Wow! It's been a year! I can't believe it - that year flew by.
Overriding reaction as I look back: I'm not done yet. I'm not there. It's been harder than I anticipated.
Ok, I've been striving for big change, when many practitioners advise making small changes. I've been a little over-keen at points, when things were progressing well. I've learned a lot!
My gait is immeasurably better than it was 12 months ago. And at all but the fastest paces, it's subconscious. It feels smooth and comfortable. It leaves me with fewer aches, faster recovery. And I glide, float, and bound my way over all terrains, rather than drilling my heels into everything underneath me.
But on the way, I've fractured a metatarsal, I've had significant Achilles strain, as well as various little aches and pains that are most likely attributable to the changes. I don't suppose I've seen the end of the niggles either - I still have more work to do at the mile/half mile/quarter mile pace work, and I'm sure this will find out more weaknesses before I make them stronger.
But I've got until April/May 2017 to get this sorted, so I shall behave myself, as I always say!
Next Steps
To get to my destination, there is a little more brain to muscle pathway building to do.
For example, I maintain good style for 5km at 3:50/km. I maintain good style for 15km at 4:45/km pace. I maintain good style for 250m at 3:00/km pace. But as I get tired, the style suffers.
To complete the journey, I need to work on extending these distances at the desired pace. In other words, the basis for all training!
Thanks David, that's a fascinating account of your journey and great to hear that you now "glide, float, and bound my way over all terrains". That is a great cue to aim for.
ReplyDeleteI am certainly running better and with a remarkable absence of aches and niggles after running and even racing. An added bonus is, as Heidi and Keith promised, my body shape has changed - for the better. Running, walking, standing and even sitting with better posture is definitely maintaining the right muscles.
A few weeks back I watched a BMC meet at Watford (the fastest 800m in 1:53) and was struck by the effortless, upright style of the runners, even at that speed. The beauty of Keith and Heidi's book is that it helps me begin to understand how they do it.
Good luck with your remaining 'brain to muscle pathway building' before spring next year.
We get a warm glow reading these comments :-) BTW we'll be coming to see how it's all going next June/July :-)
DeleteKeith, Heidi! Very exciting! Keep us informed of dates, and we'll book you for a session or two (if you're happy to!)
DeleteYeah, Adrian, that "begin to understand how they do it" claim is like the secret at school that nobody would tell you. Except that for 35+ years I didn't even know there was the secret to know. here we go - obvious statement of 2016: "I wish I'd known back then, what I know now"!!!!
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