Find your own pace

Group runs are fun.Running with training partners can be great. Running at someone else's pace might not be. Given all my knee troubles the past few years, it would seem logical to slow down to reduce the impact. To some extent that is true. What you have to do is find a pace that suits your own biomechanics. Last year at the Akron half I ran with my brother in law, I learned a lesson. I ran the race and was very glad that I did but, my knees were not happy with the slower pace. Instead of striding out and running in a normal pattern, the slower pace made my knees sorta jam into the pavement. VERY swollen knees were the result. While running with others I can sorta run normally up to a 9 minute pace. After that my altered mechanics made me tighten up and make my runs fall apart. I think I have a solution. I can run about 90 minutes at an altered pace. If I run farther, I have to throw in walking to reset my mechanics to something normal. I have to pay special attention to stretching and foam roller work once I get home to help work out the mechanical damage. Love your running friends, just dont let them hurt your biomechanics ; )

Rebuilding the f'ing beast

Train wreck. That is what I think when I look at my form in a shadow on the ground while running. or walking for that matter. 30 plus years of doing the same activity will make you weak in other areas. The years of injury piled up and while I have always been fit and strong, I never got to the root of being a strong healthy athlete. When running injuries came along, I just managed the injury and helped it go away. I never looked underneath to the mechanical problems that were the root cause of my injuries. I should have done all the extras. Form work, strength training of the legs, helping reduce tightness in the legs, post run stretches. I found you can run along for years and years without many problems but, the miles add up. The intensity at which I ran the miles probably tore up my knees more than anything. I ran up to my potential in searching for the perfect race. Lots of DNF's went along with that but, I am at peace with that now. Now I am dedicated to doings things like walking without a limp, swimming and biking and yes, doing all the extras. Time to rebuild the fucking beast for the next 30 years.

Hammerhead 100

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