I've started seeing a chiropractor by name of Shoonman whose confidence that he can "fix" me was enough for me to commit to several sessions. His practice is unlike the other chiropractors I've met, and he seems to have identified some missing key elements in my gait. The short is: I don't run with my glutes. At all. Schoonman called it "muscular amnesia"; my glutes are asleep and my quads, hip flexers and hamstrings are overworking to compensate, and have become overly tight as a result. Anyway, we're doing a bit of Active Release Therapy (ART), some massage, and thus far no cracking.
I've been focusing on my form quite a bit lately... There have been some significant asymmetries in my stride which I had come to basically accept, until recently. Partly because of therapy and partly because I'm more focused on it, I've managed to improve my my foot strike and hip position. I feel smoother and more balanced. Consistently hitting core work for the past 2 months has probably also helped make a difference.
Anyway! I'm cleared to work out, and with Jones in 10 days it was definitely time to do something faster. I decided to hit the treadmill since it was dark. Warmed up 3 miles in 20:40. Instead of going straight into the workout I did a number of exercises I've been told to do both before and after running. Stretched, foam rolled, and then into a 6 mile hard progression run, increasing the tempo each mile, going: 5:30, 5:27, 5:24, 5:21, 5:18, 5:15 = 32:15. I felt great! I surprised myself with how strong I felt. HR topped out at 181 (my max recently is 194).
I'm pretty sure the treadmill is accurate, so the surprisingly speedy session could be attributed to a few things: 1) I'm fitter than I gave myself credit for 2) The changes in my form make me slightly more efficient, and 3) treadmill running does not factor in wind resistance Check the conversion table here. Regardless, it was a really solid session. Nice confidence boost for Jones.
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