Rediscoverd Running


A strength that has set me apart from other athletes from kindergarten to College was my speed.  I was hands down one of the fastest athletes on the field, court etc or the one with greatest amount of firing fast-twitch muscles fibers.  When college came to end so did my career with field sports, my speed and desire to run.  The years of punishment I put my legs through sidelined me for a few years.

Then came triathlon and a new understanding and appreciation of how my body operates.  Now I run for endurance rather than for speed and my reliance on fast-twitch muscle fibers has transitioned to a reliance on slow-twitch muscles fibers.  With any type of endurance training there must be a relationship between your cardiovascular fitness and biomechanics.  Being deficient in any of the two will limit your endurance capabilities.  Through a lot of trial and error I have managed to drastically alter my biomechanics, specifically my efficiency.  Because of this recent development I have rediscovered the enjoyment I once had for running.

In an effort to spend more time with my wife, family and friends I have decided to run before work, which means hitting the pavement at 4:30 a.m.  Historically I have hated running so early in the morning especially, so shortly after waking up.  For the past month however the tides have changed.  Running so early in the morning is unbelievablely tranquil and balancing.  There are no cars, trucks or buses, dogs barking, kids screaming or birds chirping. No distractions. There is only a calmness created by the Zen atmosphere and the rhythm of my breathing and cadence. 

Early morning running . . . namaste

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stepping Up to Ironman

As usual Lake Placid has come and gone and all the talk revolves around the Placid Experience.  I would be lying if I said I wasnt jealous or didnt want to share in those experiences and the energy of Placid.  I was able to watch numerous friends and familiar faces cross the line this year via Ironman Live's video feed and just as in years' past, I got goose bumps.  140.6 athletes (Pros to 17th-hour age groupers) are one-of-a-kind and truly inspirational.  For the past few years I have talked about going up to Placid as a spectator to get a taste of the Experience and each year I find myself on the couch watching it on the computer from my apartment.  Hopefully next year I will be able to get up there and get a taste of what Ironman is all about. "So when are you going to do an Ironman?" Im asked this question all the time.  My immediate response is, . . . "NEVER".  Which is then followed by a discussion revolving around, "why not".  I view the I
Read more

Harriman 70.3 - Race Report

"Holy Hell" Every triathlon that I race I have a game plan for.  Initially my plans were just to finish.  Then they began to evolve as my passion for this sport grew.  No longer would just finishing be my top priority, my goals became specific and were related to time/splits.  Meeting these benchmarks gave validity to my efforts and fitness levels. Leading into this season I have the loftiest goals to date.  I know that I can be a sub 5:30 athlete.  I fully expect to complete the swim in 35 minutes if not faster, complete the bike under 3 hours and complete the run under 1:50.  I'm not sure how many athletes would actually disclose their goals like I just did, and I can't believe I just did but, I feel that it will hold me more accountable for my actions.  Do I expect to achieve this time at every race, no, but I will when I reach peak condition. Leading into Harriman 70.3 I had written down specific times/splits for the race and had a game plan on how to achiev
Read more

The Lead In

The last couple of days have been spent on Shelter Island with my wife celebrating our 2 year anniversary. To be honest, when planning our anniversary weekend I had a little anxiety about not being able to train the weekend prior to my race. However, the only reason I am able to dedicate so much time and pursue my passion is because of her so, taking a couple of days off means nothing. In addition the timing couldn't have been more perfect since I was feeling a low level of fatigue. Three days rest and relaxation was exactly what I needed. I could write an entirely new blog entry about my anniversary on Shelter Island but let me just say it was extremely relaxing and I had an amazing time with my wife. Oh, and we biked around Shelter island for 2.5 hrs. (she biked for 2.5 hours on rolling hills . . . hmmmmm. . . .are you thinking what I'm thinking?) On our way home I began to slip back into reality and think of the week ahead. Four days of work and light training was a
Read more