oh, yeah

...admittedly, I'm a bit hyper these days. Having energy and proper nutrient absorption has given me quite a bit of energy as well as optimism, and a long list of ideas about improving running.

Since I've still got a long way to go before I get back to my usual running volume, I've been thinking about form a lot. I've written about various things before, most recently keeping a strong core and a loose jaw. This has been reinforced by going to umpteen yoga classes.

Most of the yoga I do is Yin. The poses are held for longer and though they're not as muscular as those in other forms, there is tension, and part of the practice is recognizing where it moves to, and loosening that up. For example, if I'm targeting my hips, after a while, other parts tend to tense up, particularly my shoulders and, yes, my jaw. Surprise, surprise! It's so much simpler when different things coincide like that.

Another thing which yoga has helped with is the core. Yoga helps strengthen this, but it also helps activate it. Some of the core exercises in Matt's Fitzgerald's book are designed to increase awareness about as well as exercise certain deep core muscles. When you know about them, and can feel them, you can keep them activated more readily. I'd played with this on and off.

And then recently I went to a power yoga class. I used to do power yoga a lot when I first took up yoga 8 or 9 years ago...it had been a while since I'd been to a class. And, actually, I wound up in the class by accident (can't remember if I've already written about that here), but it was a really good experience and a good chance to practice Ujjayi breath and the lock. Ujjayi breath keeps the back of the throat loose--I tried and failed to do it while running, but even thinking about it helps keeps air intake more open, I think. I forget what the lock is called--it's basically a Kegel exercise combined with sucking the gut in. Well, this sort of thing helps with running too!

The third thing I've been thinking about recently is foot strike. I suspect that I tend to flex my feet perhaps too much before landing; it's wasted motion. I'm not a heavy heel-striker but I've still gotten into this habit. I'm trying to be more lazy about tilting my feet upwards. My toes, ok, but the whole foot can be a little more lazy.