Running 30:00 [2]
Warmup/cooldown and tempo running for the camera at the C3 running analysis clinic with biomechanics expert Dr. Robert Taylor. Being an adventure racer, it never crossed my mind that people can run indoors, so I arrived in heavy tights, long-sleeved polypropylene top, vest, toque, gloves, etc. Other more savvy runners wore shorts and T-shirt. Oops!
Except for being overdressed, this was an *extremely* cool experience! First they wrote numbers on our arms, then we all warmed up on the track for 20 minutes. Then we ran in small groups while Dr. Taylor watched and took notes, and a retired CBC cameraman videotaped us running toward and away from the camera. Then we returned for a general presentation on running technique, followed by a review of the videos of all 40 participants.
One thing I learned is that virtually *nobody* is a perfect runner - even the teenager that Dr. Taylor encouraged to apply for a running scholarship. And keep in mind that C3 is a triathlon club, so the room included people who had done as many as 17 Ironman races - and there was still room to improve their running efficiency.
Dr. Taylor observed that virtually everyone there needed to work on their arm movement - keeping elbows close to the body, driving the legs forward with the arms, and not moving arms or torso side to side. Core strength and flexiblity were visible issues with many people. Posture was a problem for some people - and he pointed right at me (in a room of 40 people), and said, "You have posture issues." Gulp. I've already heard that from my Mom, my husband and my paddling coach. Maybe, just maybe, there is something to it.
He went through all the videos one by one, dispassionately listing everyone's problems (there were always a few), and showing us exercises or recommending particular types of therapy. At least 20% of the group he described as "beginner runners", i.e. people who have never done track or worked with a running coach, so they haven't been shown how to run properly. When he got to me, I was totally convinced that I'd be labelled a "beginner runner" since I have no background, and I was prepared to smile and agree. So you could have knocked me over with a feather when he said, "Now she is actually quite a good runner." Huh?!? One of the basic facts of my life (and it doesn't bother me much) is that I am a bad runner. But he claims that I'm a good runner who leans forward from the waist too much, plus I have a bit of a lurch to one side (see Hammer). This comes as quite a shock, and it's very cool to know what specific things to work on. (Other than speed, which has always been an issue.)
I took reams of notes and hope to write them up and post them to the Tree Huggers web site. Both Barrie Shepley and Robert Taylor are *very* keen on running drills (As, Bs, Cs, Strides, etc.) and suggest that we replace one run per week with running drills. They also said that most runners have far too much endurance relative to their other abilities, and they should spend more time on speed and hill work. Studies have shown that people train 80% of their time in a low HR zone, then race 90% of the time in a high HR zone. Other research has shown that people who mostly do long, slow jogs are using less than 50% of their muscle mass - and they are stunting their fast twitch fibre so they actually do worse on the "fast twitch" test than the average couch potato!
More to come in my notes. Very interesting session - well worth getting up before sunrise!
XC Skiing 10:00 [2]
No, Bent and I did not set out to ski for 10 minutes! We have almost 20 cm of fluffy snow here, so we headed out for a loop with the dogs. Unfortunately, we kept screeching to a halt. It turns out the snow fell on relatively warm, wet ground, so there is a thin layer of slush next to the ground, insulated by thick snow which prevents it from freezing. So we abandoned our skis where we could find them on our way home.
Trekking 30:00 [1]
After dropping the skis, Bent, BulletDog, ThunderDog and I went for a brief hike in Palgrave West. We were in ski boots, so it was a bit awkward, but the forest was a winter wonderland, so it was great to be out.