A Passion for Running

Welcome to the home of Mark aka The Running Blogfather – a 40 year-old dad, husband and marathon runner who’s beaten injury and is on the comeback trail!

instinct

passion for running category: running on Thursday, August 26 2004

Is there anything about your training that feels instinctual? Meaning, it just feels like it is the right thing to do for developing yourself as a runner?

For some reason I seem to be instinctually drawn to doing drills right now. There seems to be something inside that says, “Mark, this is what you need to do” and is telling me that speed/leg-turnover drills have great potential for helping me become a better runner.

Maybe strange because no one around me ever talks much about doing drills like “mule kicks” and “bounding”. Maybe not so strange since I think I don’t have very quick feet and I’ve read these drills will help.

At any rate, I can honestly say I’ve never had such a feeling so I’m going with it. I’ve decided I will do at least a few sets of drills in every run other than interval training and my Saturday LSD runs.

How about you? Do you have an inner voice telling you something?




9 Comments

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Comment by Pamalamadingdong

Friday August 27, 2004 @

“Don’t eat that cookie. Don’t eat that cookie”

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Comment by Richard

Friday August 27, 2004 @

Absolutely when it comes to form. Lately I’ve been working on keeping my knees high, and leaning forward. I swear that I can control my speed entirely based on the angle of my body relative to the ground – at lteast, that’s hwo it feels when I’m really sensitive to it.

On the drills – good going! What sets are you doing? We used to do a sequence, about 200m (down and back the straight part of a track), of:

High knees
Butt kicks
Sidling (turn 90, 100m left foot over right, 100m reversed)
Skipping
Running backwards
Strides

I should add those back in, in fact – used to do them Tuesday and Wednesday with my running group, and since I haven’t rejoined them yet, I haven’t been doing them. Hmm.

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Comment by Mark

Friday August 27, 2004 @

I completely agree with your point about leaning. I’ve noticed that too and really try to be aware of it.

I do a few of the drills you mentioned but I’ve not done Sidling, Skipping and Running backwards. I’ll have to give those a try. I do one I don’t see on your list – Bounding. It’s a hard one and is more likely to cause injury than the others so I REALLY work up to it. I also don’t have a drill WORKOUT. I try to incorporate drills within existing runs. Who knows about the future though.

Good stuff Richard. THANKS!

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Comment by Dianna (RCOH)

Friday August 27, 2004 @

Sadly, no. I second guess and doubt my strategy all the time. I read too much, I think…too much information to sort through sometimes.

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Comment by Pamalamadingdong

Friday August 27, 2004 @

You know now that I think of it, I saw a man running down my road the other day kicking himself in the butt. And I thought..what the? NOW I KNOW!
He’s not a lunatic afterall! Well…not for that at least.

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Comment by Jon in Michigan

Saturday August 28, 2004 @

Uh, yeah ditto on the “don’t eat that cookie”.

I always think its saying “run faster!” but then when I do it says “what, are you crazy?!” I think my inner voice and I do not speak the same language.

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Comment by Jon in Michigan

Saturday August 28, 2004 @

Oh yeah and my inner voice is saying “GREAT RACE, MARK!” :)

I missed your race report while I was gone.

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Comment by april anne

Saturday August 28, 2004 @

Hmmmm…another good question.
When I was writing out my goals last month, I really felt like I needed to add a few sit-ups/ push-ups into my weekly workout routine, but that’s about it.

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Comment by Reba

Sunday August 29, 2004 @

I’m with Dianna, second-guess must be my middle name.

On a whole different topic, since it’s been awhile: WOW, neat new site Mark. You are such fun. :)

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