DFW Running Club!!

(Land_of)_Maz

Idiophreak wrote: »

and Maz, absolutely WELL DONE on your run...as rich says, it's getting really close to the magic 4 mile mark and what anyone would consider "real runner" distances, so PLEASE don't get down about it...Lord knows I know plenty of "strapping young lads" that wouldn't be able to run anything like 2.75miles - this is no small achievement...On the subject, remember, nobody's achievements on here are any better than yours - as long as you're starting to find things easier and more enjoyable, which certainly seems to be the case, you really are coming along in leaps and bounds and should be *so proud* of yourself.

(also, on a practical note...using mapmyrun.com rather than driving the car along the route will be more accurate and also save a little petrol - we are all DFWs afterall )

Thanks Idio, i feel much more upbeat today - y'know you're turning into a bit of a guru/font of all knowledge typer person as well, and that is definately meant as a compliment!

For the record, i did mapmyrun last night, and it came to slightly short of the 2.75 distance of the car, and as the run was all on road i'm sure i go with the car version, <big cheesy smilie here so you know i'm being tongue in cheek > But i agree, not very DFW so will stop doing that from now on, and remember that 3 miles squandered next time i'm running on fumes!!

I went swimming this morning (thank you mum, for taking erin to school!) and managed 32 lengths of 25m pool in 40 minutes..... not recordbreaking stuff but groundbreaking for me! 32 lengths, i'm assured, is half a mile... so that is a huge improvement on my 20 lengths/half a kilometer of last tuesday....

for the purposes of this thread being basically my excercise diary too, i was also swimming with erin on sunday, much fun was had, many handstands but not much swimming really...!

RichOneday_2

Of course you do!

ONE PLANE RUNNING

This is one for Snaggles being a self-confessed nerdy, geeky, scientific type. Although not too scientific, just basic physics.

So what are we trying to do in a race? Something along the lines of:

To travel from A to B as quickly as possible utilising the energy resources available and limited by the rate of delivery of these energy supplies.

In training we work on increasing the energy resources and improving the rate of delivery. But there is no point in having this energy if it is wasted.

Sounds simple. A to B implies Forward Motion.

There are 3 planes of motion possible: Forward, Sideways, Up/Down

In a mass field the front runners will use 95%+ of available energy in producing forward propulsion, go back to the mid field and this percentage starts plummeting until at the rear a bit of an ungainly mess can often be witnessed.

As we are approaching the Great North Run this is a good opportunity to witness this in action. Record it if you can and then compare the runners at different parts in the race.

So, do you have to be a top athlete to get a high percentage of forward propulsion. No. In fact the more excess weight being carried the more important it is to run efficiently.

Is it easy to become more efficient? Very.

There should be virtually no up/down (vertical oscillation) movement and yet look at the shots of the start of a mass race and witness all that bobbing up and down. Whats that all about? Virtually the whole field seems to be going up and down when it wants to get from A to B.

This Up/Down motion is actually a bi-product of sideways motion and trunk rotation causing an imbalanced posture - again an undesirable direction of travel when trying to get from A to B. The motion of inefficient runners has been described as a series of falls and recoveries which is very inefficient.

Considering a 10K involves approx. 6,000 strides and a half marathon 13,000 strides, small improvements in action can mutiply into sizeable gains.

How to improve

Head
The head is a very heavy piece of anatomy. If it is not positioned properly it can cause either of two problems, both bad. Too far backwards and it places unnecessary strain on the neck muscles, too far forward and it can restrict the airways and make breathing difficult.

Either of these problems also causes imbalance which is compensated for by causing a trunk rotation and the familiar side to side sway of inefficient runners.

The likelihood is that the head is causing both of these problems and others by moving side to side as well.

The solution is to keep it still but not consciously so - there should be no attempt to keep the head still as this will result in stress in neck muscles.

Instead, always focus on a point at least 400 metres ahead, become oblivious to what is going on around you and maintain this focus. As your focus closes to, say, 300m gently refocus to another point 400m ahead. This is such an infitessimally small movement the head always appear to be stationary.

Practice this while out and about walking today and you will feel how you become a 'heat seeking missile' with other parts of the anatomy developing a more forward purpose.

Feet
There is only one point in your body where energy is transferred to the ground to generate propulsion and that is , of course, the feet. Similarly to the importance of tyres on a high performance car what goes on at the point of energy transferrence is crucial.

You want forward propulsion. Are your feet actually pushing you forward? It is highly unlikely unless you are used to high speed running, specifically on the track. Again, when out walking about have a bit of a think about where the feet are pushing.

There is usually a pushing outwards element to the motion which causes the side to side swaying effect. Not a problem when walking so much but when running very inefficient. While walking try deliberately pushing forwards - the net effect is you'll end up with sore big toes when you first try doing this but at least that means you're close to the right point of propulsion.

Even walking you should feel a singificant improvement in forward motion for exactly the same energy expenditure. This is what its all about after all.

Arms
As distances increase the use of arms in forward propulsion drops dramatically. For 10K and upwards the primary role of the arms is balance. They should be relaxed and the small amount of pendulum movement should be in a forward direction. Just consider the weight of these pieces of anatomy again. Any flailing about or ungainly sidewards motion hinders forward motion severely.

Energy Efficiency is important in the home so it should also be important in your running. A to B is what its all about!

redsquirrel80

Fantastic stuff Maz, you sounded so happy and rightly so, you've made such great progress with both the running and the swimming - you're an inspiration! x

RichOneday_2

(Land_of)_Maz wrote: »

Thanks Idio, i feel much more upbeat today - y'know you're turning into a bit of a guru/font of all knowledge typer person as well, and that is definately meant as a compliment!

For the record, i did mapmyrun last night, and it came to slightly short of the 2.75 distance of the car, and as the run was all on road i'm sure i go with the car version, <big cheesy smilie here so you know i'm being tongue in cheek > But i agree, not very DFW so will stop doing that from now on, and remember that 3 miles squandered next time i'm running on fumes!!

I went swimming this morning (thank you mum, for taking erin to school!) and managed 32 lengths of 25m pool in 40 minutes..... not recordbreaking stuff but groundbreaking for me! 32 lengths, i'm assured, is half a mile... so that is a huge improvement on my 20 lengths/half a kilometer of last tuesday....

for the purposes of this thread being basically my excercise diary too, i was also swimming with erin on sunday, much fun was had, many handstands but not much swimming really...!

I think you're looking at different info to me Maz!

This is leaps and bounds stuff. Look at the percentage increases in the last few weeks in 'continuous running' and 'Number of lengths swam'.

Everyone who has got to say 6 mile continuous running will all say that they never thought they were going to get there. But there was a point when everything paid off and suddenly improvements increased and enjoyment increased.

You're much closer to this point than you think because your power/weight ratio is improving all the time even with a constant weight. Your muscle mass is increasing with each session of either running or swimming.

Another thing is these 'down' moments where you think 'Is it all worth it?' are perfectly normal as well. Just accept you'll feel like that every now and again. But you never remember these moments in the long term, what you do remember is feeling chuffed to bits when you cross finishing lines!

(Land_of)_Maz

thanks rich... i know it is all good stuff and better than doing nothing at all.... and is even better considering my weight... which is coming down, but very slowly...!

I think you boys should get used to the highs and lows of our womanly ways as you are definately outnumbered.... i'm not playing the hormonal moodswing card here, but watch out when we get like that! we can be deadly!! I think my moodiness was just general sorry for myself-ness and not normally my style......

I can't wait to get thru the 4 mile barrier and aim to do so soon....

i only wish i'd found this lovely running route when the lighter nights were in... i coulda been out every time brownies were on and making more use of the time...

still never mind... runclub tomorrow should be easier due to 2.75m run and 0.5m swim shouldn't it coach???

RichOneday_2

(Land_of)_Maz wrote: »

thanks rich... i know it is all good stuff and better than doing nothing at all.... and is even better considering my weight... which is coming down, but very slowly...!

I think you boys should get used to the highs and lows of our womanly ways as you are definately outnumbered.... i'm not playing the hormonal moodswing card here, but watch out when we get like that! we can be deadly!! I think my moodiness was just general sorry for myself-ness and not normally my style......

I can't wait to get thru the 4 mile barrier and aim to do so soon....

i only wish i'd found this lovely running route when the lighter nights were in... i coulda been out every time brownies were on and making more use of the time...

still never mind... runclub tomorrow should be easier due to 2.75m run and 0.5m swim shouldn't it coach???

Ah, but you're making wild assumptions there!

The highs and lows that you describe are running high/lows that apply to men in just the same way.

But, and this is the good bit, the emotional stabiliser that running is evens out these highs and lows more as running volume increases.

So being womanly doesn't give you any special up/down privileges!! (Now who's going to be the first to take that the wrong way? ).

And yes your club runs should feel more comfortable each week until you get frustrated at how slow they are !

(Land_of)_Maz

RichOneday wrote: »

And yes your club runs should feel more comfortable each week until you get frustrated at how slow they are !

I'd be happy just to not be the one tagging onto the end! somewhere mid pack would be nice!

(Land_of)_Maz

RichOneday wrote: »

Ah, but you're making wild assumptions there!

The highs and lows that you describe are running high/lows that apply to men in just the same way.

But, and this is the good bit, the emotional stabiliser that running is evens out these highs and lows more as running volume increases.

So being womanly doesn't give you any special up/down privileges!! (Now who's going to be the first to take that the wrong way? ).

i apologise if i came across as sexist, it was not the intention!

and as for up n down privileges, well that'll be them endorphins you were talking about before....! I'll take your word for it!

beer_tins

I would just like to add, hooray for Maz! WOO! _party_

You're doing great. I add my name to Idio and Sallys in that I couldn't run 2.75 miles 5 months ago. Now I never run less than the "magic" 4 miles and did 8 miles on Saturday without to many problems.

You'll break through the 4 miles and be swimming 1km in a session before you know it. x

beer_tins

(Land_of)_Maz wrote: »

i apologise if i came across as sexist, it was not the intention!

and as for up n down privileges, well that'll be them endorphins you were talking about before....! I'll take your word for it!

:rotfl: PMSL!