A Passion for Running

I began yesterday’s long run very tentatively because I was concerned about the leg pain I’d had on Sunday.

Starting out, the leg was a bit awkward but began to feel warmed up and better after thirty minutes of running. It was around then when I started playing around with my foot plant. At exactly one hour into the run (30 minutes of fooling with my foot plant) I thought, “Wow, I’m feeling good!”.

No sooner had I thought that and WHAMMO – leg pain aplenty. How ironic.

The pain was pretty terrible. I ran through it for a few minutes and then walked it off for another minute. Once I resumed running, I got back to my Pose Method roots and focused 100% on Dr. Romanov’s words – “pull your god-damn foot from the ground!”. For most of you, these words will mean nothing so here’s the translation: Do not focus on foot plant. Do not focus on anything other than on lifting your foot as soon as you sense it contacting the ground.

So, I concentrated on a quick pull and high leg turnover and was rewarded with pain-free running for the rest of the trip.

I had a number of thoughts following that re-acquaintance with running pain. The first thought was how things can so quickly go from super to sour for us runners (especially when you’re pushing 40!). Over the past couple months, I’ve been feeling really awesome about my running and then just like that, I slip on some ice, strain my leg and everything is in jeopardy.

The Running Gods giveth and the Running Gods away.

Thankfully, it does not appear that the Running Gods have taken anything away from me this time but they certainly did fire a warning shot across my bow.

My second thought was mingled with my reaction to this article Anne wrote on CRN. Basically, my thought was that runners get injured a lot and that marathon training is an especially risky business that can really benefit from the experience of getting injured. To be specific, whenever you feel you’re on top of your game, it doesn’t hurt to remember the injuries you and your running friends have suffered. These things are a reminder to be careful, not be cocky and to enjoy being in the moment.

My third thought was a comforting one that leaves me feeling nuttin’ but love for Dr. Romanov. More and more, I become more passionate - even fanatical for what he’s given me in the Pose Method. Why? In the middle of a run, I am dealt some pretty excruciating pain and how am I able to make it go away? By focusing on the Method. That’s it - run correctly and thy shall be set free. What an empowering experience and one I’ve had several times this past month. In fact, I can honestly say that every time I’ve struggled, getting back to form basics has gotten me out of that struggle. To put this in perspective, if this had happened two years ago I would have simply stopped running with no clue how to attack the problem other than to rest it. The Pose Method is a tool kit - it’s my swiss army knife.

This is not to negate the other important thing I’m learning from Andrew and the teachings of Arthur Lydiard - learning the balancing act between stressing and resting the body. For me, the importance of gaining this knowledge cannot be underestimated. I am finally learning how to systematically challenge and listen to the body.

Yesterday was all about humility, gratefulness, Dr. Romanov and the dynamic coaching duo of Arthur Lydiard and the Downeast Runner.

It feels as though pieces of the puzzle are arranging themselves. I wonder how many more need to be put into place before the whole picture becomes clear.