“Back in the day” my Dad was a high school cross country coach. One of the joys of picking up running as I entered my 50′s has been the conversations I’ve had with Dad about running form, his experiences, etc. I never knew he ran a marathon. I ran a 10k in the Seattle area when I was up there last year and he came up (he lives in Oregon now) to watch me. With .2 miles left to go it was an incredible experience to hear him yell my name and words of encouragement as I kicked to the finish. Every opportunity I get to look him in the eye and draw some of him out to keep means everything to me.
These pearls of running wisdom (or old fashioned ideas – you kind of have to review and evaluate each one) are fun to hear and interesting to try and see if they work. The other night we were talking about relaxing while we run and especially that last bit when you are kicking toward the end of a race. He often says ”all you have is what you brought to the race” and “the only way to make sure you use what you have is to keep your form“. Many times he’s talked about his runners coming to the end with their head back and high, swaying back and forth, giving it all they have only to be passed by someone who is true to their form to the end.
So the other night he says,
something I always told my runners was to pay attention to where your tongue is when you are running. We tend to have it straight up towards the roof of our mouth. If you will focus on putting it behind your front lower teeth, especially as you are kicking at the end, it will help you keep your head right, your jaw and face relaxed, and finish with your form.
Running wisdom? Out of date technique? Try it and decide for yourself.
And as an added bonus, watch this. The third runner in the video looks like he is finishing a cross country event and it reminded me of my Dad and sparked this conversation.
Running Tips
What an experience! 31 miles of rough, hilly, and DARK forest service roads thru the woods. I saw one copperhead snake, lots of spiders, but no bears! There were almost 200 starters for the 25K and 50K combined. Once we broke off from those running the 25K at 7.5 miles the field dropped considerably, but there were still lots of runners ahead of and behind be. I didn’t really notice when I started meeting those that had made the turn around and were headed back but the closer I got to the 15.5 mile turn around the more I saw. Most shouted out words of encouragement like “you are almost ½ way”, “good job”, or “the aid station is at the top of the next hill”. Those that knew me called my by name. It sure felt great! I entered the turn a round aid station at 3 hours 31 minutes.
I headed out again after just a 3 minute break to grab a snack and fill my water bottles. I felt strong and the first little bit was down hill. I was pretty much running by myself at this point. Frank had dropped back due to twinges in his hamstring and muscle cramping (and eventually dropped from the race), however I could always see runners with a light ahead of me and behind me so I knew I wasn’t alone. The best part now was that every step I took was bringing me closer to the finish. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. I would pass a runner every now and then which also gave me a boost of confidence. When I reached the 23.5 mile aid station (the 7.5 on the way out), they were so nice. Making sure I was ok, asking me if I needed anything. I found out at that point that they were having an unusual amount of runners dropping out. I guess the heat and humidity were taking their toll on many. I felt strong! After another short break I headed out.
From that point on I didn’t see another runner. No one in front – No one behind. It was kind of creepy. A few times one of the sag vehicles would drive by with runners that had dropped and ask me if I was doing ok. My answer every time… Yes, I feel good. I talked to myself some, encouraging myself with things like “you are going to make it”, “you have got this”, “just keep running/walking”. Finally at about 26 miles my legs were starting to get tired. Miraculously nothing was hurting. No knee pain, no muscle pain, no foot or ankle pain, just plain old fatigue. I kept trodding on… in the DARK, with a flashlight.
Several times I was creeped out by what sounded like someone behind me. I would turn around and there was no one there. In fact once, I was convinced there was someone coming up on me, I turned and let out a scream. Again, no one! I think I was hearing an echo of my own footsteps. It sure would have helped if I would have had someone with me. Eventually I got to mile 30 and hit paved road. I knew it wasn’t far now and picked up the pace a little (it helped that I didn’t have to dodge rocks and dips anymore). As I rounded the corner into the campground, Jesse Garrett, was there to meet me and run me it. Less than a quarter mile to go. I had made it. Frank and several others were there to cheer me across the finish line. 7 hours 25 minutes 20 seconds after I started I crossed the finish line and became an Ultra Runner. Judy Massingill
Ultra Running
It’s so helpful to have a mantra when you run to keep your focus, keep everything going together the way you want it while you run and keeping you injury free so you can keep on running. The Chi Running team has been one of the great sources of helpful running information for me. Thought I would share this with everyone, just read it in the monthly e-newsletter.
From Certified Chi Running Instructor Lee Killpack
Learning to cooperate with gravity is essential to both our posture and our impact with the ground. In my workshops I have my participants run to the beat of the metronome while thinking “up” with the beep and their heel lift. I then have them mentally think “down” with the beep and their footfall. We then return to thinking “up.” If you try this you will find that there is an amazing difference in the lightness you feel in your body and in your impact with the ground when you think about your feet (and body) going “up” rather than “down.”
My favorite mantra to go along with this is “Lengthen, Level, Lift” as I run or walk.
• Lengthen – Think lengthen your spine
• Level – Think level your pelvis
• Lift – Think lift a limp lower leg from the ankle
I say each word of the mantra once, and match each word to one beep of the metronome. Then I take a few strides without the mantra to check in with my body. Let your body and mind be a team as you lighten your step.
I highly recommend “everything Chi” whenn it comes to running!
Running Tips
Just wanted to issue a quick THANK YOU to all CRC runners that made the trip to Malvern and represented the CRC so very well.
We were able to field both a men’s and women’s team, so each team was able to score some points.
Currently the CRC Men are listed in 2nd place… however, your 16 best scores are what end up counting (11 races complete, 20 total races), and if you drop our lowest score (evens us up with LRR & RVR with 10 races) we are actually one point behind RVR and in 3rd place.
The CRC Women are currently in 6th place, not out of it yet, but we need to get in some good races over the summer. See if we can make up a little ground.
Here is the link to the full team score board.
Again… thanks to those that ran Malvern, good luck to those racing this weekend, and most of all… Have a SAFE & HAPPY 4th of July weekend!
Next race is the Dam Night Run 5k on July 31 at beautiful Lake DeGray. Save the date and be there! If you are not on the Grand Prix team, click here to join today – it’s not too late.
Your GP Coordinator,
pt
Grand Prix
~