Archive for December, 2007

Though I’m a frequent poster and lurker on a couple running forums, I’d call the Beginners forum at Running World my “home” forum, the one where I post the most. While it does cater to Beginners, many of the regulars have been running for years, some for decades, and the vibe is so cool, they stick around. It’s a wonderful, helpful and friendly bunch of people, several of whom I’ve met outside of the internet, in races around the area. Anyway, all this to say, I respect and feel great affection towards my fellow forumites.

But I do have a bone to pick with some of the advice given (or rather, not given) when it comes to running form.

Today, someone posted that they’d been running on a treadmill at the gym and a staff person approached them, saying they’d been watching this person kicking themselves when they run and that it was likely due to an imbalance caused by upper body tension. They spoke about a different way to hold your thumbs while running that helps relax the body. The poster was doubtful and very self-conscious, wanting to know what they should do about this advice.

The responses were, “ignore them”, “don’t worry about it” and even “this sounds like a case of someone who thinks they know more than they do” (that one’s my fave). Granted, the staffer’s advice was unsolicited, so yes, it would appear pretty rude, but my reply was “Great!…use it!” I suggested she ask this person to check her out so she could improve her form and run better. Why the hell wouldn’t you, if given the opportunity??

See, it’s like this: If you took up carpentry and you weren’t good at measuring, you’d end up with some very crooked tables. Would it be satisfying to make crooked tables forever? When, with just some particular attention paid to the task, your tables could be vastly improved, not to mention easier to make!

That’s what happens when you work on running form. With no real “work” – just some undivided attention paid your body – sizable bonuses can appear in speed, effort, comfort, and you end up looking damn good, besides! And that’s not even addressing injury reduction, where a simple change in stride can make a world of difference.

How do I know this? Early in the game, so I wouldn’t have to re-learn bad habits (because I am, admittedly, attracted to bad habits), I read books, articles and essays on running form and practiced what was preached; stopped overstriding, started mid-foot landing, stopped crossing my arms across my centerline, adjusted my arm swing to drive with my elbows, increased my foot-turnover (so the Elites run with a 180-beat cadence? Then I will, too!), stopped looking down at the ground, used my core, relaxed from my jaw to my toes and what did I get for my trouble? An instant speed increase and still no injuries to speak of (knock on wood, forever).

C’mon people, the fastest route between two points is a straight line, so take that straight line! Make your life easier!! Do what people before you have done. If you don’t have access to a coach (some running clubs are led by coaches), then read a book, scour the web, learn some simple tips and tricks that’ll make you a happier, faster, more elegant runner. There’s simply no reason not to.

Or they would if their windows were rattling like mine today. I just got back from 8 easy – easy, considering the wind’s whipping like a Dominatrix on speed.

I’d put it off all morning but the forecast basically said “wall ‘o wind” until tonight, so there was no avoiding it. Once I got out it was fine, like strength training at times, and I did end up kicking myself in the shins when I was sideways to the gust, but I had a smile on my face the whole run. Why? Because I was out there. I know, it takes so little to crack me up.

What was especially cool about today’s run was twice I was passed by runners going the opposite way who jokingly assured me, “it’ll be a lot easier on the way back”. This is pretty unusual in itself because with all the runners and cyclists out there daily in my park, not many will smile, much less speak to you, so it’s nice when you get that “we’re all in this together” camaraderie.

Of course, it works the other way, too. They’ve been building a new parking garage for the Art Museum, which I pass every time I run. For a few months, there was one stoic construction worker in charge of letting the trucks out onto the street, making sure the driver waited for runners and pedestrians to pass before exiting, and this guy and I would silently nod to each other when I passed. He was replaced a couple months ago by a much more effusive guy who keeps trying to talk to me when I run by, which doesn’t work too well because I ain’t gonna stop and I’m usually plugged into my mp3 player, besides.

A couple weeks ago, before the Philly Marathon, he managed to ask (yell out) if I was doing it, after a few “What?!?”s from me, I yelled back that I was doing the Half and he replied that he’d be there. But again, me with my headphones and fear of overly-friendly construction workers, I didn’t find out in what capacity he was talking about – was he running it, volunteering for it, cheering a friend, stalking me? No idea. He’s since asked how it went, I yelled out, “fine” though I felt guilty because I couldn’t ask how it went for him without starting an actual conversation, so I ran on. And that’s that, until the next time he cheerily asks me another question I can’t understand.

Which is what’s so interesting about a running life: the Wind, she comes and goes, but all the funny little interactions remain, innocuous and notable at the same time.