Testing my running form - Feedback please

Monday, December 10, 2012

Before I get serious about training for my next half-marathon in early March I wanted to make sure that my form has not deteriorated.
So we took a short video of me running on the treadmill.
incline was 1, speed started at 4.5, then 5 mph when seen from the back,
sideview started at 5 mph, then 6 mph, then 7 mph
I am running in minimalist shoes, vivo barefoot this time, no heel, no cushioning, no arch support, extremely flexible.
Current training pace which caps my heartrate at 135 (Maffetone method) is 4.6 mph at incline of 1.
I'm hoping to get some feedback from experienced runners and/or running coaches.
Questions are welcome as well.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

PASTAFARIAN 12/14/2012 6:50PM

Your cadence seemed too slow to me so I counted: 160 footstrikes per minute (at least during the 1st minute of the video when I was counting). Every recommendation I've ever read says that's too low and you should aim for 180. Remarkably consistent recommendation for all types of distance runners (from beginners to veteran). Report Inappropriate Comment

ARCHIMEDESII 12/11/2012 2:57PM

If you need a professional opinion, you should post this question in the exercise and fitness forum. Add a link to this blog so that the regular SP runners can take a look. Zorbs, Sergeantmajor, Papamike, etc... they can tell you if you have good form or not. You could also ask for Coach Nancy's opinion since she is a runner and a running coach too. Report Inappropriate Comment

KRISZTA11 12/11/2012 2:43PM

Your forms looks comfortable and natural to me. Nice and economical! Report Inappropriate Comment

EJOY-EVELYN 12/10/2012 10:43PM

I'm not a runner either, but wanted to let you know I think you look great doing your workout. Thanks for the vlog. Report Inappropriate Comment

TRYTRYAGAIN10 12/10/2012 7:08PM

Unfortunately I'm not a running expert (just an enthusiast who has also done a Half) but from everything I've read about "barefoot" or "minimalist" running it looks like you're doing it right. Your strides are short and you're striking at the forefoot/midfoot at higher speeds. At the lower speed it looked like you were smacking your heel a bit on your left foot but I doubt that's something to be too concerned about. Looks like your doing great! Good luck on the next half-marathon! I hope a running guru can give you some more feedback. Report Inappropriate Comment

TJCADDO 12/10/2012 6:01PM

I just came across your VLog and I have no comment to make on your running form because I am not a runner. I just wanted to wish you the best of luck for next March's Half Marathon. Keep going, keep going! Report Inappropriate Comment

Last day before doctor's visit and body fat measurement

Monday, December 10, 2012

My weight is at 131.6 this morning. I'm still having to get used to the fact that my weight is up but my body fat may be down, maybe not very much, but I'm hoping at least a little.
This morning I get to watch my daughter's swim lesson. We are happy to have found an instructor who can help her improve her back stroke in the next few weeks before she puts in too many miles swimming it. We will time her now and again after a month to see how much improvement there is.
I may want to do the same again with my running form before I get seriously into training for the half-marathon and form deteriorates easily if we don't monitor ourselves. I know that it makes a big difference how efficient movement is.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

DIANESAV1 12/11/2012 8:36PM

Hope everything went well. Report Inappropriate Comment

GOPINTOS 12/11/2012 7:21PM

Hope it went well! Thanks for sharing! Smile and Enjoy the Rest of Your Day! Melinda (gopintos) Perfect Health Diet Team Country Living Team Dr Oz Show Fans Team Wheat Belly Team Report Inappropriate Comment

FLAMENM 12/10/2012 11:27PM

May you move efficently and meet your targets. Report Inappropriate Comment

KELTIC-CARA 12/10/2012 12:49PM

Working on your form is how an athlete would look at things when preparing for their next event, Good luck with your measurements and results on body fat. I try and do this once a year. Report Inappropriate Comment

Easy workout on the treadmill

Monday, December 10, 2012

My weight was up a little again, 132.4 lbs. I ate on plan so no regrets.
I worked out for about an hour in the gym because the roads were still too icy to run outside. Most of it was running and walking uphill on the treadmill, also a few ab exercises.
Tomorrow I'm planning on some elliptical and some strength training. I've started some Egoscue exercises for my sore shoulder and that took the discomfort, which was slight anyway, away completely.
I think tomorrow I may be ready for some gentle strengthening exercises with resistance bands.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

JSTETSER 12/10/2012 6:11AM

Good plan! Report Inappropriate Comment

KELTIC-CARA 12/10/2012 3:04AM

It great you have variety in your exercises especially when it is cold outside. Report Inappropriate Comment

DJ4HEALTH 12/10/2012 12:33AM

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CAROL6X 12/10/2012 12:23AM

Great!! We have an indoor exercycle and our Treadmill is our buildings fitness center's treadmill plus we have Kettlebells, the Chair gym is coming (something new to try), and I have that DVD-Chair boxing which gives a good workout there as well. Report Inappropriate Comment

MR.NET1 12/10/2012 12:19AM

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Rest Day - Half marathon planned

Sunday, December 09, 2012

My weight was back to 131.8 this morning.
The workout yesterday did its job. I'm not really sore today, maybe just slightly stiff. I think I'll be ready for my next run and strength training tomorrow, this time at home because the cheapskate gym I go to is closed most of Sunday. So it will be outdoor running and free-weights, weight bench and ball, which is largely what I use at the gym anyhow.
I had fun watching a boy's highschool swim meet today. Watching it made me remember how helpful upper body strength would be for swimming (not to mention moving 70 lbs hay bales and swinging my 40 lb Western saddle onto my horse effortlessly). I just have to learn to be more patient about increasing my weights.
Against my original plans I decided to sign up for the same half-marathon road race in March that I have now done 2 years in a row. This March my time was very slow because I was just in the process of switching over to low-carb and had not gotten my body used to burning fat yet. Now I have transitioned fully and have lost over 10 lbs, both of which should allow me to run much better than the previous two years. The race is just at the beginning of spring which is a good reason to continue at least some running through the winter.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

GOPINTOS 12/13/2012 5:46PM

Thanks for sharing! Smile and Enjoy the Rest of Your Day! Melinda (gopintos) Perfect Health Diet Team Country Living Team Dr Oz Show Fans Team Wheat Belly Team Report Inappropriate Comment

LOSER05 12/9/2012 8:20AM

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GLC2009 12/9/2012 12:47AM

really your saddle weighs 40 pds? that's alot of saddle. i ride english,. i'm sure my horse is grateful...,. Report Inappropriate Comment

My longest workout in a keto-adapted state so far

Friday, December 07, 2012

I indulged a little the last two evenings by having half a bar (1 1/2 oz) of milk chocolate each, which put me over my carb limit for those days by about 25 grams. The temptation shouldn't have been in the house, but I also had been somewhat sleep-deprived this week and when that happens I tend to eat too much.
I saw the results on the scale this morning. My weight was up to 132.8 lbs.
Given that my doctor's appointment to measure progress and body fat is on Tuesday and I know that I won't have much time to exercise tomorrow I decided to keep going as long as I felt good today.
I burnt 1000 calories total.
I started with 25 minutes of uphill walking, changing the elevation from 2 all the way up to 15 and back down to get my pulse up to about 140. Then I did some running intervals getting my pulse up to about 152 during the sprints. After this I spent about an hour working all the muscles in my body other than my shoulders, which had gotten a little sore from swimming last week and this Monday and needed a few more days of rest. All of it was with moderate resistance in 2 or 3 sets with 12-20 reps. The exercises that went better than expected were wall squats. I had no trouble doing 3 of them for 1 minute each. Also my abs seemed noticably stronger. I assume this was a result of my recent free-style swimming.
After that I still had quite a bit of energy so decided to do a little bit on the elliptical, something I don't usually care for. I changed the elevation but mostly focused on working glutes and hamstrings. After 15 minutes of this I still had a lot of energy left and got back on the treadmill, running 2 miles at 4.5-4.7 mph and total time of 26 minutes. This is the pace at which I was running during my training runs when I was running 6 times/week this spring and is much better than I expected, especially at the end of a workout. I'm not sure if the reason is that I am fully keto-adapted or if the conditioning I did in the pool last week paid off this quickly, probably a combination of both.
After my workout I decided to hop in the pool for 20 minutes just to float on my back and enjoy the cool water.
The part I will find out, is whether it is true that in a keto-adapted state the body produces less lactic acid and there is less muscle soreness. I'll be able to report on that tomorrow.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the day, although I did not get much work done. It started dark, rainy and gloomy and turned into a hail and ice storm with high winds and even darker skies, making the gym look very cheerful and bright. I will have to remember this for the next dark day which I know is just around the corner at this time of year.
And to finish up with the nutrion info:
1 cup of decaf with heavy cream for breakfast
1 cup of regular coffee with heavy cream before workout (because I hadn't had enough sleep)
1/2 pound burger minus bun, cheese, or ketchup for lunch after workout
I'm still not hungry but will make myself some veggie soup with beef broth to make sure I get enough sodium
chicken soup with spinach, coconut oil and sour cream
dessert coconut chocolate bar made with 85% dark chocolate, Xylitol, almond butter, coconut oil and coconut flakes

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

-LINDA_S 12/9/2012 9:20AM

Great job! Gonna be making a beef veggie soup with homemade stock, grass-fed ground beef and lotsa veggies. Also my homemade mayo. Thanks for keeping us informed. Report Inappropriate Comment

TIPPY211 12/8/2012 8:52AM

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JSTETSER 12/8/2012 7:10AM

Great workout! Report Inappropriate Comment

GOPINTOS 12/8/2012 5:00AM

Thanks for sharing! Smile and Enjoy the Rest of Your Day! Melinda (gopintos) Perfect Health Diet Team Country Living Team Dr Oz Show Fans Team Wheat Belly Team Report Inappropriate Comment

HISTORYRUNNER 12/7/2012 11:44PM

Awesome workout. Keep it up! I agree, exercise makes the dark days of winter much more bearable. Report Inappropriate Comment