Proprioceptive Cues!!!!!!!!!!

I decided at the start of this week that while I wait for every one of my red blood cells to return I would try walking for a reasonable amount of time just to keep everything moving, this worked well on Tuesday, I walked for an hour and covered 6.29 kilometres which I was pleased with.

Yesterday, without warning, my personal black cloud descended and everything was just pointless so nothing, other than the absolute 'must do's' got done.  When I went to bed I found something suitably dull to read to fill the thinking space in my head.  I chose the chapter in my book called 'Pursuing the Perfect Stride' this chapter is 18 - that's 18 pages long!.  I had no idea there was so much to this but evidently 'the stride is everything' but then when your running, what else is there?.

There are 5 characteristics of good running technique:  No 1 'stiffness' it would appear that you have to try to lock the knee of the foot that is about to hit the ground.  No 2 'compactness' now this has to do with where your foot lands and it should land directly under your hips to avoid overstriding, you should land flat footed (not with the heal first).  No 3 'Ballistic Action' this is all about using energy evenly throughout the stride, it seems you stiffen your leg before footstrike, drive your foot into the ground, stroke the ground quickly before launching yourself into the air where you relax as you float through the air.  There's also alternate muscle clenching going on just before impact.  No 4 'Stability' this is something to do with preventing 'joint collapse' which to my mind is a bit essential but evidently the best runners manage to avoid this.  No 5 'Symmetry' this is about trying to get your right side to do the same as your left - now really!

The Chapter goes on to suggest what they call Proprioceptive Cues, these are things you should be thinking about for the entire length of the run - yes, all 7 hours, which will help you achieve the perfect stride.  There's 'falling forward' this is the leaning forward from the ankles, then 'navel to spine' if you pull your stomach in it helps with something.  'Running on Water' this is supposed to make the time your foot is on the ground much shorter and the time you spend in the air much longer.  'Pulling the Road' imagining pulling the road backwards under your feet.  'Scooting' this is to minimize vertical oscillation????.  'Pounding the Ground' hitting the ground forcefully.  'Driving the Thigh' something forceful again.  'floppy feet' keeping all 27 bones in each foot and all the many muscles relaxed as you run.  'Butt Squeeze' this is the alternate muscle clenching.  'Feeling Symmetry' concentrating on doing the same on the left as you're doing on the right.  'Axle Between the Knees' you have to imagine something between your knees to push them half an inch further apart than normal.  'Running against a Wall' imaging a moving wall infront of you and you have to shorten your stride so you don't hit it.

There then follows some very odd 'running drills' which include running with no arms, one-leg hops, bounding and stiff-legged running.  Totally mind blown I went to sleep very quickly!.

Today, I made the decision that I would use this period of time to attempt to perfect this technique or at least give it a go and see if it helps.  I walked/ran for around 40 minutes and every now and then I turned the speed right up to my target of 9.7 km per hour and I tried to work on the stride, I think it's going to take a little time!!!!!, the falling forward was ok for short spells as was the driving the foot bit, it was the stiff legs and the muscle clenching that I really struggled with and when I also added the pulling my stomach in I felt like a reject from a Mrs Universe competition, it was hard to clench bits while relax others and at the same time stiffen each leg just before it hit the floor.  Andrew and Charlie who were watching the football must have wondered what on earth I was doing, the speed was turned up high and I was jerking and twitching, one second stiff as a board the next floppy and in danger of 'joint collapse' as I went through the 'Proprioceptive Cues' one by one.  When I had finished I tried to explain and demonstrate slowly up and down the lounge but in need of many more hours practice it's a case of one cue or another, I can't get it all going at the same time, so I ran in one direction with 2 stiff legs and back again like a human jelly.  Their reaction - he's having a laugh!!!!!.......

I shall keep trying and in the word of an old, very daft saying 'I may well be laughing on the other side of my face' in a week or 2!