On my last long run I covered 17 miles. It was a good run, I managed an even pace and ran strongly on the ups and downs. Near the end of the run, at around 12 or 13 miles I started to lose form a bit, hunching my shoulders and shortening my stride, especially on hills. I would find myself imagining the distance to go and tightening up. Then I'd try to focus on keeping fluid, just staying strong and on form and everything would free up again. I'd have thought that that would be enough, but I kept slipping out of good style into a scrunch again and it was a battle to keep concentrating. It seemed wrong and irritating that I'd slip out of a style that felt free and easy and into one that felt forced and harder, but there you have it. I vowed that I'd practice this looser style on my next few runs to see if I could slip into good habits rather than poor ones.
In the mean time I came across the attached article at Wildfitness (http://www.wildfitness.com) written by Christopher McDougall (of "Born to Run" fame) about connective tissue and its role in actively supporting musculature rather than just holding it all together. This article seems to be a continuation of his search to run without pain, and he is certainly discovering some interesting people in his journey! http://www.wildfitness.com/pdfs/Mens_Health_Oct09.pdf
Well, I did run yesterday, and I thought through these points of form throughout and it was a bit of a revelation. I felt a bit like a pupeteer as everytime I straightened my shoulders I could feel my torso straighten and my legs lift. I am not sure whether I went any faster, but it certainly felt easier. I also found that my calves were less niggly focusing on my whole body rather than just my lower limbs. I've still got a few months before the DMM, but I'll have to find some races to test my pace on. Yesterday's run was slow because it was very muddy and I had to shorten my pace to stay upright on some sections of the Downs. A road run next time I think.
