19th Sep 2015

Four weeks into the 'programme', the following thoughts have surfaced:

 

1. Running this style is starting to become subconscious.  I say 'starting', because I still find myself checking style all the time (not too onerous as runs are still only 5k or less). Also, I haven't properly raced yet, and under pressure, fatigue, or longer run, there will be times when I need to think about something else.  I'm just waiting to see, when this happens, if the style reverts to the bad old way.  I did an experiment yesterday, and ran for 10 meters deliberately with bent torso, hunched back and dropping hips.  I was in padded shoes.  It felt easy, but lazy.  There was also a noticeable drop in speed, and that "float" that Keith talks about disappeared.
2. It's occurred to me that, as all my runs are now at 4:45/km to 4:55/km pace, I'm going to become an excellent 4:45/km runner.  This is not my aim!  But I feel that 4 weeks into the programme (with interruptions) I still feel quite new to this, so I am being patient.

Other notes for now:

 

• I'm still alternating padded support shoes (Asics Kayano) and minimal shoes.
• The barefoot in the park is not quite so attractive at the moment as the temperature has dropped to 12 degrees C
• I still plan on doing weighted squats but only up to 30kg - this really helped my recoveries last winter/spring, so want to keep it up.  I know that Keith says not to, or at least that it won't really help, but even if it's a placebo, I'm going to keep it going
• I'm doing a couple of planks a day now, but I've only got up to 45s so far!!!

 

So the plan for the next week is:

• 5.5km race tomorrow - not ideal, but it's the South of England Road Relays and I can't let the team down.  I'm not going to wear minimal shoes, but my usual racing flats. I will concentrate on style, perhaps get someone to iphone video me near the beginning and the end.
• Start to introduce some fartlek - just 50m strides - into the runs.  Not with the aim of getting faster, but just to learn what it feels like, feel for foot slip at take off (and landing) and to see what I learn.

 

Gruesome Over-Striding

I've dug out these pictures to show the extent of the problem. And the 35 years over which the problem has been ingrained!

1982 Southern Schools XC - 15 years old

2009 Indoor 800m - I cringed looking at this photo even back then

2011 - this is my 5k personal best!  just imagine how faster it could have been!!

2012 - at least I'm not trying to plough the track up with my heel any longer..

2013 - worryingly, this is not even exceeding 80% effort!

I was looking on YouTube at the drill videos, and of course other suggestions came up in answer to my google search.


There are a lot of people preaching about running style, and there's a lot of stuff on line about it that I just hadn't appreciated before. Some content from what appear to be experienced coaches, and some from just generally keen individuals.  But most of it amounting to the same advice about not over striding.



But the key differences are how the message is packaged about what the runner should concentrate on whilst running to achieve the desired effect.  Some concentrate on the landing, some on the legs, some on the knees, and some mention the hips.



There's a series of extremely dry videos from Michael Yessis.  Also the POSE running stuff, and ChiRunning.  And the UK's Running School.



I also listened to this weeks marathon talk.  The main interview was with Richard Moore, who wrote "the dirtiest race in history" (about the Seul Olympics 100m) and more recently " the Bolt Supremacy". Writing the Bolt book took him to Jamaica, where he experienced the sprint training for youngsters at school.  It struck me that we never had any training about "how to run", at school or at club in those days.  I remember a coach telling me, once, to "run more upright or you won't be running at all in 5 years".  But that was about it.  In Jamaica, Richard says it's more like dance classes, and that the running is almost secondary.

Why don't we get that in the UK?  How do we change that?

17th Sep 2015

Ok, so I've now been for three runs following 10 days off (just my usual end of season rest)

I'm right down at 3 or 4 km per run, for two reasons:

1. After my post t&f season break, I always start off with small distances, as for some reason the aches really "come out" after having been deliberately ignored during the racing of the past 2 or 3 months
2. The Book says so!

This is what I've noticed.

1. I really ache! This could be to do with the company cycle ride that I took part in last Friday - 110km of Hertfordshire hills (albeit slow pace)

2. There's a definite pattern to warming up.  At first, running feels awful and heavy.  And slow.  But I'm not worried as this concurs with what Keith says in the book.  The pattern of warm up that I'm noticing is that over the first 2km:
1. the torso and neck loosen up and rather than deliberately "holiding back" the head and neck (almost to the point of creating a double chin as I said last post) that these two body parts relax into a more natural form
2. The legs land lighter, and there seems to be more suspension in the foot
3. I start off, conscious that I don't see my feet, but try not to think about this.  I guess it's just a novelty at the moment!

3. After a couple of km, I stop and do, at most, 60 seconds dynamic stretching - some lateral and transverse leg swings, touch toes, etc.  Then, when I set off again, I suddenly achieve the "float" that the book talks about.

4. My easy runs are now much faster.  An easy run previously came in at about 5:15 to 5:20 per km.  Now without any more effort, I'm hitting 4:50 to 4:55 per km.  This is really surprising.  I haven't tried a tempo run yet, but I'm only 3 weeks or so into the new regime, and I'm not ready yet.

5. I have also noticed that the length of time / distance that it takes to warm up is coming down a bit.  But I doubt that it will ever come down to 500m like it was in padded shoes.  In the old style of running (hunched, maxing the benefit of the padding in the shoes etc) it was easy to hit max pace pretty soon (although I was often conscious not to).  With the Bateman gait,  there's no way you're hitting max pace in the first 2km.  And that’s nearly half my usual recovery run.

6. On today's run, 90% of the route was on loose stones on hard earth.  It's really easy to notice "slip" on the floor, either at landing (not happening much) or take off (happens if I'm trying to "walk the feet forward")  Actually, it's a really good surface for a beginner to run on, as it's just so obvious when it's happening.  What's surprising, though, is how easy it is to reduce the slip to nothing, by concentrating on pushing UP and not FORWARD

Shoes

For the three runs since my 10 day break, I've worn shoes in this order: minimal (2km) structure padded (5km) minimal (4km).  Of course with the padded shoes I still maintained the hip lift style, but actually its harder to do, because the heels drag more easily.  I'm really liking the minimal shoes, but I hope that's not the "fad" effect.

4th Sep 2015

Another warm Friday lunch time session in the park - bliss!!

 

I introduced one new thing today - my first run in the Merrell Glove with the vibram sole.

 

I've noticed (and blogged) that it takes quite a bit longer to warm up to the new style of running.

In the bad old days (ie last week) when wearing heavy padded shoes, I could be out the door and up to a decent pace within 500 metres.

But with the hips forward style it can take pretty much 2km

I noticed last week that Keith talks about this in his book.  But he does say that without shoes warm up is sooner.

I really don't get that floating feeling at all in the first mile.  In fact far from it. [Edit: three months later, I still don't]

 

At the park, I did about 8 "Keith game changer" exercises, bare foot, moving into a run of about 80 meters.  The last 6 or 7 reps were at the highest cadence I could manage

I concentrated on trying to feel if I was slipping back or forward during landing and take off, and in fact you can make small adjustments that mean you can feel it, and also small adjustments that mean it FEELS like you're making a perfect landing and take off.

 

After those reps I tried Heidi's "toe fist" exercise, and got cramp in the left foot!

 

Then I put the shoes back on and ran the 1 mile home.  Wow.  Talk about floating.  Now warmed up, the same route home felt like a different running altogether.

2nd Sep 2015

Try this, right:

Warm up, get to some grass, and take your heavy shoes off.

Do 5 or 6 Keith Game Changers, each easing into a fast stride out of about 50 to 80 meters.  You only need about 30 seconds between each effort.

Now put your shoes back on, and try one more Keith Game Changer, easing into 50m stride!!!!!

That blew me away!  It felt like I couldn't move my feet once I'd put the shoes back on - it felt like trying to run in wellies.  It made me wonder how on earth I ever ran with shoes that heavy on the end of my legs!

 

I am, however, conscious that I'm deliberately holding back my neck and head - almost to the point of causing a double chin!  My neck aches, and in fact there's no way that I could hold that shape for more than a few hundred meters.

It's also weird, but pleasing, that I don't see my feet on runs any more!!!

3rd Sep 2015

Returned unworn Asics Kayanos!!  Great service from Wiggle.co.uk, because these shoes have been sitting in the box in my room for about 2 months now, and they still gave me a full refund.

Ordered some NB Minimus 10v4 - of course from wiggle as they gave me good service.

I also got some new (but discontinued, so cheap) Merrell Trail Glove 2.

 

The Older Yet Faster hard-copy book came!  Great, I can start scribbling some notes. (I've been working from Kindle version up to now!!)