Wednesday, January 13, 2010

What do YOU think Wednesdays - Part 1

cough cough, good morning, cough cough.

I should've done a vlog to show you just how irresistible and sexily raspy I sound today.

Thing is, my voice decided it doesn't like my body anymore and deserted me. I took a day off from work yesterday to try to recover, but the words "Rest" and "Julia" don't match quite as well as"peanut butter" and "chocolate". (But on second thought... does anything?) I failed and went to the gym. I mean... I was watching p90X commercials on TV all morning long... can you blame me?

While I wait for my throat to recover so I can actually breathe so I can run, I would like to introduce you to the first edition of "What do YOU think Wednesdays".

Every week, I'm going to share with you a piece of cyberspace that made me stop and think.... and I hope you can take a moment to stop and think with me too! I mean, two heads are better than one, four heads are better than three, ten heads are better than nine and a half... :) It'll be mostly running and health related stuff, but I'll mix it up every now and then with some spice, because gasp!I do think about non-running things as well :)

The first piece of cyberspace I am sharing with you is:
Running Tips: Your Stride Guide from self.com. I'm not a big fan of the magazine nor the website, (too much fluff, IMO) but I found this video to be really interesting. Gail Devers, an Olympian, analyzes the running form of regular people. Check it out:


Most videos I've found analyzes the form of good runners. Problem is, I am nowhere NEAR being a good runner. But this video: I can relate to these women, and I actually saw some of my own mistakes being pointed out.

For instance, like Shira and Missy, I run way too upright. I read somewhere that you should lean forward slightly from your ankles. I've been trying this lately, and I find that it does make me faster with less effort. I need to continue to make this a habit. Fast is good. :)

Gail also mentions that you need to keep your feet flexed while analyzing Tiffany. I have never heard this nor tried this. Any thoughts?

Another aspect I am trying to focus on is hip strength. Though Gail doesn't touch on it directly, I notice that if I lose even a little focus, my hips start swaying. I have been keeping up with my new year's resolution to work on hip strength at least twice a week, and I hope to build up enough hip strength so that I can run faster and more safely.

So here's the part where you come in:
  • Do you identify with any of the runners in the video?
  • Do you have one particular form issue you are working on?
  • What are your thoughts about the whole keeping your foot flexed thing?
I'd LOOOOOOVE for you to share your thoughts!

9 comments:

  1. good post. I had a vetern runner (and running shoe store owner) look at my shoes (accident I brought them in to make sure I got the exact pair again!). He said I hit the pavement perfect and I don't pronate. I have also got a compliment that my form stays the same even when I'm tired but, I think I am more aware of my form because someone was very rude to me once after my first half and told me I had terrible posture and that if I would have trained with them they would have told me but because I decided to run with the local running club it was there responsibility to tell me....nope not still bitter about that one or anything. I didn't care much for the video (from what I could get it to play). Good post!

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  2. Well, I know that I will be really paying attention to my run form tomorrow! But that actually was a pretty good video - lots of good tips and pointing out common errors with normal people :) Thanks for sharing!

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  3. i did P90X yesterday and im in so much pain today. it'll be worse tomorrow but its the best pain EVER!

    i dont really pay attention to my form- besides my arms. when i run i have chicken wings... besides that people have told me i run with beautiful form (WHAT)!?? yeah-- thats what i thought... my mom always loves watching me run cuz its so pretty she says... but maybe thats becuase she has to say it! LOL :)

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  4. I have horrible form! Thanks for sharing the video :-)

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  5. I need to work on concentrating on my stride when I get tired. I let myself go in swim/bike/running when I start fading and it needs to stop! But I can only focus on it for a couple minutes before I start thinking about something else, ADD much?!

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  6. Sorry about being sick but I'm sure you are workin' that raspy voice. ;)

    Very interesting video. I honestly have never even considered my running form. I had a physical therapist tell me once that I had a good stride (which had me on cloud 9 that day!) but I never thought about form past that. I'm totally going to try leaning forward but I'm not so sure about the foot flex thing. I could see myself overthinking it, overdoing it, and ending up injured.

    Thanks for the informative video!

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  7. Thanks for sharing the video. I know my form is not that great, I need Gail to swing over and analyze. She does share some great tips.

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  8. I also run far too upright and if I am sprinting during a speed workout or at the end of a race, I actually lean slightly BACK. How's that for inefficient! I'm trying to work on it but it's amazing how hard it is to change a habit.

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  9. I'm taking Walgreen Generic Cold Multi-Sympthom. :)

    I hope you feel better soon!

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