Random 30 Minute Treadmill Run
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Left it fairly late, but I was determined to get some sort of workout in before the end of the day. I decided on a 30 minute treadmill run so I could focus on my form and try and correct some of the strangeness I’ve experienced this week. By strangeness I mean the lack of rhythm, balance and general good feeling I usually associate with my running which I seem to have lost over the past 3 or 4 fairly inactive weeks.
Anyway, after a 5 minute warm up at a comfortable pace, I ramped up the speed for the next 5 minutes. For the first minute I concentrated on my lower body (from the feet to the hips), the second minute was all about my core and posture, with the third minute being spent thinking about my arms, shoulders and hands. The last 2 minutes of the 5 I allowed myself to just run and let my mind wander on random thoughts.
Onto the next 5 minutes - I decreased the speed but ramped up the incline. The idea behind this was to strengthen my legs and get the lungs working. It proved also to be a good opportunity to work on my arm carriage and cadence (leg turnover).
Halfway through the workout I randomly changed the speed and incline of the treadmill and tried a few different stride lengths/foot actions. I continued this for about 10 minutes before dropping the speed for my cool down.
All in all a very useful “workout” and an interesting experiment. By varying the speed and incline I was able to experiment with various styles and actions. I think I also found a resolution to the strange sensation of my legs not belonging to me, which I’ve experienced a couple of times this week. By concentrating on a 1-2-3-4 mantra, I stopped the weird feeling and found a great cadence and rhythm to run with. Let’s hope I can now transfer the mantra to my road running….
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Comments
I like your 4 beat mantra. I’m sure my training could benefit from using that one too. Maybe I’ll try it tonight?
Actually I have a different race day mantra - “relax~power~glide”. Can’t remember its origin, but I usually find myself repeating the three words towards the end of a race when things are getting tough.
Great question: during longer races (10k and above), I tend to review my form almost every mile. Once I see a mile marker ahead, I’ll think about the tension in my face, shoulders, arms, hands, abs, quads, calves and feet. I’ll also try to correct any over striding which is without doubt my biggest fault.
It’s usually the latter miles of a race where I need to make the most changes (when I’m tired and just “muscling” my way to the finish), but my 3 word mantra helps a lot if I can remember to bring it into play.
Every race/training run is different and sometimes I’ll reflect afterwards and realize I just ran without really thinking about anything.
I’m sure the upcoming 20k on Saturday will require plenty of correction and plenty of mind trickery. I’ll be posting my goals for the race either today or tomorrow and will be doing everything possible to stay on track. I like to predict and see how accurate how can be with my performance.
Thanks for the comment/question,
–Steve
Sure, go ahead & use it. Hope it helps you! I’m going to give your race day mantra a try as well. Thanks!
In your longer races, I imagine that the mile-markers are very useful & natural mental “reset” points for refocusing your energies, & checking your form & stride. Especially since you’ve got a longer distance to cover, this sort of mile-by-mile segmentation/compartmentalization is useful in staying on track & in the present moment.
When it comes to mantras, I’m very much like you — I tend to use them more during the more challenging moments. 
I like hearing your race predictions too! 
It’s fun to watch you do, & I bet your accuracy has improved a lot over your many years of running, as you’ve gotten to know yourself & your abilities better & better with each & every year you run. Of course, I’m sure you pull out the stops & surprise yourself from time to time (which keeps things interesting!), but isn’t it nice to know that this is where your experience as a runner really shows/helps?! And all of that pace-tracking data certainly helps too!
Good luck this Saturday!
-C
P.S. Just saw the addition of your lifetime & season bests. Thanks for adding this! Your times are very inspiring for the rest of us mere mortals to see.
I like how you methodically address all of the different areas of your form, section by section, using various speeds & inclines. In addition to improving your form, it sounds like you’re getting a very complete workout this way. Great job!
Neat idea for a running mantra. Funny, mine is also 4 beats long: “Long strong stretch stride.” I find that iterating this mantra, sometimes putting a stronger emphasis on different words depending on what’s needed (!) at the time, also helps me concentrate on my form.
Got a question for you: On race day, how often do you find yourself thinking about your form? Also, how often is thinking about your form a conscious thing for you? Do you ever find that if you stop thinking about it, that it self-corrects? Or, do you think that only happens after months of conscious thinking about your form? Curious to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks!