Ahhh, a competitive runner when young. That explains it. I don't think I ran a full mile without walking until I turned 33 or 34 and at the time, I was badly overweight, probably 235 lbs.

You're spot on about mechanics and breath control. Most people don't think about those factors at all. But hey, I'm almost 47 and can still get miles in the low 7s but it's NOT fun. I prefer 9:30 to 10 minute pace with a good audio book in my headphones.
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Lol, yeah. One of the first things I can remember my XC coach telling me was running fast was 50% pain management.


Last time I ran a timed mile, I managed 7:12, and it sucked. But it wouldn't have been possible at all if I hadn't practiced my mechanics and breath control for 3 weeks prior. I had to use pretty much every trick I knew to run that time. And my knees/ankles hurt so bad after that I couldn't run at all for three or four weeks.


Now that I think of it, you guys are probably right. The first time my brother tried to run a mile with me, he quit a little after the half-mile point. And he was physically in a lot better shape than I was. He'd just never run a mile before. Took him a couple weeks to get that first mile in, iirc. Biggest thing was the lack of breath control.
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A buddy of mine told me two things about running any kind of distance a long time ago. One is that running fast hurts and you have to learn how to compartmentalize pain. The second was more of a breathing trick; I breathe in and breathe out while I count strides. The numbers subtly change as I speed up but the whole purpose of that exercise was to get my mind on something other than the burning in my legs and lungs. Now I only do the counting thing if I'm trying to pick up the pace but it still taught me a lot about breath control and forcing my brain to think of something else when it really hurts.
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Also, yeah I was on the XC team and the track team in 9th/10th grades, but I wasn't the fastest on the team. Not even close. My fastest 3-mile time was 18:11, but our captain ran the same race in 16:45 or something like that. Three other guys on the team beat me to the finish line, two of them also under 18 minutes, iirc.

So I ran 'competitively,' as in I ran on the HS a team vs. other HS teams, but I wasn't super competitive in terms of times in most races.
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Did you really break bones in your feet? :-)
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After I had played a season of high school basketball I ran a mile around 6:30 min. Fast forward to middle age and I can't even run much faster than an 8 minute mile and Ive been running a couple times a week for a couple of months.
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Pacheco punishes the ground


At least you did not run like AP, he looked like he had a wet diaper
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Watch the beginning of Macfarland, USA. First scene of the boys running past Kevin Costner's character (on their way home, I think). That's what it's supposed to look like. Forget the speed; they're moving pretty good.

Look at how quiet their upper bodies are; almost no bounce, hands/elbows moving in straight lines, not curving around their torsos, shoulders stay pretty square. Backs straight, slight lean forward, toes pointed. As my coach used to say, "less is more." minimize extra (lateral) movement in your upper body. Shoulders should be relaxed as possible. just let your arms hang and move in straight lines. Eliminates the body's need to compensate for the lateral motion, and conserves energy. Don't make fists. Kind of cup your fingers like a swimmer.

One thing you can't really see in the movie is that their running slightly pigeon-toed. Imagine there's a line running between your feet out to infinity. Try to put your big toe on that line with every stride. That's reduce your bounce and lengthen your stride. Conserves energy.


Breath on a 4 count. In through the nose and mouth for 4 seconds, out through the mouth only for 4 seconds. At first you might only be able to do 3 seconds but work towards 4. Keep your head up, almost like you're sniffing the air. That keeps your airway as open as possible.


You should be as relaxed as possible, no matter how fast you're going. Smooth is fast. Start out just working on your stride. Pick up the pace when you no longer have to think about your feet.
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Yes. All of them
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Man, that's 52 bones. I hope you got a couple of those supportive boots to wear.
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And remember, everybody, if you donate $19 to carcosa's foot recovery fund, he'll send you this a-dow-a-ble blanket.


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Watch out for toilets. I once knew a guy.
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I’m actually running my first ever 5k this Saturday. I’ve always HATED running. But I’m in my early 40’s and stepped on the scale in December to find out I was 20lbs heavier than I thought. And I already thought I was chubby bordering fat. Walked my ass straight downstairs and got on the treadmill. Spent almost every day in December-Feb on that damn treadmill. Started with 3 miles incline walking at a fast pace for about 6 weeks until that stopped getting my heart rate as high as I wanted and then I transitioned to running. Got pretty used to running 2-3 miles almost every day and managed to shed a little over 40lbs by end of March.


All that being said, I still don’t ENJOY running. Never caught the bug like a lot of people do. I do like the fact I can do it and not die and I certainly feel better overall. But I’ve still never ran outside, only on the treadmill. So Saturday will be my first “real” 5k I’ve ever run. Kinda unsure if I expect it to be easier or tougher than down in my basement.
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