Butt Running

I met Stacey Richardson of  Triangle Multisport coaching this morning at the UNC track.  She is a pro triathlete and USAT coach, and I asked her to help me with my running.   I told her I need to make a pace of 10 min/mile on the run at the Duke 1/2, and I don’t see it happening unless I get some help.

It was a great session and I learned so much.  She said my running form is good.  That was nice to hear.  She said I have to use my butt more when running, in order to engage my glutes.  She called it “Butt Running”, LOL!   She also said that I need to do some core work to strengthen my abs…particularly for longer races like  the 1/2 iron, the upper body will slouch when fatigued.  I know that happens to me – I can see it in my race photos!

Here is what I remember from our talk:

• we did some stretches.  she said i am very tight and need to stretch more. oops.   More flexibility in the hips will help me run better.
• she asked if I did any core/strength work.  Nope. oops again.  That will also help me run better, and keep from slouching.
• she said to come to the UNC track someday and watch the UNC track stars run.   Watch them do their drills.   They spend 30 minutes a day doing drills before their speedwork.    Skips, high knees, jumping rope.   She’s going to send me some drills.
• She said I should be running 30 miles a week, not 20.
• I told her I seek out hills in training.  She said half my long runs (every other week) should be done on flatter terrain.    Flatter terrain will encourage light feet and better turnover.  Hills develop more  power in running.   I think that’s what she said.
• She asked if I listen to music.  Oopsy.  yes, always!   She said that at the very least, for my shorter interval running, to skip the music.  Instead, I should listen to my feet and try to make them quieter.  Light, light, light.
• Looking at my logs, she thought I wasn’t getting my heart rate up high enough on my interval training runs.   She also said if I can at all afford it, to go to the training lab to get proper LT testing.
• Looking at my race logs and heart rate data, she said I am going too hard on the bike in my races.    If I ease up on the bike a little, I can have a better run.   She said I’m a good enough runner to do this and I should trust that.
• I don’t know if I can explain this one.  She said my hips are too stiff when running, and I need to move them more, in order to engage the glutes.    Funny, I have been trying hard to run like a robot!  She also said something about balancing hip movements with arms.  She also said to “Play with it”.     That’s what I will do!
• She told me she thought I could lose 5 lbs, and that will help me alot.      She made a point to say it in a nice way, meaning for athletic reasons, not because she thought I was fat.  It was funny,  Iwas not offended in any way, because I strive to do this anyway.
• The Matt Fitzgerald training plan book is great stuff, but a stock plan doesn’t take into account my individual needs.   So, she said don’t be afraid to modify the plan (or even rethink it) to address my limiter of running.
• I told her my training plan was designed for B2B as my “A” race, but I really am thinking more about the Duke 1/2 and wanting to achieve my sub 6 hour goal there.    She said I need to make a choice what is more important, and do I want to do a full taper for Duke.

Gosh, I think I’ve already forgotten half of what she told me!   I’ll update this list if I think of more stuff.