Look At Her Go!

I've spent considerable hours searching for the key to running fast. I've scoured the internet, searched the message boards, absorbed books and listened to podcasts. In the end, I remained a plodder.

I wasn't always a plodder. Just over a year ago, I would have said, "Hello, my name is Barb, and I am a... heal striker!!" Yes! And I am ashamed to admit it! But, I saw the errors of my ways (literally, in a race photo) and learned to shorten my stride and land somewhere between the flat and the ball of my foot.

I learned to plod along in an effort to reduce the pounding on my knees and hopefully run more efficiently. My goal was never to run fast... my goal was to just run, happy with 12 minute miles on a treadmill. That was fine last year when running my very first mile was still recently fresh, and the urge to kick back and light up a Marlboro still crept into my head now and then. But now... Now I have completed 4 triathlons and a half marathon, and I'm really thinking it's time to learn how to do this running thing better.

I've heard time and time again that the key to running fast is using a short stride with high turn-over. 180 steps per minute is suppose to be the optimum cadence. I have no problem maintaining this on a bike, but darn if I can do it with my feet. I know this is where Speedwork comes into the picture, training the muscles and acclimating the legs to a faster speed. Ah yes... how often it is that when we want something, we aren't willing to pay the price to obtain it.

I know all about speedwork. I know how difficult and painful it can be and I know how easy it is to become injured while doing it. While many triathletes, just by their nature, have a superhuman athletic drive, I will probably always remain a fair weather sportster, willing to endure only moderate amounts of pain, in the most comfortable of settings, in pursuit of my perfection.

I've always thought that knowing my pace as I ran would be helpful. That way I could push myself to go a little faster each time, and have an alarm sound when I was lagging behind. Since I have a birthday coming up, (don't we Always have a birthday coming up?) I used that as an excuse to buy a used Garmin 201 off a buddy from Triscoop.com. I love it!

So... here is the first thing my new GPS tool told me. Well, it actually confirmed something I already knew but hated to admit... my 5k pace (9:45mi) was identical to my half marathon pace. HA! What's wrong with THAT picture??? Plod, plod, plod...

Then the other day I was listening to an old Phedippidations podcast and the host, Steve Runner, said something no one else ever has... "the key to speed ISN'T turnover, it's stride LENGTH!" What? How can that be? That is totally opposite everything else I've heard or read over the past year! But you know what? It is sure easy enough to try, especially now that I have my little Garmin baby to give me instant feed back and gratification.

Since I've learned what it feels like to land mid foot, a small lengthening of my stride, didn't change my foot strike. That is good. This is better! Here is what has changed:

Previous 3 mile pace: 9:45 average

New 3 mile pace: 8:56 average
Mile 1: 8:48
Mile 2: 9:23 (shortened stride to rest a bit)
Mile 3: 8:35!

Wow! I knocked almost 3 minutes off my 5k time! I've always felt that 5k was a short enough distance that I should feel like I am sprinting, albeit a slow sprint, the whole distance. I have that feeling now. I think I've moved from a jogging stride where I basically shuffled my feet along the ground, to a running stride where I have some short leg extension and a heal kick.

I'm looking forward to continuing to practice this. I think I need to go out slower and speed up each mile with a sprint at the end, just like a race scenario.

Hope everyone has an outstanding holiday weekend! Happy Independence Day!