The February 2016 Running Challenge

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  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    edited February 2016
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    Here is another good observation on over striding. I actually picked up on this before I saw this video. The further your hands go, the further your feet go too.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGO7lKgggdo


    Also, the faster your hands move, the faster your feet move = quicker cadence.
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    edited February 2016
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    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    What kristine says is correct. You can keep quicker cadence (more number of steps) but still maintain a slower pace. Distance = number of steps X stride legnth. So say I take 180 steps and my stride length is 1 meter per step. Then how far would I travel in 60 seconds? 180 steps per minute X 1 meter per step = 180 meters per minute. So how do I increase my distance per minute? I can either increase the number of steps I take per minute or I can increase the stride legnth or i can do both. So if i could some how go 1.3 meters per step but keep 180 steps per minute then now I am running 234 meters per minute (or 14040 meters per hour or 14 km per hour or 8.7 mph).

    So how do I keep my same number of steps but go faster (or just increase my stride length)? You pick your heel up higher. This is known as butt kicks. The higher you lift your foot off the ground the more power in your lift off which makes you go further during each stride. Keep the number of steps per minute or even increase the number of steps per minute and you natually go faster.

    So why is 180 some magical number? It's more of an observation of more elite runners who run with a more trained and better biomechanics. The problem with us mortals (or recerational runners) is we tend to have a slower cadence (less steps per second) with an over stride (which means our foot lands further in front of us) which is the cause of a heel strike. because of all of this, our risk to injury increases.

    I've heard the theory of keeping your cadence the same but changing stride length to vary the pace; it hasn't worked well for me. I have a faster cadence at faster paces. FWIW, my cadence tends to be in the low 170s on easy runs, but faster than 180 at 5K race pace. Garmin tells me cadence, but I don't typically look at it. Let's look at yesterday's speed work, which I recorded in 3 pieces:

    2 mile warmup - average cadence 170
    4 x 1600 at T with 200 recovery, plus 8 x 200 at I with 200 recovery - average cadence 187
    3 miles easy - average cadence 174

    I already knew I'm less efficient when I start running and until I get warmed up. But it looks like my easy pace was a bit more efficient after I was tired out by the speed intervals than it was before; how much is a warmup phenomenon and how much is a training effect from doing intervals, I don't know. I also don't know whether a 4 beats per minute difference is significant; I suspect it might not be.

    By way of comparison, Wednesday's easy 6 was a 173 average cadence, and Sunday's easy 1.5 hours was a 174 average. Nothing surprising there. Most recent races - Winter Warrior Half, 188 average cadence; Resolution Run 7.5 miles with snowy surface, 176 average cadence; Reindeer Run 5K, 190 average cadence.

    *shrug* Don't know what it means, other than if I'm going to run faster my cadence is going to be faster. For my purposes, I guess my cadence is close enough to 180 that I won't worry about it.

    But thank you for the explanation of why we do butt kicks in the pre-workout drills.
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    @MobyCarp What you just said is one of the reasons why running strides or intervals helps your technique to become more efficient. When you run faster, you have no other choice but to subconciously run with more efficient technique.
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    See you guys? You keep asking me questions and get me searching, I keep finding more interesting videos. Like this one. LOL

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR3jSZTPJ7c
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
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    I hope it's ok that I'm joining the challenge halfway through the month. I did some of these challenges last year and they're great!

    After a pretty dismal December for running (I ran 3 times), I spent January getting back into it and now ready to start ramping up my mileage again. My goal for February is 200km and I'm sitting at 77km so far. I have a 50 mile race in June that I'm working towards.

    Happy running everyone!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    aarar wrote: »
    I hope it's ok that I'm joining the challenge halfway through the month. I did some of these challenges last year and they're great!

    After a pretty dismal December for running (I ran 3 times), I spent January getting back into it and now ready to start ramping up my mileage again. My goal for February is 200km and I'm sitting at 77km so far. I have a 50 mile race in June that I'm working towards.

    Happy running everyone!

    Sure no problem. Welcome aboard @aarar

  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    All of these tips in the following video are pretty awesome in my book. But the thing I wanted to point out the most is at 1:14 where he says, "lift your knees only as high as needed to maintain an efficient stride". In other words, you want to go faster, lift the ankles (and thus your knees) higher (butt kicks) and your stride goes further.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNdy_zsgqqc
  • dominichoran
    dominichoran Posts: 18 Member
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    The streak is alive, 100 days and countingpcjh4mm3wmby.jpg
    100.JPG 35.7K
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
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    2/1: 6 miles with Joe to Go crew
    2/2: 5 miles
    2/3: 7.5 miles
    2/4: 8.2 miles (am), 6 miles (pm) with the Thursday crew
    2/5: Rest day (hallelujah!)
    2/6: 9.5 miles with the Saturday crew
    2/7: 18 miles LR
    2/8: 6.1 miles with Joe to Go crew
    2/9: Rest day
    2/10: 7 miles speedwork (am), 10 miles (pm)
    2/11: 6 miles (am), 6 miles (pm) with the Thursday crew
    2/12: Rest day!

    Spent the morning sleeping in, then after work I went grocery shopping, made cookies for the Olympic Trials viewing party I'm attending tomorrow, and now I just have to eat something besides cookie dough for dinner (perk of making vegetarian-friendly cookies: applesauce instead of eggs means eating dough without risking raw-egg-illness)!

    Planning to do 14 tomorrow; usually I'd do my long run on Sunday, however, the overnight low tonight is 17, and tomorrow's (Sat to Sun) is... 0. Skipping out on my usual Saturday group so I can run solo and jam to Hamilton the whole time (I only just listened to the soundtrack this week... and I'm obsessed).

    exercise.png

    Upcoming races:
    4/3: Caesar Rodney Half Marathon
    5/1: New Jersey Marathon

  • michable
    michable Posts: 312 Member
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    @skippygirlsmom I hope Skip is better soon - that would have been so frightening. I’m sure it was related to being sick with a high temp, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to see a paediatric neurologist to make sure everything is ok.

    15.41 km @7:06 min/km; Av HR 141, max HR 153. What a difference a rest day makes. And cooler weather. A lovely 22.2C for my run this morning. And I have dropped a little weight. All coming together for a great run.

    1 Feb 6.18 km
    2 Feb sick
    3 Feb sick
    4 Feb Rest
    5 Feb 11.13 km
    6 Feb 6.62 km
    7 Feb 19.00 km (long run)
    8 Feb Rest
    9 Feb 6.28 km
    10 Feb 10.46 km
    11 Feb 6.28 km
    12 Feb Rest
    13 Feb 15.41 km (cutback week)

    Total: 81.36 km / 165 km

    Races:
    5 June Rocky River Run 21km
    3 July Gold Coast Marathon


    exercise.png
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    edited February 2016
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    1---6.10
    2---rest
    3---6.25
    4---6.26
    5---not enough rest day
    6---15K
    7-9--busted knee.
    10-- 6.30
    11---rest
    12---7.05 (4.12 behind schedule) knees better. Maybe 85-90% New shoes still rock.

    41.40/Goal 110+ miles

    Upcoming races:
    03/19/16 Rock N Roll 5K Dallas
    03/20/16 Rock N Roll Half Dallas
    04/24/16 OKC Memorial undecided distance
    Run the year 2016  141.44/2016

    @kristinegift glad you had a successful shopping trip! I forgot about the Olympic trials. Thanks for the reminder!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    Date Miles today. Miles for February

    2/1 7.55 miles - 7.55
    2/2 7.4 miles - 14.95
    2/3 4.5 miles - 19.45
    2/4 7 miles - 26.45
    2/5 REST DAY
    2/6 16 miles - 42.45
    2/7 REST DAY
    2/8 10.5 miles - 52.95
    2/9 7.5 miles - 60.45
    2/9 3.2 miles - 63.65
    2/10 6.4 miles - 70.05
    2/11 7.5 miles - 77.55
    2/12 6.3 miles - 83.85
    2/12 3.3 miles - 87.15 <<< Daily double

    exercise.png

    Upcoming races:
    UAH Spring Road Race 8K - 3/6
    Oak Barrel HM - 4/2
    Bridge Street HM - 4/10
    Cotton Row Run 10K - 5/30
    Firecracker Chase 10.2 miler - 6/25


    Did a second round tonight as I am making up for the lost 3 miles I should have did yesterday.

  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    @kristinegift I am supposed to be going to an Olympic Trials viewing party tomorrow as well. One of our locals from the Huntsville area is running it. Brandon York.
  • ka97
    ka97 Posts: 1,984 Member
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    Trying to read and catch up on everyone's posts....
    5ish miles today - cut it a bit short because it was getting dark, but somewhere between 5 and 5.5.
    41 miles done, 59 left to go. We've got a dangerous windchill warning for the next couple of days, so probably no run until Monday or Tuesday :(
  • MorningGhost14
    MorningGhost14 Posts: 441 Member
    edited February 2016
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    @Stoshew71 talks about butt kicks... all I can relate to is....

    ssmpvncute31.png
  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
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    MorningGhost14 wrote: »
    Guess that's why we run. So people don't get hurt.

    Truth! ^^^^
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,408 Member
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    @MorningGhost14 - pretty much how I feel after my long runs!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    LOL @MorningGhost14
  • MorningGhost14
    MorningGhost14 Posts: 441 Member
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    @shanaber and @Elise4270 ... and anyone else on my Friends list... I apologize for "unfriending" you without notice... I had reason to believe my account had been compromised.... #aintdivorcefun
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    MorningGhost14 wrote: »
    @shanaber and @Elise4270 ... and anyone else on my Friends list... I apologize for "unfriending" you without notice... I had reason to believe my account had been compromised.... #aintdivorcefun

    I see another long run in someone's near future. Sorry bro. #marriageisprettyfuntoosometimes

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