had my LSD run (long slow distance run, NOT of the euphoric out-of-body I am god kind) this morning. managed 10km@9.02kmh just below 1hr6mins. this after a week w/o exercise and piling on sinful (meaning heavenly) food in Seoul..heartbeat really a bit high at 160bpm average with last lap at 165bpm (still for my recent 1/2 marathon my heartbeat was higher at 161bpm average running for 2hr 33 mins over 21km at just 8kmh)..I know I can get it down as did 14km before at 154bpm average at 9.1kmh...
didn't use my compression apparel. put on the cheaper Adidas tights instead, recovery was good and now 5 hrs after running no DOMS (delayed onset muscle sore) so I must be doing things right!
the chirunning by Danny Dreyer is really good. every serious runner should just go borrow from library and read it (http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/cgi-bin/cw_cgi?resultsScreen+26285+1+5+0)
anyway it teaches you the key principles of effortless running-
(1)slight lean (not bent) forward head-body-feet aligned so that your footfall will NOT be ahead of the head position. this helps to avoid heelstriking which creates impact resistance at every step, thus promotes midstriking..
(2)relax knee, calf, ankles, let feet fall back on every step (your feet just skimming the road surface..) instead of lifting & heelstrike (which happens if your footfall is ahead of your head position). this lets core muscles hold up the body weight put less effort on leg muscles, hip swing like pendulum thighs propel run aided by gravity & momentum from slight leaning forward lower leg hang loose - ie as little effort and weight on lower leg as possible makes a more efficient pendulum (don't you know nigerian runners have really hugh thighs and thin calf)..
normal hardcore power running relies on training leg muscles and lapping up miles. with chirunning apparently you can soak up less miles in training. important thing is form focus ie posture and principles of using core muscles to hold body and thigh muscles to propel run, slight forward lean & midstriking to avoid impact resistance (and impact on knee) and as little effort and weight on lower leg as possible for efficient pendulum swing and you (sort of) can run forever...
think I am starting to get it a little bit...my target lifestyle running=2x10km, 1x14km per week..
1 comment:
Wow! You had done quite a bit of research on heart rate, the correct marathon running posture and stride.
When I did my 2 marathon runs in the early 90s, I 'just do it' as Nike says without any monitoring of the heart or understanding of the right way to run in a marathon. All I was told were to have a 'carbo' load the night before, sleep well, wear cotton and a pair of well-seasoned running shoes.
Guess I am paying for it now with my knee problem. I cannot afford to aggravate it further by running these days.
Well, that was before the Internet becomes a way of life for us to learn more on any topic. :-(
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