LETS TALK ABOUT RUNNING!

If not for the running I would be very excited about racing this season (or at least what is left of it).  In the water and on the bike I strong confident and smooth.  On the run not so.

One would wonder why.  Running should be the most natural of the 3 disciplines of triathlon.  After all we walk and run long before we swim (or at least most people do).  We definitely do not race our bicycles until we have mastered some level to stability on our feet.  I have always had a difficult time running.  I just seem to be missing coming when I run.  I seem to not have the proper bounce or placement of the feet to propel me forward.  More about this later.

Right now I am starting to run slowly and easily.  Nothing special, nothing flashy, just simple.  I started a couple of months ago doing literally 10 minute runs.  I felt awful!  Not because my knee hurt; because everything hurt!

I realized that I had not run from January to April (actually the last week of April) and my entire body had no idea how to run.  I think that my knee was the only thing that did not hurt.  It was only a 10 minute light run.  I did 2 10 minute runs that week.  I was encourage that the second was a little better than the first.  Not much better but a little better.

Then it was a couple of weeks of 30 minute runs .  1 30 minute run each week.  After this a few weeks of no running.  Then drills to work on running technique.   I have been trying able to learn from some YouTube Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnsii2H-HxM

I watch it and I understand about 90% of it.  The part of it I so not understand is the "free speed" part.  I guess I will keep working at it.

Mid June I start harder runs but still 30 minutes.  Instead of a light jog it was 3 minutes at aerobic speed and 2 minutes walk.  Did this for 2 weeks, so now we are now at June 22nd.  Now 20 minute aerobic runs without any walk.  We did 4 of these during the next week (June 23- June 29)

Remember I am still doing weights/swimming/bikes while I get back into running shape.

July brings back 30 minute runs; now run 4 and walk 1.

The past 2 weeks it has been 1 hour runs!!!!.  It is hard to believe that I was struggling through 10 minute runs.!!!!