Running “normal”

Posted on September 11, 2016 by Bo

Seeing my shadow on the ground whenever I run has always made me think that maybe my running form is not the best. I slouch forward (an entire blog post has been dedicated to this), my hips don’t move (as much as Shakira’s do) and it doesn’t look as if I’m comfy at all.

Every runner has their own form, their own way of swinging their arms and legs but I started to think that maybe if my form is that bad, it surely must be slowing me down when I run. So I went looking for professional advice.

I happened to see that Mari Naude, a biokineticist who I met through fellow runner @TanyaKovarsky a few years back, was offering running technique sessions. She had helped me a few years ago when I struggled with plantar fasciitis so I made an appointment to see her.

Within 5 minutes of the session, she had me running on a treadmill, taking a video of my running form. That was followed by flexibility tests of my hips, my back, even down to my toes, the big toe in particular. Then came the analysis…

My right foot is weak. Very weak. Even though my hips are flexible, they seem to stiffen up when I run due to the amount of pounding of my heel when I strike the ground. My legs are too straight when I run which is why my hips don’t have any movement. I am crossing my arms too much and using my upper body to do all the work. The slouching comes from fatigue and partly due to the fact that I’m not leaning forward with my hips correctly.

With a flood of info, all I could remember was that I have a spastic foot. Mari did say that correcting things would take many months of work and then showed me the first set of drills she wants me to perform. By the time I left her office, I was sweating!

What I loved about the session is that the videos were taken on my phone which means that I’ve watched them over and over. I’ve giggled so many times and thought I’d be brave enough to upload one and show you. LOL, enjoy!

Now the (not so funny) hard work begins.

Posture problems

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Bo

OMG! Look how bad my posture is!

I’ve known for ages that I slouch and every now and then I’ll catch myself out and quickly sit up. But looking through a bunch of race photographs has really made me realize just how horrible it looks. Quasimodo me! Slouching runner

I know every runner has a different form and a very different way of running. But this doesn’t look great and must slow me down big time! Okay. Noted. Something I’ll need to work on. This might be even harder than running!

Stripping down

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Bo

Lately at track, I’ve been rewarding myself. Not with cupcakes (although other Running Junkies have spoilt us with some on the odd occasion) but by doing something that makes me really feel my body!

I’ve taken my running shoes off and run the last lap or two barefoot! Let me tell you, it’s the most awesome feeling in the world!

The grass is always cool and once I step out of my shoes, my feet feel a little lost and off balance. When I start to run, the ground feels hard after having been so cushioned in my asics. Suddenly I feel somehow connected to the ground. I can actually physically feel every footstep that I take. It’s as if I awaken my body and electricity shoots through my feet with each and every step.

I’m not only faster on those laps but I feel freer (if there is such a word?). It’s difficult to explain but if feels like after a stressful day at work, and a hard quality session around the track, that I’m giving something back to my body in that final lap. That I’m in tune with both my body and my mind.

We don’t often make time to truly connect with ourselves. I will *Google* and find out more because there must be loads of benefits to barefoot running?

For now, it’s bliss!

Discussions with my hamstring

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Bo

What started out as an irritating hamstring ‘niggle’ in August became sore and eventually stopped me from running just after the Andrew Greyling half marathon at the end of September. I did some foam rolling (with no idea if I was doing it properly), I watched a few YouTube videos on how to stretch my hamstring (random videos by mainly crossfit buffs) and then resorted to popping a few cataflams in the hope that the pain would go away. But it didn’t and I started to panic.

So I went back to basics & consulted the experts:

Lyno therapy: It worked for my plantar fasciitis two years ago and after the bankie test with Sports Injury Clinic’s Jacqui Young, I could see just how weak I was. For those who know lyno, you must know what a desperate state I was in to opt for the therapy. I cried like a baby during that first session but post session, I finally bought my own bankie.
Jacqui also gave me a few simple stretches to build up the strength in my glutes, quads and hammies. You can’t believe how 20 minutes of leg raises, bridges, squats and lunges can work up a sweat and make you feel the burn in areas you’re weakest in.
I bought new shoes. The theory is that you only get between 500 and 800kms in a pair of running shoes. I border on the 500 – 600kms. My feet immediately felt the difference in new shoes! (And yes, I chose blue & not pink again as a sign that colours should not define a gender.)
Rest and review. When I look back, I suspect that maybe it was too much too soon? I was disciplined enough to run shorter distances through winter but as soon as the races started up again in Jozi, I ran one half marathon after the other every weekend. I’m kidding myself thinking they are Sunday LSD’s because let’s face it, every runner pushes themselves during a race and I know I did.

The lessons I’ve taken out of this are that there are areas in my running that I am possibly neglecting, such as core fitness. I can’t just run. I need to ensure I have the strength in my legs and back too. I need to be clear about my goals. What is important? To run a 21km every weekend or work towards one that I will enjoy?

I’ve also realized that I can’t rush the healing process. Don’t laugh but it felt as if I needed to apologize to my body, and to my hamstring.

I’ve since had long conversations with my hamstring and the negotiation process has started. I have agreed to show my body a bit more respect and my gammie hammie has agreed to start healing.