ThinkRunning

I Ran Yesterday…

Not that I am a stats geek or anything. I ran 5.12 miles in 00:41:07 @08:02 pace and 71%WHR (144bpm).

Here are the splits:

Split Summary

1. 1m -- 10:07(10:07/m) -- 123bpm avge -- 144bpm max -- 108cal Easy warm up.
2. 1m -- 7:14(7:14/m) -- 148bpm avge -- 157bpm max -- 120cal
3. 1m -- 7:30(7:30/m) -- 158bpm avge -- 161bpm max -- 119cal
4. 1m -- 7:03(7:03/m) -- 148bpm avge -- 158bpm max -- 118cal
5. 1m -- 8:12(8:12/m) -- 154bpm avge -- 163bpm max -- 119cal
6. 0.12m -- 1:02(8:33/m) -- 152bpm avge -- 154bpm max -- 15cal

Heart Rate Zone Summary

• HR Zone: 44-143bpm (Sub 70%): 30.7%
• HR Zone: 143-150bpm (71-75%): 22.3%
• HR Zone: 150-157bpm (76-80%): 21.2%
• HR Zone: 157-164bpm (81-85%): 25.9%

I seem to have worked a bit harder than usual and I think it’s down to running and thinking too much giving rise to tension. I set off in a field and ran through the woods nice and easily for the first mile but as soon as I reached the road my heart rate rose and I worked harder than I should have.

The hardest thing to do is relax, these statistics exemplify the problem of learning to run with more efficiency. Paradoxically to start with you over think things meaning that it isn’t fully logged into the subconscious. Tension resides in a cluttered mind.

I really enjoyed the run though which is something I suppose.

Is Running a Martial Art?

Consider this…

“Mushin (無心; Chinese wúxīn; English translation “no-mindedness”) is a mental state into which very highly trained martial artists are said to enter during combat. The term is shortened from mushin no shin (無心の心), a Zen expression meaning mind of no mind. That is, a mind not fixed or occupied by thought or emotion and thus open to everything. For the origin of the mushin concept, see Muga-mushin.

Mushin is achieved when a person feels no anger, fear or ego during combat. There is an absence of discursive thought and judgment, so the person is totally free to act and react towards an opponent without hesitation. At this point, a person relies not on what they think should be the next move, but what is felt intuitively. It is not a state of relaxed, near-sleepfulness, however. The mind could be said to be working at a very high speed, but with no intentions, plans or direction.

The legendary Zen master Takuan Sōhō said:[2]

The mind must always be in the state of ‘flowing,’ for when it stops anywhere that means the flow is interrupted and it is this interruption that is injurious to the well-being of the mind. In the case of the swordsman, it means death. When the swordsman stands against his opponent, he is not to think of the opponent, nor of himself, nor of his enemy’s sword movements. He just stands there with his sword which, forgetful of all technique, is ready only to follow the dictates of the subconscious. The man has effaced himself as the wielder of the sword. When he strikes, it is not the man but the sword in the hand of the man’s subconscious that strikes.

A martial artist would likely have to train for many years to be capable of mushin. This allows time for combinations of movements and exchanges of techniques to be practised repetitively many thousands of times, until they can be performed spontaneously, without conscious thought. If he is capable of truly listening to his teacher, however, he could attain this level in only a few years. Some masters believe that mushin is the state where a person finally understands the uselessness of techniques and becomes truly free to move. In fact, that person will no longer even consider themselves as “fighters” but merely living beings moving through space”*

*Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushin

Moving intuitively, without fear, a feeling of effortless flow, at one with the movements. Admittedly in running we don’t learn or intend to inflict harm upon any opponent and really the moves are much less complicated -- or are they?  We think of only one Pose in The Pose Method which in simple terms is called the mid-stance, the point at which our bodies are in perfect alignment and primed to take the next step or change of support from one leg to the other. This movement is repeated many thousands of times during a run. The movements in between each Pose stance are quite complicated when you think about it. Our brains must somehow  coordinate the movements by moving our legs to move in time with the ground almost, exquisitely timed to perfection the landing of each foot to minimise the braking effect and maximise the energy return given by recoil through muscle elasticity and ground reaction forces -- the so called gratuitous forces Dr. Romanov talks about.

I think this is the problem we face in running. Many of us take it for-granted too much and don’t regard it as a skill that must be learned. I now believe that running properly in a way that will not injure you most definitely is a skill. It is a skill that must be learned with dedication and tenacity. One must practice drills and movements in order to program the subconscious mind such that eventually you simply run and the movements necessary that happen with millisecond precision happen intuitively without the runner having to think about it at all. The state of Mushin must be sought after and once achieved must be mastered. Perhaps it takes a lifetime for some people to get to this state? I do know that I am greatly enjoying the journey.

JonP on the Fetch forum summed it up a little more succinctly than I when he said “When you run “Feel everything, do nothing”.

Simple, Not Easy

A lot of people (myself included) at some point must think “I can’t be bothered will all The Science Bit, I just want to run, can’t I just run?”

The short answer is yes, of course.

If you just want to run and worry about the detail later then there is a way forward. If you run in the way described in this article then you will indeed be able to run in a much more efficient and much less injurious way.  However, there is as I have found out, very often a great disparity between what we think we are doing and what we are actually doing. It is all about perception. I would at the very least recommend that you spend an afternoon with a qualified coach who will be able to save you endless hours perhaps months of frustration and get you on the right track very quickly.

http://www.posetech.com/training/archives/000393.html

Skipping, I Love It

Tonight I didn’t run, instead I practiced some Pose drills and some rope skipping. iI am getting much better with my ankle strength, coordination and speed. For the first time tonight I managed to do the change of support quick enough to simulate running on the spot with Pose framing -- pulling only with hamstrings and using recoil to get me airborne instead of pushing off. To start with it felt like very hard work until it started to click and I could relax more and more. Gradually the steps felt lighter and lighter,  everything felt much easier and less tense. Heidi could see that my left leg is the problem. I pull late with the left. Skipping like this is making me pull on time with my left. Gradually I am getting better and better.

Skipping is the way to get your body conditioned to run properly I believe. I can now move down the garden at about 180 cadence skipping with very good alignment. I need a big place to practice running with the skipping rope I think. That’s the next step.

Don’t take my word for it, listen to Debbie…

Endurophilia?

This article brought to my attention by Amy a runner I am following on Twitter.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/may/21/endurophilia-marathon-triathlon-emma-john

What do you think about this? Are we all a bunch of masochistic nutcases? Is running really “mass masochism masquerading as sport” as Emma John puts it?

At first I thought it was a light hearted prod at runners. Then I read on and realised that Emma seemed to be very critical of people who are doing something that is very important to them. A lot of people put many months training into their marathon. Many run a marathon as their way of contributing to a worthy cause, many have lost relatives and run in their memory (as have I).  To make out that people like this are just out to prove something that isn’t worth bothering with is quite glib to say the least. Is Emma trying to say that the sport isn’t what it used to be because everyone who runs a marathon nowadays isn’t some super fit uber-elite athlete and we should all stop being silly and leave it to the professionals? I’m not sure what the point of the article was to be honest. I think that (especially in light of the fact our nation is one of the fattest and unfit) that people should be encouraged to get up off their backsides and get out there for the goodness of their health. Furthermore in these times of economic collapse do we not all have some social responsibility to do what we can to keep ourselves and our families fit thus relieving the burden on the much beleaguered and maligned National Health Service?

A lot of endurance sports but non more than running in my opinion are readily available and open to all people regardless of fitness, age or ability and that is the magic of it. Everyone gets out of running what they put in. Maybe that’s the proverbial nail hit squarely on the head right there? Maybe Emma should have a go and see what she thinks of running before she criticises the ones whose lives are much fitter, healthier and richer through to pulling on the running shoes?