Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Floppy Feet!

Today was my next session with R. There are very few things that can get me out of bed in the morning when it is still dark - but wanting to become a better runner is one of them.

I met up R and we went right to the treadmill. He instantly asked if I have been working on my core, which I have (and this is pre 200 sit up challenge!) so I was happy he noticed. Apparently my hips are swaying less when I am running. Score one for me!

Overall he seemed happy with my progress - which made me happy because it is all I work on while I am running. But of course, there are things I still needed to work on.
  1. Trying to keep my feet on the treadmill/ground as little as possible.
    Once I did this, my knees went higher and I had a better finish in the kick at the end of my stride.

  2. Staying light on my feel as I am running.
    A bit like number 1, but different. We did some drills where I would be heavy and it hurt, especially my knees. Apparently, that was close to how I was running before!!

  3. Floppy Feet! And obviously my favorite.
    Remember that Friends episode where Phoebe runs like a 4 year old? In a way, that's how my feet felt. But, for some reason, it kind of relaxed my entire body - I just have to be careful I don't trip (good thing I have a Power Balance wristband!) as I almost did when R said "Try floppy feet". But, even if it makes me giggle just a bit to think of Floppy Feet, it worked.
So, armed with my new tips, and the old tips, I am feeling good about running. For the next steps, I am going to work on running a mile concentrating only on form. I told R how that is hard for me because running really does help with my weight issues, so I struggle with the "keep good form" vs. "keep going so you can lose weight". I think for the sake of my feet, knees, body - I will concentrate on form for the next 2 months. Come January, hopefully the muscles will be a bit more used to the new running style and I can pick up the cardio/amount of time running/distance.

Oh but my favorite part, after the last lap around the mini-track I took, R looked at me with a big smile and said "You now look like a runner".

I know, it made me cry a little too.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I guess I'll just have to see a demo of your new running technique while we're there.