Weight: 272.3 pounds
Distance: 2.4 miles (jog/walk)
Total miles: 9.6It can't be that hard, right?
One foot in front of the other. Left, right, left, right. So on, and so on.
Walking is so easy that a one year old can do it. Running is so easy, it's the natural state of a toddler. As human beings, our evolutionary ancestors have been walking on land for oh, I don't know, ABOUT 500 MILLION YEARS. Most of that time has been spent RUNNING from something trying to eat them.
So why do I feel like an injured, three-legged, newborn giraffe every morning when I run?
I've actually LOST one of the basic skills of animal survival--being able to run away from a predator. So, how do I relearn an instinct?
When you sit in front of a computer for 8-10 hours a day, you don't spend much time thinking about head tilt, torso position, and stride length. So when my morning run felt like my lugnuts were loose, I did a little research on running form.
Turns out, according to RunnersWorld, I have 29 separate body parts that need attention at all times during my run: Head, eyes, neck, back, chin, shoulders, ears, arms, hands, legs, fists, fingers, palms, waist, lower-chest, elbows, forearms, torso, lungs, hips, pelvis, knees, feet, lower leg (below the knee), ankles, heels, midfoot, toes, and calves.
Who would of thought that, after all this time, my EARS were the problem?
So why do I feel like an injured, three-legged, newborn giraffe every morning when I run?
I've actually LOST one of the basic skills of animal survival--being able to run away from a predator. So, how do I relearn an instinct?
When you sit in front of a computer for 8-10 hours a day, you don't spend much time thinking about head tilt, torso position, and stride length. So when my morning run felt like my lugnuts were loose, I did a little research on running form.
Turns out, according to RunnersWorld, I have 29 separate body parts that need attention at all times during my run: Head, eyes, neck, back, chin, shoulders, ears, arms, hands, legs, fists, fingers, palms, waist, lower-chest, elbows, forearms, torso, lungs, hips, pelvis, knees, feet, lower leg (below the knee), ankles, heels, midfoot, toes, and calves.
Who would of thought that, after all this time, my EARS were the problem?
So now I have a running technique strategy that will help me fulfill my goal to glide gracefully across the finish line of the full marathon in 51 weeks:
- Look at the horizon.
- Relax my shoulders.
- Relax my fists. Imagine myself trying to carry a potato chip in each hand without crushing it.
- Elbows at 90 degrees.
- Stretch my back straight and tall.
- Run with a potato chip in each hand.
- Short stride, under my torso.
- Potato chips...
- Pelvis is a bowl of marbles. Don't spill the marbles.
- Ankle flexed.
- Cheetos...Cool Ranch Doritos...Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles...
- Run springy and quiet.
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Next time I run, I'll be focussing on stride length...and potato chips. I'll provide a progress update on that front next blog.
Mmmmmm.....
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