Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Running with an iPhone has its perks

One of the great things about modern technology is that it allows you to easily write down your thoughts so you don't forget them. This morning I was on a run down by the river in our little town when a lot of things were popping in to my head. I had my iPhone with me to take some pictures, so I used the voice recognition stuff to talk into notes and write down what I wanted to say so I wouldn't forget. Here are just a few things that were running through my head that I remember reading in various places/things I have learned through my own experience.

  1. "If it feels like work, you are working too hard," from the book Born to Run. Christopher McDougall talks about how running should not feel like work. If you are feeling exhausted and winded and can't breathe, you are probably running too fast and too hard for your body. Your body has a target heart rate range which you should try to achieve, if you stay within that range, you will burn the fat in your body instead of the sugars in your stomach, ultimately helping you run much further. Like is also says in Born to Run, you have enough fat stored in your body to run all the way to from New York to California if you wanted, you just have to train your body to rely on that fat instead of the gels and goo's and other gross things some people eat to try and stay energized. 
  2. "You don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running." This is also from Born to Run. I really love this quote. I see the results in my parents a lot, they are both avid runners and have been very slow to age. They both look and feel a lot younger than their true age because of the daily exercise that they do. There was a study done by scientists who tracked the averaging finishing time in marathons. They found if you start running at age 19, you get faster until you peak at 27 and then gradually get slower—but it takes decades for you to slow down until you're where you were when you were 19. You can be well in to your 60's before you are slower than you were as a 19 year old!
  3. I find that I have lots of energy after I run a long run when I am running with correct form. When you run with correct form, you are much more efficient. Your body works like it is supposed to, and gravity does the majority of the work. Try it! You will see what I mean.
  4. If it hurts, STOP. Your body is better than any doctor or book or video or website to tell you what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. When you transition from running shod to barefoot, your body is a great indicator to say when you need to take it easy. Don't feel bad if you have to stop and adjust your form or rethink your stride, it is all part of the process. Don't worry about the time, you will probably be slower to start, but you'll pick up your speed again and you will definitely be packing on the miles once you get in to the swing of things and realize how amazing it is to run with bare feet.
  5. I have been taking tally lately as I see runners in the street and on the trails and so far from what I have gathered, 9 out of 10 runners that I have observed so far are heel-strikers. Keep those heels from slapping the ground! Shorten your stride and pick up your feet or you are going to get hurt (if you aren't hurting already).
Well there you have it. That is what I was thinking as I was running today. Here are some pictures of my run. 







2 comments:

  1. Those pictures are amazing! You took those with your phone???

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    1. Yeah, the beauty of an iPhone haha, they are totally worth the money if you want to be able to take great pics anywhere. so easy.

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