Over 50's club

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steve45 Mar 2018 9:38am, 30 Mar 2018 2,454 posts	0 steve45 Memories from when I was actively involved in a local running club remind me of the fastest member whose running style was considered to be "incorrect" in the way he swung his arms--he did a 2.17 in the London Marathon utilising that bad form! On one occasion a new member turned up to a club run and took off a bit in front of the main bunch--we (including me!) said that he wouldn't get far around the course with a running gait like that> yeah, you guessed it, he went on to leave most of us well behind and did several 2.32 marathons as well!
Canute Mar 2018 2:40pm, 30 Mar 2018 1,864 posts	0 Canute Steve As mentioned above, form is more relevant to risk of injury than performance. I think that is some instances fierce determination actually leads to bad form, especially to unnecessary tension in the upper body. The two classic examples are Emil Zatopek and Paula Radcliffe. Paula unfortunately is also a classic illustration of the way in which bad form and harsh training are associated with career-limiting injury. Perhaps in contrast, Emil Zatopek was as tough as old boots. Over a period of 8 years he set numerous world records and won 4 Olympic gold medals. But even he did have three periods marred by illness and injury, in spring of 1952, 1953 and 1956. In 1952 he recovered well enough to achieve his unmatched triple gold in 5000m, 10,000m and marathon in Helsinki. In 1953 he recovered by late summer and in 1954 was in world record smashing form again. However, by 1955 he was fading and early in 1956 he suffered a groin strain. With typical fierce determination he lined-up for the marathon in Melbourne in December in grueling heat, but managed only 6th place. He then faded in 1957 and retired in 1958. He subsequently suffered serious arthritis in middle age, though perhaps being banished to work in a uranium mine after protesting the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 contributed to that. Weighing up all the evidence, even Zatopek offers only equivocal evidence that bad form and harsh training is tolerable. Unless you possess the fierce determination of Zatopek, it is almost certainly not the way to achieve your best and then maintain a good level over a sustained period.
Flatlander Mar 2018 2:56pm, 30 Mar 2018 1,089 posts	0 Flatlander When I see fast runners with bad form, I think to myself "how much quicker would they be if they ran efficiently?" Many people have told me that I have a good running style, and I feel as if I have, which is perhaps why, after 50 years of running, I am still running at a reasonable level :-). Well, that and all the cross training I do ;-).
JRitchie Mar 2018 8:48am, 31 Mar 2018 1,371 posts	0 JRitchie I went to a gait analysis and form sessions a year or so back and found it really useful. I had bruised my heel bone after a short ultra from basically heal striking through my training months. I find it really helpful now during a race to every now and then mentally check my form (cadence, lean, arms, where my foot is landing). Not been Injury free but haven’t stopped but I haven’t had any calf pulls, plantar or heel problems since. It’s interesting that if you check a local 10k you see a variety of forms but watch videos of Kenyans training in Iten and they all have exactly the same form.
Chief Sub-5 Mar 2018 2:43pm, 31 Mar 2018 21 posts	0 Chief Sub-5 Hi All, have just reached the entry requirement for joining this year - millstone or milestone (sub-editors please check!). Taking great delight in using my Greater Anglia Club 50 card on the trains and whizzing past stretches parallel to the River Lea where I managed a 17-mile training run last year along the towpath - not sure it helped that much for a 10k race, though! Interested to read the posts about Zatopek - I was given a book about him while working on the first few issues of Coach magazine (online only now) - a truly amazing guy.
Lip Gloss Mar 2018 2:45pm, 31 Mar 2018 28,619 posts	0 Lip Gloss Welcome aboard Chief
WtnMel Mar 2018 5:36pm, 31 Mar 2018 1,011 posts	0 WtnMel Yay! o/ Very happy here as I've just been out for a run and I managed my first 6ml run since April last year (ankle injury last summer meant very long layoff). And I ignored my inner chimp today and didn't stop for any walk breaks (a bad habit I've got into as I've been building up my mileage again).
hillstrider Mar 2018 5:49pm, 31 Mar 2018 4,952 posts	0 hillstrider Happy Easter everyone 🐣 Well done WtnMel Welcome Chief Ran 9 miles this morning. I'm building up my mileage like WtnMel, after my menisci tear last June.
Columba Mar 2018 6:04pm, 31 Mar 2018 15,231 posts	0 Columba Hello and welcome Chief. Another one rebuilding after a long time off. Up to 33 minutes today. That's a sweet little icon, HS. Wonder if I can find it on my phone? 🐣 Yay!
steve45 Mar 2018 7:33pm, 31 Mar 2018 2,458 posts	0 steve45 .." good form" is obviously better than "bad form"..the difficulty lies in changing it without creating a problem. You're right Canute about Zatopek and you're right about the Kenyans JR. I do recall watching David Rudisha though being so graceful (in form and temperament) yet being beaten by Nigel Amos (all arms and shoulders way out of synch!) ! I have noticed that a lot of female Kenyan runners seem to run with what could be considered an arm carriage that is too high---and I see a lot of Chinese female runners who carry their arms very very low and seemingly don't use them very efficiently. I say "seemingly" because they run brilliantly!