw images of all kinds of disasters.  The race director had already gone to the hospital.  Maybe this race was cursed.  Panic was setting in.

Apparently, the policeman on the motorcycle elected to stay with the runners.  I’m sure he didn’t know what to do.  The wheel chair was so far ahead that he would have been leaving the entire field of runners to fend for themselves in order to accompany him.  I never got the story.  It doesn’t matter.

I tried to think fast.  Out of desperation I pulled my car right out in front of the wheel chair.  I figured I would serve as his lead vehicle.  I turned on my flashing lights and hoped for the best.

I gave a wave to the very fit fellow in the wheel chair…who was obviously some sort of national class wheel chair competitor who innocently wandered into this debacle.  I wanted to let him know I would lead him and try to keep him safe.  Judging from the look on his face, he was skeptical.

As we made our way through historic Centerville, it occurred to me that we had been going up a gradual incline which we were soon to crest.  A long downhill was to come.  Further, we would be heading straight through a busy intersection.  I desperately hoped there was a policeman there.

As we began our descent down toward Craigville Beach I noticed a steady stream of cars flying back and forth across the approaching intersection.  Meanwhile the wheel chair was picking up steam…a lot of steam.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed was a policeman sitting in his car in a parking lot on the side of the road.  Uh oh. Not good.

Apparently, he was ready to work the intersection but no one had tipped him off that the runners were coming.  Maybe he was waiting for the motorcycle.

I’m not sure what possessed me to do what I did next.  But for a few moments I became like my father.  He’s good in emergencies.

Knowing that the wheel chair could not just fly through the intersection with cards speeding back and forth, I looked for a gap in the cross traffic and gunned it.   I got to the middle of the intersection just in time to stop the car, leap out, put out my hands and stop traffic.  I could actually feel the wind of the wheel chair as it rocketed me moments after I had managed to stop the cars.
​
For a moment, I felt like a super hero…instead of just some idiot who broke a bunch of traffic laws.

Unfortunately, he was going so fast that by the time I got back in my car he’s was ¼ mile down the road and rapidly nearing the bridge over the Centerville River.  In keeping with the theme of the day, the bridge was closed on one side and could only accommodate one lane of traffic.  In fact, there was a light telling you when you could go and when you had to stop.  Everything was down to one lane for at least 100 yards or so.

If he didn’t time it just right, he could end up heading into oncoming traffic with literally nowhere to go.  There was a sidewalk. But the sidewalk was so high that there was no way to get the wheel chair onto it.

Just before the wheel chair was about to enter the one-lane gauntlet…the point of no return…his light turned red…which meant he was supposed to stop…not go.  But he went.  And I followed.  In doing so I passed about 10 cars who had come to a stop at the red light.  But I followed nonetheless...lights flashing...horn beeping.  I prayed to every unseen force that might have been on duty that day.  I prayed that the light for the oncoming cars not turn green before we made it across.

By some miracle, we made it…barely.

After that, the high drama slowly subsided.  I met Kevin shortly after crossing the bridge. He took over and shepherded the wheel chair safely for the remainder of the 13.1 miles…finishing the course in about 65 minutes.

Meanwhile, I helped guide the runners around the course with the help of the other two course volunteers. Most everyone stayed on track and no one got hurt.  The winning time for the runners was around 84 minutes…19 minutes after the wheel chair.

After everyone had finished, we had still had to figure out the awards. Kevin did the talking.  I did the figuring.  We did a lot of improvising.

When it was all over, Kevin turned to me and said:  “Well that wasn’t so bad.” 
​
I replied: “Well…at least it will make a good story.”
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What Moves You?

12/9/2015

1 Comment

 
A few days ago, a friend asked me what new fitness endeavor her brother should undertake.  He was looking for something new.  I can’t remember exactly what I said.  But it was something along the lines of…”whatever moves his spirit.”
 
And that’s how it is.  We do best when we involve ourselves in activities that move us.  When I hear someone say I really “should” start running, I know running is not for them. 
 
Running is for me but it might not be for you.  For me…it captures my imagination.  When I see roads, hills and trails, I always imagine what it would be like to run there. I drive out of my way just to see people run. I recognize people by their running gait.  I’ll enjoy going to the high school track and watching people train.  I’ll get up in the middle of the night just to watch a running relay come through my town.  I love watching a fast graceful runner…but I’m just as interested in someone who is ambling along at a pace a little faster than a walk.
 
For my wife, it’s dance.  Running is a drag.  She can dance for hours and barely notice all the energy she’s expended.  She’s done it since she was a little girl.  In fact, whatever you loved as a child is often a hint at what will move you in the present day.  You may have to replace hide-and-go-seek with training for obstacle racing but your childhood loves can serve as a clue as to what will work now.
 
There is discipline involved and resistance to be overcome.  But for it to last…there needs to be a spark…a bit of passion. 
 
The best exercise program is the one you do. The child in you knows what that is.
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What Doesn't Kill You...

5/19/2015

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We are often proud of the tough experiences we have endured in life.  I know I am. We like to feel that the extreme challenges we have undergone in life have shaped us...made us what we are today. They have.  Of course all our experiences have shaped us...not just the difficult ones.

We use this principle of "tough experiences making us tough" in training. There is a certain amount of validity to this approach.  But it can easily turn on you.  If the training is too tough, you will be unable to adapt.  

In fact...when it comes to training...while what doesn't kill you might make you stronger.  More often that not...it will just beat the hell out you.  

I like to think of training much like medication...even though I never take any.  It's the same principle. You want the correct dosage so you get the correct response or adaptation.  You want just enough to get the proper effect and no more.  Take too much and you can have problems worse than if you take too little.

I first saw this "dose-response" terminology used by the brilliant coach who founded Opex Fitness, James Fitzgerald. I really like this outlook because it gets an athlete thinking in terms of getting a certain effect...rather than just pounding away for the sake of pounding away.  It's a more sophisticated approach.  I'm still working on it.

I encourage you to develop your ability to pay attention in this way.  Just don't flail away.  Plan proper recovery.  Don't overdo.  Gently stretch your limits. Cultivate your resiliency bit by bit. Notice how you need only a small dose of hard running to get an adequate response. Notice how you need a much larger dose of genuinely easy aerobic activity to build your aerobic system.  

Pay attention to how you feel.

And remember...what doesn't kill you might just kick your butt really bad so that you can't do much for a long time.  Be brave...but use good tactics.

At least what I would suggest...
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Silence

12/31/2014

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I think I may have mentioned this before...but just in case...here's a reminder to keep your goals to yourself.

Watch this short video.

If you've got a goal for Boston...keep to yourself.  No blabbing.
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The Comparison Trap

9/1/2014

2 Comments

 
I cannot tell you how many athletes I see who are buried in a sea of dissatisfaction… with their performances and with themselves.  When you inquire as to the source of the dissatisfaction, it’s almost always centers around comparisons… usually comparisons with others or some arbitrary ideal.

How often have you or someone you know been perfectly content with your race until you found out your friend did better?   How many Crossfit Open participants give it their all… leave the gym feeling proud… only to be filled with disappointment after looking at the standings?  How many times do people get discouraged DURING a race or workout simply because they are falling behind their friends, training partners or even someone they meet at the starting line?   How often are people discouraged for no other reason than someone they know happens to be performing at a higher level? 

This was almost titled “How to Instantly Wreck Your Training”…but I thought that was a bit too negative.  Regardless…this is about the destructive effect of comparing yourself to others.

It Goes Way Back

We’ve been programmed to compare.  We start at a young age.  We’re graded… ranked… compared… repeatedly pitted against one another.  It’s sad in a way.  If we happen to be lucky enough to wake up…later in life we work to de-program the need to compare ourselves to others.  It’s something we need to grow past.  It doesn’t really work.

You see…in sports or activities that are essentially a personal test…such as running…there is virtually no interaction with the other participants.  That is to say…what you do has no direct effect on anyone else.  If you pick up your pace and work harder, no one feels it but you.  Maybe you entice someone into running harder too…but that’s entirely up to them.  It’s not like in boxing where your opponent feels the energy you put into your punches.  With running and similar activities, it’s individual. You’re on your own.  No one has any control over you…nor do you have control over anyone else.

When it comes to fitness…we are not created equal.  None of us has been given the same tools. Consequently, comparing yourself to others is an apples and oranges sort of deal.  Just because you may have started running at the same time as someone else, this in no way means you will perform the same… 3 weeks, 3months or 3 years later… even if you do the exact same training.

Back in the late 80’s I could run in the 33’s for 10K. In those days…this was nothing special.  I was lucky to be in the top 10 in my running club.  I worked diligently to get to that level.  I had been running close to 10 years…and probably running 70-80 miles per week for a good 7 of those 10 years.  A fellow…who later became a good friend…took up running and within 3 months he was very close to me in races. By six months he was ahead of me.  Since then he’s almost always been ahead of me in races…unless his training is interrupted for some reason. The fact was he simply had a little more talent to work with…just as I had more talent than many others.

This inequity in talent frustrated me for a while…quite a while…but eventually I came to accept it.  After all, what could I do?  I ran as fast as I could.  I trained as well as I could.  My friend was just faster.  How exactly would it help me to be disappointed with myself?

Viscous Cycle

For the fun of it…let’s use the following key:

·         YOU = What you are capable of now.  Your current performance level.

·         OYC = The current capability or fitness level of the Object of Your Comparison

·         DIS =  Level of dissatisfaction 

·         OVR = Overreaching

·         INC – Inconsistent training

Using the above…comparing yourself to someone or something else can be expressed by the following equation:

OYC – YOU = DIS

Therefore, the greater the difference between the person…or ideal…you are comparing yourself too…and where you currently are…the greater the current dissatisfaction.

Once that dissatisfaction level reaches a “tipping point”… this equation can be expressed:

DIS = OVR

Dissatisfaction results in Overreaching.  The greater the dissatisfaction, the greater the overreaching. Overreaching is trying to exceed your current capabilities on a daily basis.  It breaks you down.  It impairs your ability to train regularly and can be expressed like this:

OVR = INC

Overreaching results in inconsistent training.  Since consistency is the number one characteristic of a successful training program…and inconsistency erodes fitness…YOU become less (capable).

Therefore…

·      As INC increases, YOU decreases.

·      As YOU decreases, DIS increases

·      As DIS increased, OVR increases

·      As OVR increases, INC increases

·      As INC increases, YOU decreases

And on and on it goes…in a vicious cycle…a cycle that all begins with excessive comparison…and ends when you dump comparison.  Hopefully you get the idea.

Everyone Compares

I know it’s hard…if not impossible…not to compare.  There’s no way you are going to stop it completely.  But you can discipline yourself to notice it and let it go… to refuse to let it affect your training… and to resist letting it affect how you feel about yourself.  Focus on taking YOUR next step.  How other people perform has nothing to do with you.  You don’t always know how diligently they are training and you don’t always know how much ability they have. Think of it like you should think of other’s opinions of you…it’s none of your business.

And just to be clear… when I’m talking about comparisons, I’m talking about making judgements. Like this is good or bad.  I’m not talking about being inspired by the performances of others.  That’s something else entirely.  It’s looking at things in a detached way… as opposed to taking it personally.  You’ll know if you are making a destructive comparison if it causes you to feel bad about yourself…or in any way less than.

Sometimes unhealthy comparisons are made with a former, usually younger, fitter version of yourself.  This can be just as damaging.  Maybe last year you ran a 5K race in 24:00.  But since then…you ran a marathon…lost 4 months due to an injury…gained a bit of weight…and had a few minor setbacks due to overreaching while coming back.  When that 5K rolls around again…24:00 might not be a realistic target.  If you compare yourself to that version of you, you are likely to fall into the same vicious cycle described above.

Sometimes you can make the comparison thing work…or at least make it look like it works.  Like you can draw motivation from your desire to outdo others.  The only problem with this technique is that you need to have been born with enough ability to keep up with and eventually surpass all these people you want to exceed.  Otherwise, you get very discouraged very quickly.  Generally, this only “works” for the most talented one in the “group.” Bad odds.  And even then…it usually doesn’t last.

A Strong Approach

The strongest tactic is to focus on yourself.  Accept where you are now. Take action based on that understanding… without worrying about what the rest of the world is doing.  Be unshakeable.  Be tenacious. Measure your own personal progress.  As you do, your confidence will grow.  And while you are doing so… compete with people…not against them.  These people are fighting a hard battle…like you.  Best to look on them with a soft eye.  If you do so…you may find you stop abusing yourself.

So there you go…wishing you peaceful journeys and good training…


2 Comments

Mental toughness...is it what you think?

8/11/2014

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Mental toughness is mostly continuing to act despite difficult circumstances.  It's the ability to persist even when the end is not in sight.  It's not letting your mind beat you.

For some reason...talk of mental toughness is usually a bit dramatic...like it's a quality reserved for those who gain great recognition like Olympic champions, Navy Seals or winning Super Bowl quarterbacks.  I feel there's a tendency to believe that mental toughness is a quality reserved for special people.  The truth is...mental toughness can be cultivated by anyone.

Having the mental toughness comes down to three things:
  1. No thought.
  2. Action.
  3. Practice.

Yes...easier said than done.  But this is really all there is. 

No thought
Our thoughts can weigh us down.  They are like baggage.  If you want to be mentally tough...or have a good "head" for challenges...it only makes sense that you need to give yourself less to mental stuff to deal with.  It helps to lighten your load.  

Firstly...avoid thinking...or saying...something is difficult or far or tough or doable or not doable.   You can't stop these thoughts. They'll keep coming.  But you can avoid latching onto them.  A friend of mind had a mantra regarding Crossfit.  It went like this:  "It's just so hard."  He repeated it over and over.  It wasn't long before he was mentally fried and quit the sport.  Even though he had an exceptionally strong will, he was adding so much to his mental load that he simply could not continue.

Positive thoughts or visualizations can he helpful...and they are great when they work. But you  don't want to dwell on them too much.  If things don't go as you visualized them, the contradiction can come as quite a mental blow.

Mental toughness is very much about getting the mind to let go.  It's about bending...softening...the way a tree endures heavy winds.

Action
Since mental toughness is really about Persisting...or acting...in the face of great odds...it only makes sense the best place to  focus is on action...doing the next step.  Rather than letting your mind tell you how hard everything is...give your mind the job of concentrating completely on the next doable action. 


If you are at the 27th mile of a 100 race...for example...it might not be such a good tactic to focus on the 73 miles you have to go.  It might be better to concentrate on getting to mile 28.  Tell yourself...you'll see how things are when you get there.  You might want to make your mantra... "I'll see when I get there."

Whatever the challenge, break the task into pieces.  Use "micro-goals."  If the next step seems too daunting, break it down even further.  Concentrate on action.  Keep doing what you can.  Don't worry about things until it's time to worry.  Keep going until you decide not to keep going.  But don't let the mental weight of the task beat you.  Don't let your mind beat you.  Let your body tell you when it's enough.

This is mental toughness.  Mental toughness is not big talk or bravado or making a show.  It's continuing to act because your mind is not stopping you.

Practice
If you practice this...you will get better at it.  



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Observations about volume vs intensity

7/14/2014

2 Comments

 
Endurance athletes are often plagued with the question of whether or not they should add more volume...or whether they should add more intensity...in order to improve.  It's tough to generalize, but here are my feelings.

Increasing the volume of training...adding more total time training...is often the simplest and most effective road to improvement.  Trainer Andrew Read talks it about it here.  Andrew points out...and I wholeheartedly agree...that adding easy aerobic work is the first place to go to when you want to reach new levels of fitness.  

If you are a 4-hour marathoner already doing 40-50 miles of running per week, this may mean adding walking to your program...or some less taxing aerobic alternative.  It's important to be aware if running can actually be "easy" for you.  If you race 5K at 8:00 per mile...running only gets truly easy when it's 10:30-11:00 per mile...and it may be difficult to actually run at that pace.  So walking...or a combination of running and walking might be better a choice when you are adding easy aerobic work.

At some point, intensity is required in order to improve.  I can't tell you exactly when that is...but it's usually after you've built up a steady "base" of aerobic work over several years.  If you've been running/walking at a comfortable pace for an average of 7 hours per week for several years...and your improvement seems to have stalled...and you are not training too fast during those 7 hours...which is always a distinct possibility...you might benefit by ratcheting up the effort level once or twice a week.  This is where a good coach can help.

I recently read an article by Steve Magness about world class marathoner Moses Mosop's training.  You can read it here. In the article, Steve breaks down Moses' training into percentage of miles done at certain effort levels. The first thing I noticed was that over 52% of his 116 miles for the week were at what was termed "Regeneration" pace...very easy...at least 25% SLOWER than his MARATHON pace. Another 28% of his miles were at what was termed "base aerobic mileage"...12-25% SLOWER than MARATHON pace.  Another 10% was at marathon pace to ~12% slower than marathon pace.  That's 90% of the miles slower than his marathon pace....or to put it more accurately...90% of his training miles were at a pace he could hold for a little over 2 hours.

Even though you are probably not a world class marathoner...I feel like you can apply similar ratios in your own training...once you have built up several years of a strong aerobic basis.  Just ask yourself what pace you can hold for a little over 2 hours and go from there.  For many...2 hour pace is close to half marathon pace.

Here are  some additional points:
  • If you are improving just running easy, keep doing it until the improvement stops.
  • A little speed work goes a long way.  Even when you add high intensity training, it should only constitute a small percentage of your training.  
  • If you do more truly easy miles, you'll be able to handle more hard running.  Keep things in proportion.

Finally...it's my observation that increasing intensity often leads to breakthroughs...short-term breakthroughs.  Increased volume has more long-term results...but they are far more transformational...if that makes sense.

Please let me know if you have questions.
2 Comments

Use the "Dial Up" Method

7/9/2014

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Endurance activities require constant self-monitoring.  Whether you realize it or not...you are always calculating how much energy you have...how far you have to go...how fast you want to go...how fast are you using the energy...and so on. Whether it be a race or a workout...you are constantly adjusting your effort based on your assessment of the status of things and the desired outcome.  It's much like a plane that is constantly correcting its trajectory as it goes along.

Here's a useful habit to develop...if you haven't done so already - Get used to "dialing up" to your optimum effort level.  That is to say...start slow and keep adjusting the dial up (faster) to find your speed.  It's so much easier than dialing "down"...going out fast and slowing down to find the best pace.  This applies in races or workouts.

When you "dial up," you let your body find the right pace.  You enter into a dialogue with your body.  It's sort of like asking your body to perform in a polite way...rather than using the heavy-handed approach of bludgeoning your body by starting too hard.

In races...you have less room for dilly-dallying. You can't dawdle around too much...especially if the race is shorter.  But if you've done a proper warm-up...you can dial up the effort during the race simply by going just slightly slower than your anticipated pace in the first 10% of the race.  Your body will tell you precisely how fast it can run.  And you will still be giving it 100% effort.

In workouts...it's easy....head out the door like a snail and go from there.  You'll eventually settle in to a pace that suits you...and it will be a lot more pleasant...and a lot faster....than it would be if you went out the door like a rocket.

It's mostly about patience...trust...and gracefully getting into the flow...while still doing your best.  All good stuff.


PS  Do these guys look like they are straining?

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Chi Running, Pose Running, and New Things in General

6/25/2014

1 Comment

 
I find skepticism annoying.  I'd much prefer to believe everything until proven otherwise.  It's just so tedious....always needing proof before you try anything.  Yawn...yawn.  Things don't become any truer the day they are proven.  It's fun to be open and try things and look for the value in unconventional ideas and theories and new ways of doing things...and not be eternally poo pooing everything new that comes along.

That said....this article about Chi Running was written by a true skeptic...Craig Payne.  He calls his web site The Running Research Junkie.  As it turns out...he's a skeptic...but a really, fair and helpful skeptic. It's an excellent web site. 

Craig took a Chi Running course and describes his experience here.  Like the Pose Method, Chi Running is a technique used to improve running form.  It's a very good article.  He explains that the Chi Running course was actually quite helpful.  However, the claims that were made along with the overall "selling" of the Chi Running technique were ridiculous...loads of BS.

As it turned out, he went to a course that was run by non-credential Chi Running coach. Nevertheless, his article highlights the problem with so many of today's running fads.  They hold value but they make absurd declarations in order to be more...more important...more revered and respected...more than all the other fads.  In doing so, they hurt their credibility and obscure the value that they do bring.

If you want to look at some of the research on things such as Chi Running or Pose Running or topics like minimalism, barefoot running, etc., check out the The Running Research Junkie web site and you'll get a very fair...albeit skeptical...evaluation. 

In the meantime...when it comes to new stuff...stay open...but be wary of unfounded claims.  Don't get swept away by all the hype.
1 Comment

Little extra on creative use of walk breaks

6/11/2014

9 Comments

 
A little while back, I wrote a bit about implementing walk breaks into your training runs.  It occurred to me I forgot to mention one of the nice side benefits of taking walk breaks while in a group setting.

When you run in a group...especially a larger group...the energy of the group is usually dissipated because some people run faster than others.  Consequently, the group fractures into little sub-groups.   A big group run turns into a lot of little group runs.  It's my feeling that it loses a little something.

If you use walk breaks...you can make it so everyone uses the walk break to return to each other...rather than forge ahead.  In other words...during the walk break...the people out ahead turn around and walk back to the folks running slower.  You can look at the person in the back as home base. They are, in a sense, leading the workout.   It's nice.

As long as the faster folks don't feel the need to put great amount of distance on the slower folks...and the slower folks don't have an ego problem...it works great. Everybody ends up running the pace that suits them and yet you still stick together.

I've done it many times...sometimes when I'm the fast guy and sometimes when I'm the slow guy...and I feel it keeps everything much more cohesive and you derive the intangible benefits of working as a group.

Remember to walk with fast cadence...and carry your arms in the running position.  It's not a rest...just a temporary switch to fast walking.

Imagine approaching the last 10 minutes of a 2 1/2 hour marathon-prep effort on the hilly Service Rd with 20 other people right alongside...as opposed to being by yourself or maybe with one other person who happens to be at your level.   Maybe give it a try.
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