It seems quite appropriate, after my recent foot-injury
scare, that this be the next exercise in the series. To quote the authors, “This exercise is
designed to give you a clear sense of running without pushing off with your
feet.” Hoping that if I can really,
truly, stop pushing off with my right toe, I can really, truly increase my
distance without re-injuring my foot.
The first step in this exercise was to warm up with a
10-minute run, then to do four repeats of the knee bending exercise. What, exactly, is the knee bending exercise? It’s a three step drill.
Step 1: Run in place
by just bending your knees and picking up your heels. Do this with your hands holding the sides of
your legs – to make sure you’re not lifting your knees. Do this keeping your lower legs limp and
relaxed. Do 30 – rest 30 seconds –
repeat three times.
Step 2: Start running
in place, add a lean, then run for about 20 feet, making sure you don’t tense
your ankles as you lean.
Step 3: Repeat step
2, and at a spot about 10 yards from where you started, add the arm swing.
The Y’Chi part comes in between steps 2 and 3. What, exactly, is Y’Chi? It’s the Chinese term for using your mind to
direct the energy and movement of your body through
your eyes. In the context of
running, the authors recommend visualizing your body filled with energy,
focusing that energy on a point in the distance, and running to that point
without ever breaking your gaze.
After doing the knee bending exercise, continue to run at a
comfortable pace with your countdown timer set to repeat every two
minutes. When the timer goes off, stop
and do the knee-bending exercise again, going through all three steps.
Countdown timer?
Yikes – I don’t own a countdown timer.
Thankfully – there’s an app for that.
I downloaded “Ultrachron Lite” from the Google App Store and set it for
a two-minute countdown.
During the 3.5 mile course I ran, I was able to do the
knee-bending exercise five times. I
think I’m getting the feel of a true midfoot strike, but I’m still not relaxing
my lower legs nearly enough, and yes, I caught myself bouncing – which means I’m
still pushing off with my toes. As for
Y’Chi – well, I am way too easily distracted.
I lost my gaze every single time.
The smart-phone countdown timer was probably not as
efficient as the multi-function watches you see in the running stores. I had to manually reset it each time for the
2 minute countdown. I may have to invest
in a real runner’s watch. I may have to
get a part-time job to support my running habit. J
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