Running as a Way of Life....

As is evident from K's posts on this blog there is an alchemy to running that is physical but also goes beyond simple cardiovascular & metabolic conditioning: subtle shifts in how we perceive the world we live/run in as well as subtle shifts in how we experience the body we live/run in.

I would completely agree with K, that running or any physical activity is not the exclusive realm of youth, but rather is fundamental to our lifelong existence. As we age our functional fitness is the real rate limiting step of our freedom and independence and we should be investing in this area of life as much as we do our RRSP and Pension Plans. The degree to which we have become acculturated to the 'western' or 'modern-industrialized' cultural paradigm often relates to the degree of frailty we may experience as we age:

http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=4709685

http://www.jstor.org/pss/2742729

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2011/05/news/at-90-florida-man-is-oldest-ever-to-race-a-duathlon_29618

While running is not a panacea to all that ails us physically and metaphysically, it becomes a thread that when woven through our days and lives begins to reconnect our frayed interconnectedness with our natural world and our natural selves. I believe that smile and floating that K describes is in part the animation of this 'reconnect'. It reaches beyond the experience of our run or race and begins to influence how we move in the rest of our day, our relationship to the foods that 'fuel' our movement and life and ultimately our priority of investing in our natural functional fitness throughout our lives.

This has all come into greater view for me as I've been running less in the weeks that followed my becoming a new dad. While my miles may be less my investment to running has actually increased and I have realized what we do with the time between our runs affects our running as much as the miles we log. Danny Abshire, founder of 'Newton Running Shoes' discusses this in detail in his book 'Natural Running' where he highlights that we must redevelop our capacity to run by reconditioning many if the small intrinsic muscles in our feet and legs as well as the larger muscles and systems that govern our balance, proprioception (positional sense) and integration of movement within our core and entire body.

So while I have been at home hard at work as a 'dad', I have been spending more time reconditioning these areas primarily through the use of calisthenics, yoga and "CrossFit" principles (constantly varied integrated functional movements and exercises in order to develop integrated functional fitness - strength, balance, coordination & metabolism). Low & behold, my running has actually improved despite the decreased miles. The improvement is related to the improved economy of movement (running form) as a result of this type of training.

And beyond the calisthenics and "CrossFit" conditioning, the extra time at home has allowed for a greater emphasis on preparing fresh whole food meals. I have been able to further learn how to consciously nourish the development of healthy muscles & ligaments as well as the energy to fuel movement, conditioning and the motivation to attend to these areas of "health" while on the steep (and sleep deprived) learning curve of being a new dad.

So while running is often viewed as a means to an end to influence our weight and appearance; it can be a more pervasive element that informs almost every area of our lives: nutrition, rest/recovery, reconditioning, psychology, relationships, social interaction (including blogging) and the larger priorities of our lives....

It is this underlying pervasive alchemy that I reference when I use terms like "soul endurance athlete" or "soul runner"; which specifically reaches beyond the use of endurance athletics or running as a means to an end, to emphasize them as a thread that weaves throughout all the elements of our lives, subtly shifting their interconnectedness and re-animating our interconnectedness with the world we live in. It becomes a "practice" - something we do externally to influence ourselves internally physically and metaphysically.

I certainly won't disagree with anyone who chooses to run to drop a few pounds or feel better about themselves physically and emotionally, but I also believe when you find anyone that 'loves' running it is the soul alchemy they are experiencing. Perhaps seeing it this way & trying to describe it, I may help a few folks shift their perception of running as a twisted form of pleasure derived from self induced pain and punishment, and may be able to ignite their own "love" of running.

Running is a primal experience of who and what we are as living beings: movement, breath, energy, perception, awareness and motivation out under a vast expanse of sky. When we experience our own life on this intrinsic level aside from cultural/societal position, role, status, gender or function we are also experiencing the essence of what we all are as human beings. Not only does running reconnect us to our natural world, but further it reconnects us to each other.

Any races, marathons or other events no longer become 'why' we run, and are rather a lens to focus our motivation, time and priorities to keep us running and connected to our lives and life in its largest meaning.

So go ahead, take off your shoes and begin the first few steps of running. Take is slow and methodically, after all, you have a lifetime to experience it....

First 5K of the Season

Well, we completed our first 5K on the weekend with our NEW running technique!!  The result? 9 minutes off of my time from last year!!!  But what's even better is that I'm not completely crippled and dead like I was last year!!!

Last year, I thought I was going to die by the time I got to the first km marker. By the time I got to the end, I was truly dead. My legs felt like lead-filled sausages and I didn't think that I'd ever feel better. And then, it took weeks before my knees weren't swollen and painful.

But this year, my focus was "keep it light and easy". And that's what I did. When I was running, it really did feel like I was floating. I walked off and on as well. But the running was nice and effortless. And as I ran across the finish line, it was still light and effortless!!

After I stopped running, my legs felt light and airy - kind of like when you put your arms in a doorway and push up and then you step out of the doorway and they float up... that's what my legs felt like.. Imagine!!

My calves and the bottoms of my feet were a little sore later that day - but calcium and a hot bath took care of most of it. Two days later, as I write this, my calves are now telling me off. But nothing serious. I'll just wait to run again until tomorrow.

This is such an amazing running style for me!!!  There were lots of tall skinny guys in shorts at the 5K that are perfectly happy with their heel-striking running. But for me, this minimalist running is the way!!

I love life's small epiphanies - moments when thoughts I've been carrying around for a while gel into a clairvoyant direction and theme. My run with Katrina on Saturday was just that. While we have been batting around the idea of starting a Saturday running mini-clinic or group, the concept and notion never fully took shape until yesterday.

We are launching the official "Rock to Road Runner Road to Disney" training plan and community. I'm planning to use Saturday morning runs with Katrina and family to specifically aim toward their goals of completing the Disney26.2 Marathon in January 2012. I'm hoping others may join in both to develop their own running and goals, but also to become a growing community around "Rock to Road Runner".

As a general overview I'm proposing the following "rocktoroadrunner road to Disney" plan:

GOAL/OBJECTIVE (Specific to Katrina):
- To complete the Disney26.2, aiming for under 6.5hours
- Aim for average 6.5km/hour using a 9min run/1 min walk strategy = 1.1km every 10min

TRAINING STRUCTURE:
- 4 week cycles: 3 weeks training + 1 week flex/easy to recover and accommodate
- We will start with an initial of 1min slow run + 1min med/fast run + 1min walk strategy
*We will incease running by 1 min every 4 weeks until we reach the 9/1 strategy above.
- Each training week aim for one "long" run (initially 45-60min)
* Each 2 months we will increase long runs by 20-30minutes
* long runs we will incorporate a mix of "tempos" (different speeds)
* We will also include squats and some other proprioceptive drills
* As we get comfortable with format, individuals can vary speeds to suit development
- Each training week aim for 2 or 3 "short runs" (initially 10-15min)
* Every 2-3 months we will increaseing by 5-10min
* short runs can be as slow as needed, ideally trying NOT to walk
* or taking only 30sec to walk. Key is to build "volume" with these slow short runs.
- Flex/Easy weeks can have NO running in them or at most 2 short very easy slow runs.
* It is ideal to incorporate brief amounts (5-10min) cross training several times:
* skipping, squats, drills, stretching or massaging muscles depending on need
- By November 2010 we should be able to to do a 3.5hour run covering 25km
* This will be our "measure" to ensure we are on target for January
* Each training cycle (4 weeks) we will use the first week to guage progress & re-plan

OTEHR CONSIDERATIONS:
- We will work on optimizing pre and post run nutrition as we go along
- Consider buying a pair of "compression" socks from the pharmacy (20lbs compression) to wear after long runs to improve lactate recovery in the muscles.
- Be very very proactive about injury prevention. Pay attention and to vulnerable areas and consider methods to support them (Kenesiology Tape, Tissue Work or time off)

REMEMBER:
- "We overestimate how much we can do in a day or a week but underestimate how much we can change and evolve in a year"
- While running is 'Natural', learning to run is a challenge that requires a great deal of commitment, patience and stepping beyond your comfort zone to grow & evolve

I'm committed to making this journey with Katrina & her family doing as many Saturday/Weekly long-runs with the, as possible. I KNOW she can do it. There will be ups and downs and potentially some set-backs but each of these is also an opportunity not only to learn about running, but learn about one's self.

I'm hoping Katrina and others are as enthused as I am. I'm certainly open to inviting anyone and everyone to join in on the Saturday runs and be a part of Katrina's amazing journey!

Keep Rising!