Making strides

Pigs, cheetahs, and beans. This post has it all, people.

I have settled some logistics for running the Flying Pig Marathon next year. I was in Florence, KY, visiting some dear friends, asked if I could crash with them in 365 days or so, and they said yes. That's my big logistical achievement. But at least I have the start of a plan. I cannot imagine a more fun way to spend a marathon weekend than by hanging out with Amy & Dan. I must be careful not to wind up hung over on race day, though. That could happen.

Today, I ran four miles and tinkered with my stride. I focused on my foot strike and turnover. Mostly, I think my form is good, but I wanted to see what it would be like to run a stride more like what McDougall describes in Born to Run, feet landing right underneath the hips, pushing off with the toes. I usually land on the outside of my foot, middle-front, but today I tried landing more on the front of my foot. I also consciously pushed off more with my toes. I imagined running as if I wore Cheetahs like Oskar Pistorius. I also imagined lightly brushing the ground with my feet, rather than lumbering down the road like a rhinoceros, my normal gait.  You know what? At times, with this new form, I was running two minutes per mile faster without much more perceived effort [PE.] In the past, if I ran a sub-8 mile pace, I was red-lining. Seven-forty was going all out, chest-heaving, legs-burning interval training. Today, with this stride, I was running a 7:30-7:40 mile without extra PE.

Make no mistake, I was burning more energy, and I couldn't sustain it for more than 500 meters or so.  But I think that was due to a) using strange muscles with the new running form and b) running in heat and humidity [74° and 54%]. It took concentration to keep everything in place for the new form.  That takes energy.  So I think if I could get acclimated to the heat, practice this form, and perhaps reinforce my quads with some strength training, I could shave off minutes from my pace with this.  I'm very excited by this discovery, and I will let you know how it goes.

Last thing before I let you get back to surfing porn, I am eating less meat these days. Yes, I am trying to eat more like a runner and less like the guy that KFC got the idea from for the Double Down.  I'm not interested in going totally vegetarian, but there are days when I don't eat anything that came from a plant. That's not good. Today, for lunch, I had beans and corn tortillas with lime juice and hot sauce. Later, I have an avocado, a peach, and some almonds. Fruit, nuts, beans, lots of vegetables, and whole grains will form the bulk of my food; meats and cheeses will be an occasional treat.  That's my goal, anyway.