The Middle Ground

Ratzer wrote (see)

Now who's got something that's just wackily out of the ordinary??

 Backwards downhill skipping on the recovery section of a hill rep.  Useful or not?  Discuss.

What about hurdling sheep instead of dodging them?

(Or is my thinking getting a bit wooolly now?.......  )

And as if by magic.....

http://www.coachjayjohnson.com/2010/01/training-video-001/

PhilPub wrote (see)

I'll pass on that, thanks.  The last time I fell over backwards going downhill was on a poorly executed snowboard accident.  Thankfully there was snow on the ground (funnily enough) but I still got a good thwack to the back of the head.

I would have hoped there was snow on the ground, otherwise you'd probably be a youtube sensation, like the star wars kid

PhilPub wrote (see)

I'll pass on that, thanks.  The last time I fell over backwards going downhill was on a poorly executed snowboard accident.  Thankfully there was snow on the ground (funnily enough) but I still got a good thwack to the back of the head.

Last time I did that I sat on my hand, and it still hasn't recovered!  (The hand, not my seat.)  Helmets are a great idea.  (For your head, not your seat!)

Haven't even figured out the skipping backwards bit yet, let alone trying to hurdle sheep while doing it.

What is the best recovery between reps?  Running, jogging, walking, skipping, standing, sitting, lying down...?  On hill reps, is moving backwards down the hill better than moving forwards down the hill?

You lot are mad!!

Thanks for coming back with the explanations Ratzer

On recovery I walk around, but if I did less reps I would jog (my excuse is I've earned my walk with some speed)...

Oh and I have a question about poor circulation - does anyone else suffer terribly with the cold like I do? I am slim (size 6) so  dont have lots of nice insulation, but you would think running would improve my circulation to keep me warmer, but I seem to be cold a lot of the time now... 

For me the best type of recovery depends solely on the type of session you are running.  In a season I have used anything from MP to standing still for 'recovery'.

Ratzer - you mentioned earlier running slightly downhill on your diagonal section.  Downhill running is something Lydiard recommended during his hill phase.  I have done a few downhill 10 * 100m sessions fast relaxed sessions at the park this year.  I found them useful but you absolutely have to have prepared diligently and built up to the session in the previous weeks. 

No doubt that downhill running can be stressful.  I have found it to be at its worst when following HR pacing then finding myself on a long steep downhill.  I give up and use it as a rest rather than try to sprint down!

The decline I use is gentle.  I give myself little chance of overextending, though it is a possibility, what with the point being to run at high speed to get used to the mechanics of it.  And I remember the mantra given by my snowboard instructor, that turning up the hill will slow you down!

Finally, the triangle I use results conveniently in all the sheep being herded into the bottom corner of the field where I can use them as a large, fluffy crash-mat.

Like a harem you could say?

Curly - 19:38.  39 secs off where she wants to be but a reasonable marker.  The John Carr course was not quite as quick as I believed (a bit off road and slightly undulating).  A bit of a scrum at the beginning made it hard to run a consistent line.

I did 16:58, which was ok too (46 faster than Bradford Parkrun which given the fact I've raced 3 times in the last week would put my estimate of Bradford of 60 secs slower than a flat one as pretty accurate).

Hilly was 1st F45 in the YVAA champs (5th or 6th woman on the night I think).

I was 20-odd in the race and got the 3rd M40 award as one guy in front had not entered the championships.

How did PRF do at one of my all time faves - Spencer's Dash?

Congrats to both of you, that must be starting to fire the enthusiasm back up again.

That 16:58 is exactly where I want to be at the end of the Summer - a lot of work to do between now and then though.

Spencer Arms was good tonight, 7th place and some more progress timewise. This is the progression since I started training again last year:

Apr09 24:44

May09 24:20

Jun09 24:04

Jul09 24:12

Aug09 23:51 (18th)

Sep09 23:28 (10th)

Apr10 23:13 (9th)

May10 22:42 (7th)

So nice progress but still a fair way off BRs 20:35 clocking last year!

Good progression there, PRF.

Having looked at the link Moraghan posted about backwards running I decided to look it up as I have heard that it is acutally beneficial to runners, but I've never really looked into it.  I found this http://www.backward-running-backward.com/PDF.Stevenson.pdf which is rather intersting.  There's a lot about boxers and other sports, but plenty in there to why it would be good for running. What do other's think?

Some good racing going on then

Reading that pdf now - loving the quality pictures!  

Barnsley Runner wrote (see)

PRF - don't go setting too big a pb or it'll be harder to get your 10 bonus points each race

So, so true BR - this is one series that is ripe for a bit of Bubka-ing!

53 points so far, with the leading vet on 57 so I need to use any advantages going........

Great link Hilly, very amusing.  I bet BR would approve of the running shoes on page 12.

"Unfortunately, there will always be people who will laugh at you while you are running backwards.  Sometimes, if the conditions are right, they will even boo you".  Ha ha.

Doing backward running drills are no brainers for boxing and American football because they both involve moving backwards during competition (NFL defensive backs and QBs).  I used to do backward running drills when I was serious about my tennis for coordination and warm-up purposes.

I would guess that for it to be that beneficial for quads and therefore knees you'd have to do a fair bit of it - too much to be an efficient use of time.

I haven't tried it for running but admittedly one of the weaknesses of running is that it doesn't develop any allround athleticism and that everything is done in the sagittal plane.

I'm going to incorporate backwards running into my drill routine, at the start of recovery runs and add in the backward skipping on the down portion of hill repeats and report back.  For me it seems more appropriate for a drill exercise than anything else.  It's not really backwards running but carioca step drills can also be a good drill to do.

The world record for backward running the 800m is 2:31.3!

http://www.recordholders.org/en/list/backwards-running.html