Crossroads at the Chicago Marathon

A group from Crossroads Community Church in Adrian Michigan that is training for the Chicago Marathon


Email Brian Glass

brian(put the 'at' sign here)glassbrian.com


on the web

http://ilovemychurch.org

join group to post a message Recent Posts RSS Feed

read ChiRunning
by: brianglass - May 13 2008, 7:55AM
Incidentally, I quit using my running shoes because they make me pronate even more. I'm using my everyday going to work shoes. They don't have the big arch support and are lighter and flatter. My feet feel better. I've already done some 5 and 6 milers in them. I think I'll look for a new pair of running shoes that are flatter and lighter. I wouldn't suggest doing this unless your are also going to change your form. If you are a heel striker then you will definitely need some serious padding.
reply to message reply to message

reply to message read this post
read ChiRunning
by: brianglass - May 13 2008, 7:46AM
It's basically all about posture. The basic system is to relax and allow your core muscles to do most of the work. Imagine your joints, particularly ankles, knees, and hips, to open up and relax. Some of the keys are to keep your feet parallel instead of pronating. Imaine yourself running along on a tight-rope or railroad track rail. To do this you must allow your upper body to swing more. You'll allow your hands to swing all the way back to your sides and your elbows behind your back. The rotation caused by your core muscles is what will primarily propel you forward - not your legs. All movement starts in your body's center, just below the navel. Don't use your calves to propel yourself forward. Relaxation is key. Leaning forward is your accelarator. The more you lean, the faster you go. You lean from the ankles, not the waist. You allow your legs to go up behind you as much as they want and you will be landing on the flat or ball of the foot rather than the heel. Landing on the heel is like putting on the brakes. Your feet will not land way out in front of you, but just a little bit in front of you or underneath you. Think of yourself as standing still and pushing a conveyor belt underneath you. If done successfully, it feels like you are floating along. It requires some serious mental focus to maintain this though. The Chinese developed their insights by observing animals. Observe a cheetah running and see what it does. It's speed is not all leg. A major portion of its speed is from the motion of its spine. Focusing on your core muscles and relaxing your legs and other auxiliary muscles will allow your spine to flex and extend and propel your legs. You really have to read the book and look at the pictures to do this correctly. This little writeup won't cut it. As soon as I'm done with it I'll pass it on. It's going to take a lot of practice to learn to do this properly.
reply to message reply to message

reply to message read this post
read Gain Inspiration link on Chicagomarathon.com
by: hleepert - May 9 2008, 7:55AM
So my niece was selected as one of the participants to keep an online diary in the inspiration bank on the Chicago Marathon's website.  Go to chicagomarathon.com and click on runner diaries under the gain inspiration tab.  She is about half-way down(Emily).  She gave me some credit for inspiring her to run the marathon this year.  Pretty cool!
reply to message reply to message

reply to message read this post
read ChiRunning
by: RapidoHombre - Apr 29 2008, 9:53PM
Sounds interesting, since both my feet are killing me while running now, even if I have New Balance 767's on, I'm wondering what are the best things you've learned from this book?
reply to message reply to message

reply to message read this post
read ChiRunning
by: brianglass - Apr 29 2008, 7:22AM
I'm reading this book. I'm only 1/3 through the book and it has already made a big impact on my running (and my Taiji). Running is much easier and less painful and my breathing has become more conversational. My speed went down a lot the first run out because I was just learning the changes in form, but last night's run was much faster.
reply to message reply to message

reply to message read this post
read Heart Monitor
by: brianglass - Apr 4 2008, 8:27AM
I just got this inexpensive Omron heart monitor and used it for the first time this morning. It works great. I actually found that I had to bump my speed up just a bit from what I had been doing. But maybe that was just because I don't usually run first thing in the morning. My breathing felt about the same. My heart rate range for an aerobic workout is 130-145bpm. That put me at about 6.5mph at the beginning. I had to notch it down a bit by the end to keep it in that range and ended up with a 10:19 minute mile average including warm-up and cool-down for 4 miles.
reply to message reply to message

reply to message read this post

add basic event | add raceupcoming events

Event Date
Bank of America Chicago Marathon 10/12/2008
 

group routes

name length location
18 miler - South 18.03 mi. Onsted, MI
20 miler - Training Chicago 20.00 mi. Onsted, MI
Around the lake 9.55 miles 9.50 mi. Onsted, MI
Coble 4 miler 4.12 mi. Lillington, NC
Gilbert Shepard - 8 miler 8.17 mi. Onsted, MI
Gilgale - Slee 10 miler 9.88 mi. Onsted, MI
Green - Ives 4.25 miler 4.21 mi. Tecumseh, MI
Home to LCS 10.98 mi. Onsted, MI
Onsted Trail 5.11 mi. Onsted, MI
Onsted Trail and Slee 5.04 mi. Onsted, MI
View all 14 routes