Nothing Formal
a much better week
Back in the 1990s, I believe, Adidas had a series of print ads that were some of the best the running world has ever seen. They were all built around the supposedly odd behaviors of runners, and some of them were even a bit gross (my favorite is at the bottom, should you wish to see it). This morning’s run reminded me of the picture just below that’s clearly from San Francisco, as I finally feel I’ve had a breakthrough on my running form.
The picture doesn’t really do justice to how I felt, but it was in my mind, so I’ll use it to help explain. I’ve been struggling with overstriding, and my PT has been trying to get to me to get my feet under me better. This morning, I actually felt like my feet were behind me, which I know isn’t really where they were. The most important difference, though, was that I felt like I was pushing off of my back foot in a way I never have before. I felt like that guy in the picture, but on a much more level running surface. And it felt good.
This morning’s run was to see where my fitness is, and it went better than I expected. After two easy miles, I ran 3 mile repeats with just 3 minutes in between to rest (I did an easy jog), with a goal of around 7:30. I ended up running 7:24, 7:27, and 7:20. And, after I had finished, I didn’t feel spent; instead, I felt energized. It was the best run I’ve had in roughly a month or so, given all of the calf issues. It also helped that my calves never gave me any serious trouble. I knew they were there, as I could feel them from time to time, but I never worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep running. That’s a significant difference from last Saturday and even earlier in the week.
On Tuesday, we went back to some speed work to see how I could handle that. After two easy miles, I just did 4 x 400s with a 400 jog in between. I didn’t push it, and I ran right around 1:40 for each of them, but I couldn’t make it through the two easy miles at the end, cutting it short after just one, as my calves began acting up. Rather than push through that and end up causing more discomfort, I just stopped.
Thursday’s run was better, as I just did five easy miles, and I didn’t have significant problems with the calves, but they were always there, and they felt like they could cause me real pain at any time, though they never did. Running longer and faster today with much less discomfort is encouraging. I’m going to see if I can run a 5K in three weeks to see where I am, then run another one about 5-6 weeks later and aim for a PR. If my calves will keep moving in the right direction, I might be able to pull that off.
I’ve gotten better this week at managing the blood sugar numbers, as well. I had been having trouble with severe spikes and drops, especially during easy run, but that hasn’t happened this week. I’ve been giving myself less insulin (half of what I would normally give) when I eat before the run, then my normal dose with the chocolate soy milk after the run. I’ve been getting to just around/under 180 during the run, then steadily dropping back down to around 110 or 120 after the run (I’m on activity mode, as well). Of course, next week might be different, but that stability gave me one less thing to worry about in a week where I had other concerns on my mind while running.
And now, just for fun, here’s my favorite picture from that Adidas ad campaign (if that snot rocket doesn’t make you want to subscribe, I don’t know what will):
