it turns out that the new instructor for the core workouts at jack & adam's is a cross fit instructor. its been difficult to sit the last two days because of all the lunges!
i went for my first run with the leadville training group last night. we did a two-hour run out and back on the trails. fortunately, jack had also done the cross fit workout on wednesday night, so i wasn't the only one whose legs felt a little rubbery!
the first hour or so of the run was in the daylight, and the second half we were running with headlamps. if you've never trail run in the dark before (and you like running), i'd recommend it. the experience is a bit surreal. all you can see is the circle of light in front of you thrown by your headlamp, meanwhile, you're still running. you have to respond to things very quickly.
i was reading a paper recently by grimmer et al. which talks about self-stability during running. self-stability is a mechanical property of a system which enables the system to adjust to a perturbation without actually sensing the perturbation itself. so basically, if you are a system that has self-stability, you can run on uneven ground without paying attention to the unevenness of the ground (because you're human, you also exert some active neuromuscular control, but i digress). one way you might respond to the unevenness of the ground is by changing the stiffness of your leg (i.e. bending your knees more or less). so really, i wasn't on a training run last night at all...i was simply doing "field research" on how people respond to perturbations when ambulating. i love what i do.
i'm excited to run with this group more. i liked the company and the pace. jack said there are some more young (young in this sport = late 20s, early 30s) ultra runners in the area to whom i need to be introduced as well. a few conversations from the run last night have made me start thinking more about how i'm training and how, given my current fitness, i should probably re-assess my goals (and make them more difficult). never underestimate the power of a supportive community.
2 comments:
I bet you could gain some more insight if you stick some of the reflective markers on Jack and watch them move around once you've got the headlamps on ;)
Glad you joined them to run!
his shoes have little reflective insets on them that kept reflecting in the light of the headlamps. it was kind of funny actually!
Post a Comment