Grounded Hog

Hi my friends. Another month is upon us to explore and enjoy. What a glorious start with sunshine, warmth, and just general niceness. With tomorrow being Groundhog Day do we want this weather or perhaps a dark cloud of shade to not scare the hairy beast? If the little bugger can actually get the prediction right I hope for a dreary trot in the am!

Speaking of dreary trots, let's get together for a short and long, slow and fast, up and down, here and there trot from Eau Claire. Peter is trying to convince me to start at 730 am so we can get loopy and see the rest of you around 9 am. That Peter has a strange sense of humour, as seen by his 37 km tour of south Calgary last week. He even filmed it. Click the caption to see the route in 5 minutes. You WILL do well in Kyoto!

See most of you at 9 am. Peter...we need to talk!

Some guys just keep going in circles

Speaking of Kyoto, the event is sponsored by CW-X a clothing company best known for their tights with the banding that supports the muscles and reduces energy loss, increases performance, etc...they have a site which shows some of their gear for the race. I love these tights, but I am pretty sure Joy wouldn't let me leave the house with her if i wore them. Betty Boop! punt the bum to see the link.

You would never miss me on the  trails!

April from Bodymindmotion sent me a new toy for your valentine. It is 'close' to the heart and will ensure that  your loved one is 'HEART'ing you each time you trot together.

Holding your heart close to you?

I was reading my archives and came across my thoughts about chi running, barefoot running, and all the different options out there to 'improve' our abilities. I often wonder why we should improve perfection? When people like me pontificate on the new way to do things we can cause some serious issues for many who really don't need to try something new.

So I pontificate:


So you think that barefoot running may be for you? Did I mention my friend trained this way for a half marathon and did a PR? I know I did not mention that the race was half on shale which cut up his feet so bad he couldn't walk for a few days. But as all of us know, the only thing we notice is the PR (personal record if your wondering). His wife wasn't so impressed with his time though, go figure! Did I get the story right Bill?

Yes, barefoot running is not for all, but it is one of many options that I have seen around these parts. Another successful option is lean running. There are a few different options of lean running. Check out www.chirunning.com Chi running is a form of forward lean training. Where my style is to teach vertical posture, Chi is designed to give you a bit of a forward lean. Another forward posture program is www.posetech.com. Known as Pose running it is also designed to lessen the strain on the body and reduce injury.

Look at a kid as they run. They have a bit of a head first mentality. This explains a lot about my nose! The thought is kids tend to have an easier time and get less mechanical injuries with the lean. It is only when we get older that we tend to get into bad habits and break down from the feet up. We have a few successful persons who have tried these styles and found positive change. While my teachings have worked in the past, you may find the future holds new opportunity for you.

So my teachings...I like to think of body movement as a head to toe process. We will put it into a bit of point form today.

Head - Your chin needs to be up with eyes focused about 15-20 feet in front of you. Don't look down as you already know your feet are there! Keep looking ahead and you will see the crack in the sidewalk, the branch from the tree, and the cute one coming at you. You don't want to miss that! Your mind will react if there is a hazard and this forward look will give you plenty of time to prepare.

Shoulders - You want to have relaxed shoulders that are slightly back. Try tightening your shoulders as you read this. Can you feel the strain on your neck and all the connecting muscles? Any extra strain you create will lessen the amount of energy in your tank. Lessening the energy will require you to fill up more often, or cause you to run out of gas too soon. We would not want that! Keeping your shoulders back will also force your head up and keep it looking where it should.

Chest - Your chest needs to be up and open. Put your hand on your ribs. look to your feet. Can you feel the chest closing on to your lungs? Now look forward. You will feel the ribs open and pressure will be removed from the lungs. This opening of your chest cavity will allow for better breathing and more effective supplies of oxygen. More lung capacity will require less energy use. Remember, less energy use means savings for the long haul. Not that type of haul Joy...

Arms - They need to be about 90 degrees in bend. Try to swing them in a hand to elbow on the hip sway (what?). We want to be like a locomotive and pump in that motion. Swinging longer will not make you go further. It just wastes more energy. Short and crisp swings will be best.

Hands - Potato chips...hands need to be relaxed without clenching. Try holding potato chips between your fingers. If they crunch and fall to the ground you will have none to eat at the end of training. Relax your fingers and the reward will be there when you cross that finish line. Salt and Vinegar anyone?

Hips - Your hips need to be in a vertical line with your shoulders (This is where I am a bit different). I like to have a vertical posture so that your body pendulum is balanced. My thinking is an unbalanced body will create a strain on the overused parts. The vertical posture will also help with the chest, shoulders, and the head.

We tend to get our injuries from overcompensating for a deficiency. Are we in proper balance when we train for 1-3-5-7 hours? We don't tend to notice our inefficiencies when we do short distances as we are not getting to an overuse distance. It is when we work outside of our comfort that we start to notice where we are not able. While my thoughts have worked for many they do not work for all. That is why we have millions of coaches teaching many different techniques.

What will work for you?