Hello all! Caitlin Steeves here. My recent graduation has been an inspiration to re-start up these physical therapy-related "Fireside Chats" - I wanted to share with you all a recent experience I had. Now, I have to admit right off the bat, I DO NOT LIKE running. I did it throughout high school - but just to stay in shape for dance class. I was the skinny girl huffing and puffing for no apparent reason in the BACK of the pack (I'm pretty sure the 5k personal best that my coached clocked for me at 26:29 was a bit of a stretch). When done correctly (ie proper form), running can have so many health benefits - yet it always felt like such a battle every time I sneaker-suited-up that I've never been consistent about keeping a jogging schedule. Plus, many women find it hard to participate in bone-and-joint jarring activities like jogging after having a baby because of all that bouncing around on an already abused bladder. (Ahem.)
So, the point of this post is to tell you that I recently had the BEST run I've ever had in my life. It wasn't for very long (3 miles of walking/jogging total) and I was still huffing and puffing, but my body felt pretty awesome. (And no bladder bouncing up and down!) And it is because I tried out a few new running tips passed along by one of my last CI's (clinical instructors). *Disclaimer* I am not affiliated, nor do I have any financial interest in the following website/organization***
If you go to www.goodformrunning.com (**PLEASE see above disclaimer!) you will see on their home page 4 tips for optimal running form. I can talk about all of them at a later date, but right now I just want to talk about the two tips that I tried out the other day: leaning forward and striking with your midfoot.
First,
leaning forward: Sounds kind of obvious, right? Let gravity pull you forward so you are doing more of a controlled fall rather than fighting against your forward progression with a completely upright body. Obvious, maybe, but I have ALWAYS run completely upright. Some sort of misplaced sense of upright being
good posture, I guess. I even have video proof! In one of my dance pieces in college, we had to run across the stage. In the video, you see the four other dancers running, really leaning into it - and then there's Caitlin, bouncing along straight up and down, wondering why she can't keep up with everybody else! So, as soon as I purposefully leaned forward from the waist (and yes, it did feel like I was falling), I felt
propelled forward!.
Second,
striking with the midfoot: This one's a little more tricky, but I truly believe it made a huge difference during my run. I have always run heel-toe, heel-toe. When you strike the ground with your midfoot (see the above link to get tips on "finding" your midfoot), you land with a more flat foot, yes, but you also then get onto your toe quicker, and push off quicker, eliminating the loss of energy that happens when you are clunking down on your heel, levering your foot all the way down to flat, and then (finally!) pushing off with your toe. As I said, it's a tricky thing to try for the first time (and I'm not convinced I was doing it totally right) and I had to think about where I was placing my foot almost the entire time. But, again, I felt
PROPELLED across the ground - I ran at a faster pace than I have ever run before without even trying to increase my speed. I was convinced that this technique was, indeed, using my legs in a new/different way because the next morning, when I usually get my nice delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in my quads, my quads actually felt fine and my calves were the ones feeling sore! (For you folks out there with calf issues, this may be reason enough to try these tips on a trial basis at first - no running out there like gangbusters and then blaming Caitlin for your new injuries!!)
After feeling so good just by adding in a forward lean and striking with my midfoot, I tried going back to my old running pattern. It was familiar, yes, but I immediately felt how jarring and laborious it was to be running heel-toe and totally upright. I may not have this new form totally down to a science, but for the first time in my puny running career, I'm willing to try to get there.
Take a look over at www.goodformrunning.com, try out the tips, and let me know what you think. I'm especially interested in what you long-time runners have to say. Too awkward? Too late in the game to change up your form? I'd love your feedback.
Happy running!
It is sad to say it has been 5 years since I've seen some of my dearest friends in the entire world. My Smith ladies are among the wackiest, most loving, most affectionate, passionate, intelligent, and talented women that I have ever been blessed to know and to love. We are a fairly diverse group in terms of 1) profession: physician, teachers, diplomat, physical therapist, actor/director, engineer, public policy worker, social media . . . and 2) geography: Boston, LA, Scotland, Rhode Island, Syracuse, Thailand, Wisconsin, Queens, Costa Rica . . . Needless to say it has been difficult to get us all together in the same country, in the same time zone :) Fortunately, with a few notable exceptions (we missed you FG! Love you Cyn!), we were able to make it happen this past weekend!! (Disclaimer* I took a total of 3 pictures the whole weekend so these are not mine!)
Have you had the experience any time recently where you find yourself with people who simultaneously impress and amaze you with their passions and accomplishments AND make you feel as if YOU are the most special, accomplished, inspiring person yourself? That's what it's like to be around these ladies :) Galavanting around NYC with them gave me a much needed boost in morale - we moseyed around Williamsburg, partook of foodie delights in Smorgasburg, sipped good beer while "hanging out" onstage with the Broadway cast of Once (ok, so the rest of the audience was up there too, but we did get to stand 3 feet away while they jammed out irish folksy songs!), threw back a few Guinness in an Irish pub (a few of the ladies displayed their Scottish dancing skills), took a water taxi around Lady Liberty (with extra champagne thanks to Charles in Charge), and generally ate as much good food (also junk food) as possible. I believe we even snuck some SoHo shopping in there :) My sisters would be so proud!
- surround yourself with the people/things that inspire and motivate you
