I’m hoping we’re nearing the end of all my whiney crying about how I don’t run like I used to, because I seem to have hit on the crux of the problem. I was not adequately using my glutes when I ran. So now I make sure I do, which I’m sure has been successful because oh boy has my butt been tired after running lately.
How do I ensure I use my glutes when I run? Well, I think about engaging my butt during footstrike. It’s more of a feeling than a thought. Hmmm. I don’t know whether that’s helpful or not, but I’m not really sure how else to describe it. I also think about keeping my stance period as short as possible. For me, this means a fore to mid foot strike coupled with a quick heel lift. I’m sure there’s a sped up pawback motion as well, but I think more about keeping my turnover high. My knee drive is naturally pretty good, although it can wobble out of line sometimes, so I don’t attend to that as much. Maybe I should.
The point I’m dancing around is that I’m getting my training run speeds back into the old time zone. This past week has been encouraging. So encouraging that I’m considering training for a winter half marathon. We’ll see…
Isn’t it a weird feeling? All that thinking about using your butt…I have the same issue, but haven’t yet been able to get back to any semblance of speed work yet. (Far from it.) Good luck!