Daily Learning: 6 May 2020

Today I watched a video by Nathaniel Drew and read a section on running from a book that focuses on bodyweight exercise routines.

No winning or losing

I watched Nathaniel Drew’s video, “Get Out of Your Own Way.” In the video, Nathan recalls telling someone that he fears falling behind. The guy responds, “You’re only afraid of falling behind because a part of you still believes that you can lose.”

Nathan ponders what life would be like if we discard the ideas of “winning” and “losing” at life. Whatever you’re experiencing, whether ecstasy or grief or anything else, it does not confer a sense of winning or losing to your life. It’s a human experience. It all counts. No winning or losing, just being human. It may be an injustice toward yourself and toward the world if you silence your voice and diminish the value of your experiences.

This short video reminds me of an older video by Nathan titled, “For People Feeling Behind in Life.”

Running

I read a section of Navy Seals Workout by Dr. Stephen Erle. The section focuses on running. It covers the mechanics of running and provides sample running programs so you can get started.

Mechanics of Running

The mechanics it covers are,

• Foot strike (how your foot contacts the ground).
  • Forefoot strike.
    • It allows for increased propulsion and speed but may cause overuse injuries, strain in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calf, and Achilles tendinitis.
  • Heel strike.
    • The most common strike pattern, but may cause overuse injuries due to overstride, insufficient hip extension, or heavy shoes.
  • Midfoot strike.
    • It evenly absorbs shock and reduces strain on calf muscles, but may cause fatigue in foot muscles if the foot doesn’t pronate efficiently, leading to knee, hip, and lower-back pain.
• Stride length.
  • A shorter stride is optimal for endurance running.
  • Land with your feet directly underneath your body.
  • Slightly flex your knee as your foot strikes the ground.
• Cadence (strides per minute).
  • 180 strides/minute is said to be an ideal cadence.
• Posture.
  • Torso should be upright with a slight forward tilt.
• Arm swing.
  • Arms bent 90 degrees and allowed to swing behind your torso.

5 Run Types

Dr. Erle discusses 5 different run types you can use to customize your running program. You can incorporate any number of these run types into your running program, but you definitely don’t need to start doing all 5 types at once or in the same day. The run types are,

• Long slow duration (LSD).
  • Aerobic runs of 45 to 120 minutes.
• Pace/tempo training.
  • Running at maximum intensity for 20 to 30 minutes with jogging recovery whenever you cannot maintain maximum intensity.
• Interval Training.
  • Cycle between sprinting for 30 seconds to 5 minutes and walking for recovery. There should be a 1:1 work: rest or sprint: walk ratio.
• Repetition training (REPS).
  • Sprint for 30 to 90 seconds, then jog 5 times as long for recovery. This is a 1:5 work: rest ratio.
• Fartleks
  • Jog with interval sprints, cycling between 1:1 sprint: walk and 1:5 sprint: jog ratios. Basically a combination of Interval and repetition training.

With this information, I hope you can begin running with an eye for proper form.

The featured image is by Massimo Sartirana on Unsplash.