When I catch a glimpse of my running stride, I think I look slow and plodding. In my head, I'm beating feet. I try to remain conscious of my running form, but just look at the difference in these pictures. Wesley's kick is high. Mine is low. His head is up. Mine's looking down. His shoulders are high and pumping. Mine are slumped and not contributing at all.
Sure, he has genetics, age and years of training on his side. I don't honestly expect to be able to run a sub-5 minute mile for a single mile, much more 13 miles. But just as I did with my swimming, I believe there is speed to be had with better form. I believe I need to improve my leg strength...not my quads so much, but my hips and hamstrings. I can feel a difference when I'm working on the POSE method and am a big believer in the mid/forefoot strike. When I get lazy or tired, I begin to shuffle and my heel starts to land first, acting as a break.
I'm going to work on it. It's not just my lungs and heart anymore. If I'm going to improve, I need to develop greater strength and endurance in my legs, hips, core...and yes, even my shoulders and arms. They don't hit the ground, but they work in tandem with the legs to drive stride rate and stride length.
I worked my stride form a little last night on an easy, unstructured run from Scripps Ranch through Miramar College campus and back. I had about an hour to wait for Bailey so I headed off without any real plan as to my route. It was fun, though the streets and traffic were a constant disruption. I strove to keep my heart rate under 150, except during short bursts and some hill intervals I did toward the end. The main focus, though, was on form and strengthening the muscles that serve to mimic the stride characteristics of Wesley. I have no idea if I looked faster than a jogger, but I felt like it.
I like these runs in which I just follow my nose. I've got to do more of them, even if the route doesn't turn out to be very good.
Night Miramar College Easy Run
