Monday was more a challenge than it should have been—7.5 miles on the track. Left ankle screaming for the final mile. I'm convinced that was a direct result of heel-striking on Saturday.
Thankfully, I'm not hobbling today, but the 60Hz hum is definitely there—subdermal, latent. Anxious to see what the implications are for tonight, but I'm planning to go a little shorter. Also thinking of trimming the upcoming weekend long run to something closer to 10 miles, but entirely in the minimalist shoes around the pond loop.
Interesting side note: certain poses in the morning yoga seemed a little easier this morning, esp. the ones focusing on foot balance and strength. Warrior 1-3 worked out nicely.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Going Long.
First long run since I started this.
First, to quibble on terms: one man's trash will invariably be another man's treasure. My long run this weekend was 13.5 miles through mixed terrain (branch-heavy forest paths, gravel, dirt and pavement). I know that's not much to some... and at one point was not much to me. Quite literally, YMMV. Still doing this trail on my old shoes. Not ready to give up the ghost just yet, at least not for 1.5-2 hour stretches.
I did, however, try to focus on a persistent midfoot-landing and a cadence of 180. That held up pretty well; probably for the first 10-11 miles, in fact. I must have bonked in some fashion, though, because I hit a long, slow incline in the last miles that was simply too much, and reverted to a heel strike for the remainder.
That felt like a real defeat. Perhaps more illuminating, it felt noticeably awkward and uncomfortable. Which is primarily what makes it worth mentioning. My calves/achilles tendons simply needed a break, so it was nice to offload to the quads, but still.
Also: started carrying water on these weekend runs, which I'm not convinced yet is entirely worthwhile in terms of cost/benefit. It still feels strange and heavy to have that bottle in the hand all the time, and I suspect is interfering with overall gait and pace. I can absolutely go through the 22 ounces over that distance, but...at the risk of sounding goofy, that bottle weighs on my mind.
One last thing. It poured rain for about 20 minutes in the middle, and I had really bad heartburn for the final 30 minutes. I had no idea how debilitating that last fact would be.
This one felt a real struggle. Hopefully that has more to do with my transition in form than my overall abilities.
First, to quibble on terms: one man's trash will invariably be another man's treasure. My long run this weekend was 13.5 miles through mixed terrain (branch-heavy forest paths, gravel, dirt and pavement). I know that's not much to some... and at one point was not much to me. Quite literally, YMMV. Still doing this trail on my old shoes. Not ready to give up the ghost just yet, at least not for 1.5-2 hour stretches.
I did, however, try to focus on a persistent midfoot-landing and a cadence of 180. That held up pretty well; probably for the first 10-11 miles, in fact. I must have bonked in some fashion, though, because I hit a long, slow incline in the last miles that was simply too much, and reverted to a heel strike for the remainder.
That felt like a real defeat. Perhaps more illuminating, it felt noticeably awkward and uncomfortable. Which is primarily what makes it worth mentioning. My calves/achilles tendons simply needed a break, so it was nice to offload to the quads, but still.
Also: started carrying water on these weekend runs, which I'm not convinced yet is entirely worthwhile in terms of cost/benefit. It still feels strange and heavy to have that bottle in the hand all the time, and I suspect is interfering with overall gait and pace. I can absolutely go through the 22 ounces over that distance, but...at the risk of sounding goofy, that bottle weighs on my mind.
One last thing. It poured rain for about 20 minutes in the middle, and I had really bad heartburn for the final 30 minutes. I had no idea how debilitating that last fact would be.
This one felt a real struggle. Hopefully that has more to do with my transition in form than my overall abilities.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Radio On
Apologies for the glut, but I'm making up for lost time, and plenty of ground to cover.
One of the key components of minimalist running is the runner's cadence—i.e. the number of foot strikes (or landings) you make in any given minute. I'm sure there's some Golden Ratio/Modulo business behind it, but the research apparently bears it out—the majority of elite runners hover somewhere around 180 strikes per minute. That's not to be confused with pace. There is of course a roughly correlative relationship, just not a strictly causal one; it is possible, if challenging, to maintain a cadence of 180 and an 11-minute mile.
What it does relate to, however, are all of the other elements of Good Form; a quicker cadence generally means a shorter stride, which in turn encourages you to land under your center of mass, which helps to lead you to a midfoot landing. Et cetera, et cetera.
Why it just occurred to me now to tailor my running playlist to that rhythm is a bit of a mystery. I spent a few hours this week with a BPM counter to find songs between 175-190 bpm or, alternately, 87-95 bpm.
(Side discovery? It's surprising how narrowing that is—most dance music is very intentionally between 120-140. What does happen to be in the right range, generally? Power Pop. And, funny enough, most of the songs I wrote back in the Anushka Pop days. Score ;) )
It's made a real, appreciable difference, at least so far this week. My cadence feels much more consistent, and as a result much more efficient. Also, it's surprising how correct that rhythm feels; there were some inevitable moments where the beat would rise or fall as much as 10bpm, and matching that absolutely felt strange, either too fast or too slow.
I haven't taken a read of my pace since, but it certainly feels fast (for me, anyway). I'll miss the mid tempo songs, though hopefully I can just make the proper cadence inborn over time.
One of the key components of minimalist running is the runner's cadence—i.e. the number of foot strikes (or landings) you make in any given minute. I'm sure there's some Golden Ratio/Modulo business behind it, but the research apparently bears it out—the majority of elite runners hover somewhere around 180 strikes per minute. That's not to be confused with pace. There is of course a roughly correlative relationship, just not a strictly causal one; it is possible, if challenging, to maintain a cadence of 180 and an 11-minute mile.
What it does relate to, however, are all of the other elements of Good Form; a quicker cadence generally means a shorter stride, which in turn encourages you to land under your center of mass, which helps to lead you to a midfoot landing. Et cetera, et cetera.
Why it just occurred to me now to tailor my running playlist to that rhythm is a bit of a mystery. I spent a few hours this week with a BPM counter to find songs between 175-190 bpm or, alternately, 87-95 bpm.
(Side discovery? It's surprising how narrowing that is—most dance music is very intentionally between 120-140. What does happen to be in the right range, generally? Power Pop. And, funny enough, most of the songs I wrote back in the Anushka Pop days. Score ;) )
It's made a real, appreciable difference, at least so far this week. My cadence feels much more consistent, and as a result much more efficient. Also, it's surprising how correct that rhythm feels; there were some inevitable moments where the beat would rise or fall as much as 10bpm, and matching that absolutely felt strange, either too fast or too slow.
I haven't taken a read of my pace since, but it certainly feels fast (for me, anyway). I'll miss the mid tempo songs, though hopefully I can just make the proper cadence inborn over time.
Roadrunner, Roadrunner...
I should mention that I'm apparently a New Balance loyalist.
Through a new (and excellent!) connection to NB Design, I've been able to take advantage of a really nice discount on product. I took the opportunity to try out the full spectrum:
(That's the Minimus Wellness [walking shoe] on top and the Minimus Road on bottom)
I mention this only because I took the Road shoes out for an inaugural flight this evening at my gym's indoor track. I suspect I'll write up my full thoughts when I've had more substantial time with them, but for now some quick thoughts.
Having put about 50 miles on the Trail shoes, the differences in the Road variant are, to my feet, fairly pronounced—according to the official specs, the Roads are 2mm thicker across the board. They share the same 4mm drop from heel to toe. I would say that the sole is also less flexible, and those two things combined reduce the overall 'road feel'. They also feel more cushioned in the upper, especially at the achilles heel.
The biggest difference, however, is the arch. I have no numbers to quantify it with, but it was absolutely a surprise when I first put them on. The surprising side-effect of that arch is the perception of a more dramatic heel-drop than there actually is. I was really concerned that it would be counter-productive in practice, encouraging a runner to heel-strike. That would officially be A Bad Thing.
I was surprised to find how little difference all of that made on the track.
Now, clearly, I'm neither an experienced minimalist runner nor even a barefoot tyro, but to my feet New Balance struck the right chord with the Road variant—it absolutely feels like a transitional product, sacrificing feel for a very modest additional cushion.
I intended to put in a 10K, went 8 miles instead. I felt some soreness on the outer metatarsals, but that was it. For the moment, I'll mark that a success.
Through a new (and excellent!) connection to NB Design, I've been able to take advantage of a really nice discount on product. I took the opportunity to try out the full spectrum:
I mention this only because I took the Road shoes out for an inaugural flight this evening at my gym's indoor track. I suspect I'll write up my full thoughts when I've had more substantial time with them, but for now some quick thoughts.
Having put about 50 miles on the Trail shoes, the differences in the Road variant are, to my feet, fairly pronounced—according to the official specs, the Roads are 2mm thicker across the board. They share the same 4mm drop from heel to toe. I would say that the sole is also less flexible, and those two things combined reduce the overall 'road feel'. They also feel more cushioned in the upper, especially at the achilles heel.
The biggest difference, however, is the arch. I have no numbers to quantify it with, but it was absolutely a surprise when I first put them on. The surprising side-effect of that arch is the perception of a more dramatic heel-drop than there actually is. I was really concerned that it would be counter-productive in practice, encouraging a runner to heel-strike. That would officially be A Bad Thing.
I was surprised to find how little difference all of that made on the track.
Now, clearly, I'm neither an experienced minimalist runner nor even a barefoot tyro, but to my feet New Balance struck the right chord with the Road variant—it absolutely feels like a transitional product, sacrificing feel for a very modest additional cushion.
I intended to put in a 10K, went 8 miles instead. I felt some soreness on the outer metatarsals, but that was it. For the moment, I'll mark that a success.
So These are My New Kicks
That’s technically a lie. I started with these in early June.
These are the new New Balance “Minimus” trail shoe; designed to encourage the barefoot running mechanic (faster cadence, shorter stride, midfoot landing, good posture). I’ve been a heel strike runner for 15 years, accustomed to whatever marshmallow shoes were en vogue at the moment. I’ve been troubled with chronic tendonitis for the past 3 years or so and, as a result, have been excited to try a new way of thinking; if all of the theory is correct it ultimately reduces injury rates, while increasing efficiency (and as a result endurance).
I intended to start writing about my experiences with these at the time and, regretfully, neglected to actually do so. Going to do my best to correct that. It’s been something of an adventure the past 2 months, adjusting myself to a completely different running form and simultaneously reintroducing weekend long/trail runs.
More news at 11. But for now I just needed to ante up these first few chips to the kitty.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)