life is like a box of chocolates ...
Last nite the old fogeys wouldn't let us crash their Swing class. 'cuz they said it was 'intermediate' and we had to go to the newbie 6-weeker first. Well, I just think that's pure discrimination.
stupid old people.
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Anywho ~ didn't get a chance to ride yesterday. That blows. As much as I want to hit the remaining roadie-scum races this year ... the likelihood is fast jettisoning out the poop hatch. We'll see.
Instead, afterwork I forced the woman to do the uber-gay running drills.
RUNNING DRILLS? Don't you just run?
Not on my watch, soldier.
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For years ... i mean years I was addicted to running. It was back when I didn't even know bike racing existed. Never seen the TourDayFrance, never new about the UCI or 23c or anything other than getting tubular in a wave. I was a runner.
Was I fast? Yes. Was I ever national caliber? No. I tried every gawdamn distance, too. From the sprints to the marathon ... never once did I win a big race. Never once. But, I loved me some running. It was moving meditation, crucibled pain, purifying punishment.
And cheap as all hell.
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In Cross ... I hear about all these folks doing runs to get ready for the races. I hear about them out there for 30, 40 minutes ... slogging away to "get them in shape" for cross. Silly. Doing a 30 minute run will give aerobic advantages, of course. But, you should have that already with your cycling. What we need in cross running is ... speed and power.
In cross, the running is in short, intense bursts. I'm always surprised at how slowly some people run during races. It's as though they've got weights on their shoes ... pounding them into the ground with each stride. In cross, speed while running is a knife you can stick between your opponent's shoulder blades. Why not have it at your disposal?
To get speed ... one has to ~ practice running fast? To practice running fast ... you need to slowly build into your body the adaptations needed to allow for speed running without risk of injury. To build adaptations to your body you need ... running drills.
These are technique drills that stretch ligaments, open up tendons, release muscle attachments grown stiff and stale from singular use. These are drills that force the core muscles to increase in flexibility and strength, allowing the body to return to balance, return to a lively, lithe, tingling sense of coiled, kinetic energy.
And during all of these drills ... never running more than a minute at a time.
30 minute runs ... phooey! All your doing is pounding your legs, teaching them to run in a slow, shortened slog of a stride. Stop it!
Run Fast by breaking down the elements of speed and training them ... allowing your body to adapt to each ~ slowly, surely, beautifully. And then run fast.
31 comments:
"If you knew all the answers and could give to the masses
Would you do it?"
oV's school of silly walks
you love it.
... and Reed is quoting Flaming Lips.
physicists aren't supposed to listen to that shit.
VB, did he make you guys do stuff that felt silly? like bounding, or running with you knees unnaturally high?
i hate that.
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unfortunately, as usual, Olaf the Wise is correct--distance running just prepares us for...more distance running.
A very timely post. XBunny wanted to start some running and I had to caution her about not overdoing it when she still has a few road races to do in the next few weeks.
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So, please shoot some video next time you guys 'run' so we can all learn exactly what kind of drills we should do...
we want videos!
Hmmm....I'm not a runner. I only run from July to November for CX. If I were to go out and do speed-work before building a biomechanical base for running, I'd end up with shin splints, blown hamstrings, and hammer toes!!! Gotta do the shorter (then longer) slow stuff before I can do the short intense stuff.
And I'm still slow (with weights in my feet). Maybe not this year...
vgurl ... read carefully!
the drills ARE the "biomechanical base" for speed.
we won't actually be running fast for weeks to come.
oy. i'm gonna have to spank the vgurl.
oh, just ignore her....
; )
oV never misses a reference (and man does he know his stuff).
I look forward to "running" for CX in the fall. I get to enjoy non-bike legal singletrack and Jack (our dog) wonders why I keep stopping every minute or so. He loves the hill repeats though...
Dude, I'll have to come run with you guys. Sounded to me like you're doing plyo drills or something.
PAB....I can't hear you...la, la, la, la, la.
there was nothing fast about this workout
and yes, we ran with high knees, and goosestepped, I think we even did the hustle, and we did
eeeegads....
sit ups.
Sit ups? GASP! Sit ups are for woosies (with strong cores and firm bellies) -- definitely not me!!!
eeewwww, situps....
what is this, like, 'try to be healthy' week or something?
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i'm having another piece of pie....
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VG--you are sooo gonna get it--with glitter...
Last year Giannee and I rode the cross bikes (or in my case something that ressembled one) over to Shadow Cliffs and attacked (ran over) the park benches and picanic tables. My short legs didn't like it, so I paid him back with a couple of laps on the BMX track...on cross bikes.
But it sure helped, much less pain in the hips after the races.
so where are the details of these drills?...
This should pretty much cover it
roll your mouse over the pics to see demo
love the run bit myself OV. Hills, trails and intevals are my favorite. Got a herny doing it but mesh fixed that up nicely and even killed the cronic groin pain.
100% agree to running drills.
so....did you sign up for the newbie class?
Hey, does tennis help??? Probably not......but it would give me an excuse to keep playing that stupid game.
Skips.Gotta be pretty secure with oneself for skips. They really unload the legs, though.
Nome, we'll have to hit the BMX track again soon. Just too fun.
nope.
newbie class doesnt start until Mid September.
Our attentions pretty much guarantee that we will have moved on to something else by then.
we took swing in college so we can give you lessons
"we" who?
i thought that was you i took that class with but it could have been some other dashing young fellow....there were so many i have trouble remembering who is who....
well, i remember taking the class...
but giving lessons?
"here, fall down like this..."
Senor OV,
I am fascinated by your statement:
"These are technique drills that stretch ligaments, open up tendons, release muscle attachments grown stiff and stale from singular use. These are drills that force the core muscles to increase in flexibility and strength, allowing the body to return to balance, return to a lively, lithe, tingling sense of coiled, kinetic energy."
In my work, I refer to it as core conditioning. By utilizing multi planes of motion (sagital, frontal and especially the Tranverse) one has to relearn how to activate those neuromuscular pathways to fire without "thinking" about it. Not only do the abs have to fire but the glutes have a big roll (no pun intended) in core strength and power. Funny walks are GOOD. If you don't already use one, you might want to incorporate a bit of foam rolling as well> Not only does it feel like a powerful massage, on the neuromuscular level it activates the GTO (Golgi Tendon Organ) outside the muscle spindle to fire and help lengthen chronic tightness.
I would love to see your drills. come on take some pics :)
Mike I know all about running drills...yep i did thousands of them in my years or running in circles. Jumpers do more drills than any other human in the world. Ahh those were the days...
Roger, you are SO doing 'cross this year.
Half-liter beer curls keep me in pretty good shape.
roger and reed
we need some good blog names for you two....
you're now committed to posting some pics of the swing in motion
so are the guys doing 30 and 40 minutes running all year? If not they are in for a rude awakening - well at least a slower adaption. I agree on drills & speed work (strides, etc.) but you have to adapt the tendons and muscles specific to running first or injury is awaiting - just cycling does not cut it as a base for running.
all this talk of running now has me wanting too go hit the trail.
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