My Running Journal, 032310

Today I did a short run, 1.27 miles at a pace of around 8:50 min/mile. I had my metronome set to 90bpm, and it was work to keep up with it. I felt like I was putting out a lot of effort to keep up the pace, but overall I didn’t feel that I was putting out a lot of effort – if that makes sense. Most of the effort was in keeping my legs moving fast enough to keep time, and not a whole lot of effort beyond that.

Now, what does that mean? A 9 minute mile will mean my marathon time will be just a hair under 4 hours. I wasn’t exhausted by any stretch of the imagination at the end of today’s run, but I doubt that I could have kept my feet moving that fast for more than 30 or so minutes right now. I’m going to have to by October, and if not faster.

I’m working on transitioning into POSE technique running. I feel that I should find an instructor, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone in the Portland area who is an actual POSE instructor. Which is funny, given how many people in the Portland area are runners – you’d think someone would have learned this and want to teach it.

The oblique that I strained last week is healing nicely – the muscle itself seems to be fine, but there is still pain and restrictions to my range of movement. If feels as if it is coming from the rib tips themselves, which makes me believe even more that I pulled the ribs out of alignment, or possibly sublaxed the costal cartilage at the ends of the ribs. Whatever I did, I feel that I am able to put about 50% effort into things. I absolutely don’t want to re-injure the area – if I do, it will most likely be worse. So I have to take it easy. Which is causing some motivation problems. This morning I almost didn’t go running. And I definitely didn’t run the distance I was scheduled for. But, I must remind myself, recovery. I have to keep reminding myself to take it easy(er), at least for the next week. And then…

Crossfit Endurance. I’ve decided that this break in my running schedule, again, is a good point to reset my training paradigm. The last break ended up with me switching from running shoes to VFFs, and this break will see me going from LSDs to CFE style workouts. 4-6 Crossfits anaerobic workouts per week, with 2 CFE endurance days. I’ll probably mix in some long distance trail runs, to keep things varied and to get used to running distance – to learn how to maintain form after a long period of sub-maximal output. Or, maximal paced output.

We’ll see. I want very much to be done recovering, an to be able to really, really push myself. I was right on the cusp, and now I have had to ease off a bit.

I have also started to put together a little micro-gym in my office. Right now, it is just a couple of pieces for joint mobility and PNF maintenance. What is PNF, you ask? “Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.” A video is an easy way of showing what it is. So here is a video (not of me)


That is the general gist of PNF. Bonus, because I still have a tight hamstring that is causing me some pain.
PNF “stretching,” isn’t. The concept behind it, and the physiology behind it, mean that the muscles being “stretched” aren’t in fact stretching – that would imply that the muscle fibers and connective tissues are under mechanical tension and are elongating based on elasticity. Which shouldn’t be the case with PNF – instead, what should theoretically be happening, is that the muscle in question is relaxing under load – and it is doing this to prevent mechanical tension on the tendons. PNF should, in theory, work to make the muscles better able to relax and not stretch. The problem is that “proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation” is tough to say, while “stretching” isn’t. So we can abbreviate it to “PNF.”

Beside the massage table and stools in the office, I now have a 6’ section of 1” internal diameter PVC, otherwise known as the “Incredible Shoulder Mobility Device,” and a loop of climbing webbing to assist in some PNF work with my lower limbs.

Tomorrow, farther, and hopefully just as fast.