I did very little running last week as I was on vacation in Maine. The week did produce my lifetime personal worst at the 5k distance. I also did a lot of experimenting and so I have some new goals in mind.
Monday: 3 miles (Mine Falls Trail Race)
Tuesday: 25 mile cycling with group
Wed. 0 miles
Thurs. 0 miles
Friday 0 miles
Saturday 3 hilly miles along the Maine shoreline
Sunday 0 miles
Yesterday Monday (3 miles Mine Falls Trail Race)
I wore a newer model of an insole that I tried out a few years ago during Monday's 5k. This insole felt good standing around in and I only used it for a few hours the previous day. It was my first run using them and I felt it. I was using different hip muscles which fatigued quickly and I felt like I was running in slow motion. I ran over two minutes slower than the two preceding weeks. I talked with the founder of the insole company on the phone the next day for awhile and wore the insoles the rest of the week, but while my feet felt supported, I found my walking stride was off and uncomfortable. So you don't have to look it up, I ran an embarrassing time (for me) of 25:23.
I also worked on some new hip stretches this week and got really intense with my foam roller. Rather than just a few slow passes up my quads. I did 20 passes on the front of my quads, 20 on each side, 20 on the IT band, and another 20 at the top of the hip. I also did the other muscles of the legs, but it is my quads that are the tightest.
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| When in Maine....Lobster! |
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| How I feel when running: imbalanced and muscles of stone: need to do more foam rolling! |
I am done trying to race for now and have decided I need to work on kettlebells and the core more. I was real happy that this book showed up yesterday: Anatomy for Runners: Unlocking Your Athletic Potential for Health, Speed, and Injury Prevention
by Jay Dichary. After looking through the book for over an hour last night, I think it is fantastic! It delves into a lot of things I have looked at and applies them to running at a much higher level than any other book I have seen. The book is written with humor and explains things in depth while going beyond what the typical running book advocates. I am going to use it as a template for strengthening up my imbalances and weaknesses. If you are working on building up your form, I would highly recommend taking a peek at this book. Jay Dichary is the director of the SPEED Performance Clinic at the University of Virginia.
4 comments:
so...what's the insole?
The first one I tried was the Aline http://aline.com/ and now I am using the Posture Control Insoles http://www.mortonsfoot.com/posturecontrolinsoles.html It seems to help me use my big toe for stability and keeps my forefoot from overpronating. Then I can use my muscles better. I used them for about 1/2 a year back in 2007 and had some great races with them. I stopped using them after this race so I had a fresh pair to try as I only wore that pair once: http://recoveryourstride.blogspot.com/2008/08/1234-is-not-lucky-number.html After that race I got my first pair of Alines so I feel like I am reversing things. If all goes well, I will put up a post someday. I had a great 8 mile run today and my muscles are pleasantly sore instead of my joints. The hard rubber surface used to burn up my feet and give my calluses. I am putting a regular insole over them now to see if that helps. Here is an old thread from when I was trying them out the first timehttp://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1701623 . I am TDF in the thread. I was very enthusiastic back then. I stopped using them for some reason. I am hoping I get the same success this time for the long haul (if they work) as I have had my hip fixed since then.
ordered some today in the 6mm. I tried them too at one time but sent them back. I will be following your progress as well.
I have done 5 slow 8 mile days in a row. I think the 6mm was too much for my right side, but definitely needed on my left. I will have to contact them and see about ordering the 3mm size for the right or see if they have a 0mm size to mix and match with as I experiment around. I know I did way too much this week and beat myself up, but that was the first time I strung 5 long runs together since my hip operation and that part felt good.
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