Low and Slow

I recently discussed running with my Love. I explained. I'm low and slow. He thought this interesting and a little comical. But let me expound a bit....

I've accepted the fact that I'm not a fast runner, never will be more than likely. And ever since I've made up my mind it's about distance not speed for me, I'm keeping to it.

I'm not going to look up what I should be running as far as for my age group, etc. Although I've heard rumors you can and I'm sure I could GOOGLE it, I'm not doing it. I don't care what 34 year old females should be running as far as a mile in X minutes, again, I'm not a number.

I'm sticking with my 4.5 mile speed (and under) no matter how bad I want to kick it up. Right now, it's not about speed and I'm not sure it ever will be. ;) Making no promises there though.

I'm also listening to John Bingham and mixing it up a bit. Mondays and Wednesdays I'm going to cross train to snag my 3.1 miles. A little bit of this, a little bit of that but always running in there somewhere because that's what I truly love.

However, on Fridays...that's when I'm going to allow myself to just run it!

This past Friday, I had a wonderful run. I finally listened to AN and decided I can walk if I need to. Prior to now, I thought, I've always been able to walk, I don't want to walk. So I walk if I need a breather or the run isn't going smoothly which sometimes my MOJO is just off.

I warm up for a good 10 minutes with fast walking, then pause - do a few stretches and then run low and slow. Maybe I'm actually jogging? But I just can't bring myself to say that. ;)

But Friday was certainly phenomenal. Very little walking and plenty of steady, heart pounding, sweat inducing time on the treadmill. I thought about hopping on the ellip or the bike after but I thought, nah, that was so good, I can't spoil it!

I'm also doing some strength training at home. John gives some simple things Runners can do to strengthen your core. My core needs some strengthening after 2 babies. It's funny how our bodies as women accomodate these 'beings' and then later we realize, yowza, that's gonna leave a mark.

For instance, and I won't get graphic here, I've noticed and have finally startd to accept (6 years after my first baby) that my rib cage is sprung a bit, okay a lot. My first one was all up in there I think...maybe it's not physically possible but I stood there looking at it one day and remembering, I used to not have this girth of a rib cage. I decided to chalk it up to a good way to allow more lung capacity when I run when really I wanted to scream...but uh, gotta focus on the positive.

Let's come back down that rabbit trail and let me post this! Core Values from Runner's World

This little ditty is a good starting place.

And speaking of balance...I've been working on mine. Now that I'm low and slow, I think a lot about my form which I think is going to be key.

Let's take a memory lane jog...when I used to ride as I've mentioned before I did lots of exercises getting to know my horse's movements, gaits, how he did this or that, what it felt like when he turned. A lot of riding is balance. You do a lot of alternating behaviors and over and over, like flying lead changes. You do other exercises over and over for instance in dressage...you go from one letter to the other at different gaits as asked and it's very slow and calculated...they grade you on your form, your horse's form, etc. I used to study dressage as mentioned before and well, funny, there's many parallels to me personally between dressage (riding) and running.

I do repetition and little games with my arms on the treadmill to keep myself 'aware'. When I run, I run with what rider's call "quiet hands".  It's probably a throw back to my riding, okay, I know it is but I also early on watched Yuri Elkaim running and he said for proper form, you should keep your upper body loose and your hands and arms loose and not locked.  But back to my main point here, when I run low and slow I keep my hands lower than most runners and I lower one (almost all the way down) alternately as I run to remind myself to check form on that side of my body. Sounds insane and like I'm taking the joy out of running but not so for me. I often took Abi around the arena working both sides of his body by choosing which leg he was leading with. In a sense, I'm picking a leg to concentrate on and in turn working my balance. Balance is going to be key for me I think (in my lowly opinion) especially since secretly I'm working towards trail running. :) Plus it's going to help prevent injury, dern my ankles!

So I lower and raise my arms alternately for about 30 to 40 seconds at a time and concentrate on my balance and stride. Just something I do but it all ties in to what I knew how to do at one time in my life to maintain balance and strengthen the several hundred pound animal I had sitting underneath me.

Another thing about 'quiet hands' is...it's a mind set. Back then, I was controlling the horse and now myself, without looking like I'm doing anything really. Yes, it's silly, I'm steering myself, but the mental connection cannot be denied. Yet, another reason running is so much like riding to me. 'Quiet hands' signify that I am in control.

I can remember sitting on my horse, bare back (no saddle) no bridle, just a harness, with his lead tied to it for reins and watching all the 'cowboys' that frequented the arena I rode with their 'contraptions' to control their 'animals'. They were team ropers...and well, I'm not saying all team ropers are like this but they are usually more interested in the steer they're roping than in listening to their horse.  They made fun of me often.  But I gave them lip right back because as I once explained, 'I don't need every leather strap known to man to control my horse, he'll do anything I ask and you won't even know I'm asking'.

That's the beauty of English style riding to me but it's also the beauty of running. I'm the master of me and we go where I say and I like to run, slow and low, with quiet hands....running is for the joy of movement, it's for the distance covered, it's for the way in which you push yourself, silently, carefully and beautifully towards your goals.

Happy Running!