My Running Journal: 011111; or, "The Foot Bone's Connected to the Ankle Bone."

No running this morning. I’m currently “running” about once a week, if that. The reason is that I volunteered to be an alternate for the Affiliate Team for Crossfit Portland. The way that the 2011 Crossfit Games are shaping up, I doubt that I will be able to offer much even as an alternate, besides being a great cheerleader. But I’m going to keep up my current training cycle until February, at which point I am going to (probably) shift focus to races.

This morning I was thinking about what Kelly Starrett of Crossfit San Francisco said the other day in his Mobility WOD blog. Specifically, in episode 141 he addresses tibialis posterior. Tibialis posterior is a muscle of the lower leg, and it sits behind your tibia (duh). When talking about muscles, you can talk about origins (where the muscle starts), and the insertion (where it ends). And our friend tibialis posterior inserts, without getting too specific, into the bottom of your foot by way of some tendons that pass behind your inside ankle bone (medial malleolus). Here, take a look.



What tibialis posterior does, amongst other things, is work to invert the foot. Which means it helps to pull your footsie inwards. If you stand up, and then roll up onto the outside edge of your foot (the side where your pinkie toe is), you are technically inverting your foot. The opposite direction is “eversion,” but that isn’t important right now.

Why am I thinking about tibialis posterior? Well, I have arches that aren’t exactly the greatest. Even running in minimalist shoes. Tibialis Posterior is part of the chain that keeps the wonderful suspension system that is your foot in position. Strengthen the links in that chain, and you strengthen the whole. Since a stronger, more integrated body is what I am after, this is good stuff to know. And it has me thinking about other things, but more on that later.

My Running Journal: 010910; or, Running for Fun and Profit!

Today was an easy 5k on the reliable Leif Ericsson trail. I didn’t time it, just wanted to get the distance in and shake off some lingering soreness from a particularly interesting workout last week. I met up with one of the members of the running team that I have put together for the Shamrock run, and one of my friends who has been talking the talk about working out showed up as well. All in all it was a nice run, and a surprise waited for me at the end. More on that shortly.

I’m trying to get back in the blogging habit. Really, I am. I originally started this blog as a way to keep myself motivated to “get back in shape,” and I think the blog took a back seat once I actually started feeling healthy and self motivated again. I know that this blog is almost all words – I don’t think that I have linked too much outside of it, and I’m not one for pictures of myself doing stuff. Being a text based blog may make it hard to really explain things at times, but I’m happy to rattle off a page of text where a single picture might suffice. Because I hate taking pictures.

When I started, I was just trying to get my butt out of bed early in the morning so that I could get myself together for a run before going to the office. Now I’m back to sleeping in till 7am (or later, sometimes). But whereas last year at this time I was staying in bed because I was unmotivated, now I actually am sleeping because I am working out. Sleep is good in this case.

At the end of today’s run I was showing a drill to one of my running partners (Hi Tami!), and while we were discussing it, one of the other random strangers at the trailhead asked if I was a running coach, and if could show her (and possibly some people in her regular running group) the proper techniques for Pose/BoF style running. Luckily, I had my trusty electronic brain with me, and shot off an email to her with my contact info. Sure, I’ve spent a bunch of time, sweat and money on learning how to train people in movement, but I wasn’t expecting for a potential client to come up to me at the end of a run. That made today pretty great. We’ll see if she actually contacts me and arranges a session or two, but the very fact that I was approached because of what I was saying and doing is cool.

So now I actually have to think about rates, curriculum, and where in my schedule I am going to fit this. This is not a bad thing.

"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come," OR, My Running Journal, 010611

So I’m not dead, contrary to no one in particular’s belief. I doubt that there is even the hint of a rumor out there about my demise. But to allay any possible fears on the part of my dear reader(s), no, I am not dead, and have not been near death any time in the recent past. Unless you count sleep as death, in which case, perchance to dream.

Anyway. Way back in May of 2010 I was all jazzed about running. Crossfit was treating me well as a training modality, I was feeling strong, and had high hopes for the Portland Marathon.

Well, at least I can say I finished the Portland Marathon. I’m not going to brag about my time – let’s just say that I finished before they re-opened the streets, and leave it at that. I did learn an important lesson that day. Of course, that was a few months ago, and so I have probably forgotten whatever it was that I was thinking.

Oh, I remember now. 2011 will be faster, and there will be 3 marathons. Two I am sure of – the Portland and the Marine Corps marathons. The third may be the Eugene or Haulin’ Aspen trail marathon. We will see. I’m in the process of planning out my year of races.

Oh, and that Crossfit thing? Totally a fad. Flash in the pan. Not only did I get stronger and faster, I got cockier (“No Way,” you say. “Way,” I say). So cocky, in fact, that I signed up for a trainer certification. I am now a Crossfit Level 1 and Crossfit Endurance certified trainer and a Pose level 1 coach. Totally a fad. In fact, such a fad that I am signed up for another Endurance trainer certification course, and am looking into all kinds of other exercise related stuff. Such a flash in the pan that I am now training five days out of the week, and have asked the owners of the gym that I go to if they need a helper monkey for their intro classes (fingers crossed).

When I was in my teens I couldn’t understand how people could get out of shape and unhealthy. I remember talking to a family member about how I felt that I was always going to be intensely physically active. At some point that thought process got away from me. I rediscovered that love of activity last year.

I’ve put together a running and training team. Ostensibly to have a fun run – training for the Shamrock Run in Portland. Just a simple 5k fun run. But I’m hoping to translate that running team into something greater.

So I’m not dead.