Running With Style

Total mileage for this week was 43 miles. I did five 8 mile workouts and a 5k race. The previous two weeks I did between 30-40 miles. I won't call many of the workouts runs, rather let's just say that I "moved" that many miles. I have lost the improvements I had been making and my left hip is not working correctly. If I do get it working right then the next day or two it is vey sore and unstable and I can't make it move properly.

I did show up for the Tuesday night race down in Lowell. I got lost and arrived 15 minutes before the start so there was little warmup. The results show this top 3 finish in the 50-60 age group.

 

18 BRIAN BIGELOW 50 MANCHESTER NH 19:30
19 JIM HANSEN 51 NASHUA NH 19:38
20 MIKE MERRA 51 AMHERST NH 19:43

Since we are all friends and teammates and in the same age group, it looks like we had a nice group run together. Don't let the results fool you. This is how it really happened. I took off at the start (with just a few strides as a warm-up) and my hips were already not functioning right, but I figured I'd run hard anyway. I had a difficult time controling my stride, both legs were moving differentlly and at different angles, but my breathing and pace felt OK. For most of the first mile (I don't know where the markers are) I was in 7th place. It was getting harder and harder to control my form and I was getting very frustrated. Then all of a sudden I completely lost the plot on how to move and I quickly slowed and about 10 people swiftly went by. I was having a hard time running at all and was ready to stop and walk back to the start, but Brian had not passed me yet, so I figured I'd keep going. I felt like I was running at about a 22 minute 5K pace. After about a mile I started getting a little bit of control of my hips and for some reason Brian still had not passed me. I still felt awful but the finish was approaching and with about 1/4 mile to go Brian caught up and ran behind me a bit. I wasn't sure where the finish was and at one point Brian said it was about 100 yards away. I know 99 times out of 100 I could never outsprint the chiropractor, but I gave it a shot and took off for 15 yards but I had no speed and it was more than 100 yards to the finish. Brian just picked up the pace and easily put 8 seconds on me. I finished and then saw Mike, who I didn't even see before the start. I think Mike was just out of an easy run and ended up almost catching me. Anyhow, even though it was my best 5k of the year, it felt like the worst. The good news is, I have some speed and conditioning in my legs, if I can only get them working properly again, I should be running well. I think I did my first mile in sub 6 minutes. I just need to get the next two miles going at that pace.

I am not sure what I am going to to about my hips. I feel like stopping and walking home at various times on my recent runs. I think I am trying too many things to keep them working right. It is getting a bit frustrating. I need to get them fixed so I can train at a higher level and get the mileage in so I can start training for my marathon goal. I won't be able to do that until I get them working smoothly and without pain and imbalance. But that has been my story for a few years now!

Here is a list that has been generated by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians (I am sure it is far from complete) of runners with the longest time spans between sub 3 hour marathons.

Longest Time Spans Between First and Last Sub-X Marathons
Men
Sub-3:00

36y 4d 15 Apr 1974 => 19 Apr 2010 Doug Kurtis (12 Mar 1952, USA)

35y175d 26 Oct 1974 => 19 Apr 2010 Kerry Green (05 Apr 1954, USA)

33y184d 23 Oct 1976 => 25 Apr 2010 Steve Smythe (18 Mar 1958, GBR)
33y162d 07 Nov 1976 => 19 Apr 2010 Reno Stirrat (19 Apr 1954, USA)
32y373d 19 Apr 1967 => 17 Apr 2000 Laurence Olsen (14 Nov 1946, USA)

32y143d 10 Sep 1977 => 31 Jan 2010 Terrence Stanley (05 Sep 1952, USA)

32y 92d 06 Dec 1959 => 07 Mar 1992 Barry Magee (06 Feb 1934, NZL)
31y278d 15 Jul 1978 => 19 Apr 2010 Gary Allen (29 Jan 1957, USA)
31y180d 21 Oct 1978 => 19 Apr 2010 Dennis Kurtis (01 Nov 1953, USA)

30y355d 05 May 1979 => 25 Apr 2010 Chris Finill (31 Dec 1958, ENG)

30y220d 29 Jul 1979 => 06 Mar 2010 Vladimir Kotov (21 Feb 1958,BLR)

That is a list of some quite accomplished runners (most are on the sub 3 hour marathon in 5 decades list). My first sub 3 hour marathon was on April 13, 1980 so if I can do another, I would be close to being on this list. I know I can do it if I can get my hips working properly, that is what is holding me back on my running, but it is also a very big problem. Of course, the longer I wait, the higher up on that list I can go! I am sure that there are hundreds of other people that have accomplished such a large time span between sub 3 hour marathons, but they are probably more ordinary runners like me, and haven't been found by the listmakers yet.

Here are some photos from an old Runner's World booklet (booklet 46- 1975)that I have called "Running With Style". These are examples of wonderful running form (which is why these were such great runners). See, the title of this post has nothing to do with me!

Frank Shorter

                   Kenny Moore (notice the barefeet)                   

Rick Wohlhuter

                                                            Pekka Vasale and Kip Keino

Bad form on these two Olympic Pentathletes