Yesterday, I ran the Bear Mountain half marathon. Again. Well, I sort of ran, sort of walked it. I'm not going to say too much about it - the race was hellishly hard, the weather was humid, I suck at running during the (TMI alert) luteal phase, and I got my shoe sucked off by the mud not once, not twice, but three times.
For several miles of the race, the single track course had me stuck behind another runner (I could have passed her but we were running comparably). I had a good long time to stare at her back and contemplate her. One thing I noticed that was interesting: she was wearing compression socks, cho-pat knee straps on each knee, and KT tape on her IT band.
This really got me thinking about when enough is enough. How much pain should running cause, and how far should we go to avoid any pain?
Meanwhile, during my race...
When I finished, I noticed that these were my legs:
No, that's not me trying to fake like I'm all bad ass and muddy. Instead, it's me showing off a common occurrence: I gently kick the insides of my legs with the opposite foot while I run. Evidently this is what happens when your idea of strength training involves lifting an ice cream spoon (or a beer) to your lips: Running Times tells me that this indicates weak glutes and poor hip extension causing my hips to twist slightly as I push off (sadly the article isn't online, but it was October 2011).
Just to hammer home my obscene love for Running Times, let me leave you with an anecdote. A few weeks ago, Emilie and I were talking to a novice runner who mentioned this same phenomenon. Oh! We both said. She'd read about it in Runner's World and I'd read about it in RT. Runner's World allegedly described it as one of those zany things that runners have in common!
Uh, yeah. Meanwhile, I'll be strengthening my glutes while eating ice cream. As soon as someone tells me how to strengthen my glutes.
For several miles of the race, the single track course had me stuck behind another runner (I could have passed her but we were running comparably). I had a good long time to stare at her back and contemplate her. One thing I noticed that was interesting: she was wearing compression socks, cho-pat knee straps on each knee, and KT tape on her IT band.
This really got me thinking about when enough is enough. How much pain should running cause, and how far should we go to avoid any pain?
Meanwhile, during my race...
When I finished, I noticed that these were my legs:
No, that's not me trying to fake like I'm all bad ass and muddy. Instead, it's me showing off a common occurrence: I gently kick the insides of my legs with the opposite foot while I run. Evidently this is what happens when your idea of strength training involves lifting an ice cream spoon (or a beer) to your lips: Running Times tells me that this indicates weak glutes and poor hip extension causing my hips to twist slightly as I push off (sadly the article isn't online, but it was October 2011).
Just to hammer home my obscene love for Running Times, let me leave you with an anecdote. A few weeks ago, Emilie and I were talking to a novice runner who mentioned this same phenomenon. Oh! We both said. She'd read about it in Runner's World and I'd read about it in RT. Runner's World allegedly described it as one of those zany things that runners have in common!
Uh, yeah. Meanwhile, I'll be strengthening my glutes while eating ice cream. As soon as someone tells me how to strengthen my glutes.
I think I vaguely remember reading that. I do the same thing, only I have really faint bruises on and above my ankle bones because of it. I'm pretty sure I'm in desperate need of strength training - oh, and ice cream, too.
ReplyDeleteSo I should make you workout with me when you get here! I was thinking of just placing you on the treadmill or sunning at the pool, but now I'll make you kick your own ass, while I kick mine!
ReplyDelete"she was wearing compression socks, cho-pat knee straps on each knee, and KT tape on her IT band."
ReplyDeleteYeah, this is me. Well, minus the KT tape, because it doesn't stick to me.
But I thought you said you run because you like the pain?
DeleteI do! And as long as I can shuffle my feet back and forth for long distances, I'll continue to do it.
ReplyDeleteI always know when my hips are out of alignment when my left foot kicks my right inadvertently. I will show you all my ass workouts in Philly.
ReplyDeleteYay! And then you can (finally) show me your core routine, too!
DeleteGah I LOVED that issue of RT and actually still have it on my nightstand.
ReplyDeleteI used to kick dirt all over my calves and dealt with lots of hip/ham issues (which were surely related to glute inefficiencies) but I've really cleaned it up since becoming a religious devotee of Jay Johnson's myrtl routine (which was also detailed in either that same issue of RT or one that was published within a few months of it...) I swear it changed my running life and now I am addicted to it.
"one of those zany things runners have in common" -- c'mon RW...
Yay! I found the myrtl routine online and will promptly be trying it.
DeleteButt exercises--Squats! Lunges! Oh my!
ReplyDeleteAlso, at the JFK 5k...Renee and I saw an ABSURD amount of people taped up in KT tape...seriously, if you need to have your calf, knee, and quad taped up to run a 5k you should not be running it.
Good job on the half, I did it last year and it was really tough and it wasn't even that humid.
ReplyDelete