Notes
Focussed on form the whole time, which made this a hard enough "easy" run that I'm icing now. But it taught me a lot. I was focussing mainly on turnover and, at first, mid- or fore-foot striking as well. Initially my leg-turnover rate was around 170 or in the low 170's. That was hard enough that I tried just to keep it there. After a few miles it was too difficult to care anymore about foot strike, so I ended up focussing only on turnover. The first muscles to start hurting were my calves, but then it became mainly my hamstrings, especially the more problematic right one. Even though I wasn't running fast, the faster turnover made me winded too. It was clearly more taxing aerobically and on my hamstrings that a normal easy run. By 6-7 miles I was having trouble keeping turnover up to 170. But after stopping briefly at a light, I was able to hit 179 and then 178. The way this felt conjured up images of Haile, even though I was running 7:40 pace. I hypothesize that my turnover has been much slower for nearly all of my running (since I have rarely done speedwork) than when I race, and that this has inhibited 1) my aerobic development, and 2) muscular development in my hamstrings. When I run a race and suddenly use a much faster turnover, my hamstrings wear down fast and my lungs can't fuel them. In longer races, especially marathons, this also leaves my hamstrings very sore and keeps me from recovering quickly. If that's right, then focussing on a faster turnover during easy runs could significantly strengthen my hamstrings and increase the aerobic impact of easy runs. I could run faster in races simply by taking more steps in easy runs while perhaps even running slower. I'll continue focussing on turnover in every run, while taking care to avoid over-taxing my hamstrings, especially on the right. I think foot-strike is less important. Though it is true that heel striking slows you down and increases the shock of impact, mid- or fore-foot striking is almost unavoidable when you have a fast turnover and don't extend your lower leg much in front of you. So that's the thing to focus on.