One Girl Her Backpack and a Passion for Travel

We’re coming up on week 4 of Team in Training and starting to reach the higher mileages (eek!). On Saturday we’ll be running 8 miles through River Oaks and trying to avoid the rodeo parade.

Here’s the route we’ll be taking:ch the higher mileages (eek!). On Saturday we’ll be running 8 miles through River Oaks and trying to avoid the rodeo parade.

Here’s the route we’ll be taking:

Yesterday we worked on our arm positioning technique when we run. We had to run for 40 minutes straight alternating arm swings for each lap around the track.  Here’s how it works (I’m quoting my coach’s email about practice):

a) Low arm swing: MOST efficient for long distance running. When we maintain a low arm swing we run with a shorter, quicker stride (less impact = less energy wasted). EMPHASIS is always on swinging your elbows backwards to assist in the propulsion of your legs forward. Cadence: the number of steps we take/minute (Goal: 180). I want you to practice this tonight. When we are running with a LOW arm swing I want you to count the number of steps you take on your RIGHT leg for ONE minute. Should be approximately 85-90 steps.

b) High arm swing- LESS efficient but more powerful. A higher arm swing leads to a longer stride. Emphasis is still on swinging your elbows backward. During Tuesday’s practice I want you to notice a SLIGHT increase in speed and effort (approximately 10%- this is NOT a lot). Notice a small change in both your respiration (breathing) and your heart rate.

I did notice that with the high arm swing I would tend to run a little faster and the low arm swing made me a little more relaxed.  It’s SO cool to learn these tips. When you’re just taking a jog around Memorial Park it doesn’t seem to really matter what your technique is but as you start getting into the longer distances being able to conserve energy here and there makes a huge difference.  Another really cool thing after yesterday’s training was that after the 40 minutes were up I wasn’t ready to quit running. I was in my groove.  I love that feeling!