It has been a while since my last post, so here's a long overdue update on my progress. I'm trying to find that key balance between stress and adequate recovery. If your body doesn't adequately recover in time for the next scheduled workout, then it won't be able to reap the full benefit of that workout. This may seem intuitive, but runners often ignore signs of overtraining for fear of undertraining. Cumulatively, this can hamper training and cause injury. My long runs of six or more miles have left me with very little strength for my Wednesday workout. I attribute this to a combination of the following: 1.) inadequate recovery due to possible nutritional deficiencies (e.g., carbohydrates, protein and fat), over-intense long runs, and lack of fitness; 2.) running on pavement; and 3.) wearing Nike Free 3.0.
I'm now able to run comfortably for about an hour at about 180 footfalls per minute, striking the ground first with the balls of my feet directly under my center of gravity. According to the experts, this is the most efficient way to run long distances. I've found that this has alleviated stress to the posterior, medial part of the foot and transferred it to the arch. As a result, my arches and lower-legs are sore and fatigued.
Nike claims that the Free 3.0 is designed to simulate barefoot running. If this is true, then it lends itself to the most efficient running stride, as described above. The Frees, as a byproduct of simulating barefoot running, strengthen the feet and can prevent, and even cure, common running injuries, like PF and runner's knee. Stability and motion control running shoes, on the other hand, are said to be the cause of most preventable running injuries, due to their medial posts and beefed-up heels, among other stability enhancers. These shoes force a runner to strike the ground with the heel first, putting undue stresses on the body from the feet to the hips and lower back. It's not implausible, therefore, that these kind of shoes played a role in my injury.
I ask the question in the title of this post because I've gotten pretty good at gauging and controlling my pace on every run. All of my runs are done on a treadmill with the exception of my long runs on the weekends, which are consistently at least one-minute per mile faster than those done on a treadmill. Hmmm.
