June 13th Team Training

I completed today's 5-mile course in about 80 minutes. That pace is much slower than what I have been doing but I felt like I was going as fast as I could. I'm a little disappointed, but some days are like that I guess. I went to bed with a sore throat and woke up with a sore throat, so I'll give myself some grace. The important thing is, I finished the full 5 miles and didn't turn around at the early turn back point.

Before the workout, Coaches Noah and Jennifer taught a clinic on proper running and walking form. Summary: head up, neck relaxed, shoulders back, chest up to take in maximum air, arms relaxed at a 90 degree angle as if gliding on drawer rails, hands held loosely. For running, the goal is for the foot to strike the ground under the body's center of gravity -- better many short strides than a too-long one. For walking, the heel strikes the ground first.

After the workout, a physical therapist taught a clinic on stretches and keeping muscle pairs in balance in terms of flexibility and strength to prevent injury. I asked her about the pain on the insides of my knees that have been troubling my attempts to jog rather than walk. She suggested that the trouble actually stems from weak hip and outer thigh muscles and suggested some body mechanics and strengthening exercises to build up those muscles.