When I asked Carlene Paquette of Sports 4 Kanata Running Club about mastering technique, she said that it's different strokes for different folks.
However she did tell me about a different form of running:
“Chi Running is all about body posture," she said. "The idea is you engage your abdominals and you tilt your body forward slightly and you use gravity to propel you forward.
“It’s a totally different idea. Instead of your leg muscles pushing your body weight up and down, your leg muscles are now only lifting the weight of your leg up and letting gravity push you forward. From a physics point of view it should require less energy."
Here's a quick demo for your viewing pleasure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UYkAB18wgs
I might give it a go next time I hit the road.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The "gradual process" kicked into overdrive
Even though I ran about seven kilometres in about 37 minutes yesterday evening, having to stop part-way through because of my shin splints made me decide enough was enough.
I contacted experienced runner Carlene Paquette of the Sports 4 Kanata Running Club for some advice.
When I explained my situation to Paquette, someone who has run off and on for the last 12 years, she explained that my shin splints are “a muscle imbalance between the front of my leg and the back” and offered some suggestions.
Unfortunately, given how close I am to my first race on May 15, her recommendations will need to be expedited.
“You’re just going to have to gradually build up strength so they match,” Paquette said. “Unfortunately, that’s what it is, it’s a gradual process.
“What happens with a lot of beginners is that you try to run too much too fast and so you don’t go through the build up process. It would be like my walking into a gym and deciding I’m going to bench press 300 pounds right off the bat.
“You have to gradually ease into things and make sure your ambitions and your ability match.”
Good advice and, under normal circumstances, I would agree.
(Given that Paquette has completed multiple marathons and an Ultra Race were she ran 97 kilometres in 24 hours last fall, I trust her judgment).
But when I informed Paquette of my impending run, she said I might be in a little under my head.
Apparently learning to run properly takes more time than I thought.
“In the first few months of running, you’re getting your tensions and muscles used to the idea of what you’re asking them to do,” Paquette said. “It really does take time for all those things to strengthen.
“You have to get the base running going before you can go faster. You need to get used to running three, four times a week and get the shin splints to calm down and then you can work on speed training to get faster.
“It’ll be a little bit easier too because your legs won’t be bothering you, it’ll just be your lungs bothering you.”
Indeed, I’ve already experienced that.
In the interim, Paquette recommended massaging ice onto my shin muscle and runs, and then rubbing them down the shins with an anti-inflammatory gel.
So to the drug store I go.
As for the running part, there are a few more things I can try she believed.
Paquette suggested I join a running group, like her own, to not only learn from others, but have some company along the way.
“When you start running with other people, you start practicing things like pacing the whole run,” she said, noting that she tends to run faster with others than by herself. “If you start running with different people that will really help you.”
She invited me to one of her group runs, which take place every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and also thought registering for some of the Beaver Chase runs – four-mile runs on Kanata trails May 11, June 8, July 13, and Aug. 10 – might be a good idea.
Because my colleague is on vacation I told her I might have to take a rain check on both of those ideas for a couple weeks, but I have penciled them in for the coming weeks.
Because according to Paquette, I’m now in this for the long haul if I truly want to maximize my performance.
“What you need to do is build up your base and gradually get rid of your shin splints, which will probably take three to four months,” she said. “By the fall, you’d be ready to work on lots of speed work and blast into new time zones for your racing.”
I contacted experienced runner Carlene Paquette of the Sports 4 Kanata Running Club for some advice.
When I explained my situation to Paquette, someone who has run off and on for the last 12 years, she explained that my shin splints are “a muscle imbalance between the front of my leg and the back” and offered some suggestions.
Unfortunately, given how close I am to my first race on May 15, her recommendations will need to be expedited.
“You’re just going to have to gradually build up strength so they match,” Paquette said. “Unfortunately, that’s what it is, it’s a gradual process.
“What happens with a lot of beginners is that you try to run too much too fast and so you don’t go through the build up process. It would be like my walking into a gym and deciding I’m going to bench press 300 pounds right off the bat.
“You have to gradually ease into things and make sure your ambitions and your ability match.”
Good advice and, under normal circumstances, I would agree.
(Given that Paquette has completed multiple marathons and an Ultra Race were she ran 97 kilometres in 24 hours last fall, I trust her judgment).
But when I informed Paquette of my impending run, she said I might be in a little under my head.
Apparently learning to run properly takes more time than I thought.
“In the first few months of running, you’re getting your tensions and muscles used to the idea of what you’re asking them to do,” Paquette said. “It really does take time for all those things to strengthen.
“You have to get the base running going before you can go faster. You need to get used to running three, four times a week and get the shin splints to calm down and then you can work on speed training to get faster.
“It’ll be a little bit easier too because your legs won’t be bothering you, it’ll just be your lungs bothering you.”
Indeed, I’ve already experienced that.
In the interim, Paquette recommended massaging ice onto my shin muscle and runs, and then rubbing them down the shins with an anti-inflammatory gel.
So to the drug store I go.
As for the running part, there are a few more things I can try she believed.
Paquette suggested I join a running group, like her own, to not only learn from others, but have some company along the way.
“When you start running with other people, you start practicing things like pacing the whole run,” she said, noting that she tends to run faster with others than by herself. “If you start running with different people that will really help you.”
She invited me to one of her group runs, which take place every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and also thought registering for some of the Beaver Chase runs – four-mile runs on Kanata trails May 11, June 8, July 13, and Aug. 10 – might be a good idea.
Because my colleague is on vacation I told her I might have to take a rain check on both of those ideas for a couple weeks, but I have penciled them in for the coming weeks.
Because according to Paquette, I’m now in this for the long haul if I truly want to maximize my performance.
“What you need to do is build up your base and gradually get rid of your shin splints, which will probably take three to four months,” she said. “By the fall, you’d be ready to work on lots of speed work and blast into new time zones for your racing.”
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