My
2018 training is all about bounding and more bounding
By bounding I mean the explosive skipping exercise as demonstrated here
I
have been meaning to incorporate more “plyometric drills” into my training for
a long time. Probably since 2004 early in my second running life, I was
told that easy, volume runs were of limited value and my training sessions would be
better spent doing drills. I had been trying to learn how to
swim and complete a triathlon, and in swim training drills are
paramount, so I was receptive to the idea of focusing on strength and form.
But
I feared that the dramatic impact of bounding might cause injury, I was not
100% clear on proper bounding technique, and of course, most of all, I just enjoyed
easy runs and didn’t care.
Then last year at a Club Northwest workout, the coach Tom had us all do bounding
drills and spotting my horrible form, he showed me how by thinking about
throwing my hands forward such that even I could achieve adequate technique.
Just
a few months later I attended a running form clinic by Mike Trees who suggested
that my easy runs were essentially worthless (for race performance improvement & general health)* and after videotaping me running he pointed how relatively little
power I was generating each time my foot pushed off the ground (essentially my
back leg was far more bent on completing each step than would be
optimal). While my overall running form was
otherwise efficient after years of running, I had become lazy and I had lost
power as I grew older.
So
I am embarking on a roughly 12 week experiment of 3x per week bounding drills - mostly
on uphills. I am not expecting a dramatic drop in race times, but am
curious if I can discern any improvement in power.
So
far (as you might expect) the shock of this unfamiliar exertion has just made me slower: at this year's Shibuya Ekiden 2.9k I run 10:16 vs. 9:57 several years ago,
Kanagawa
10k fast course — 37:35 (vs. Tateyama in 37:12 at same time last year), and on 5,000 track time trial — 18:36 vs. 18:00 in September.
* I am not 100% in agreement that my easy run days are totally worthless - recall that I tend toward 80%/20% training philosophy -- 80% of benefit comes from quality sessions, which constitute 20% of training volume
-- and some of volume may be cross-training in my case.
