Proper Running Form and 10-20-30 Training

A short video on proper running form was recently posted on the web. I recommend this video to other runners and especially to heel-strikers that are converting to forefoot striking like me. I watched the video and wished it had come out 6 months ago because I had to learn to run on my forefeet by trial and error. One of the main themes of the video is becoming a forefoot striker is difficult and you have to approach it with caution. In my case, I had to start over from the beginning. I had originally injured the meniscus in my left knee because I was a heel-striker. I began a rehab running program beginning with short runs and added 10% mileage per week. But every time I approached 4 mile runs I would re-injure my knee. I decided I needed to become a forefoot striker to lower the shock to my knee. But I could only run on my forefeet for 10 meters initially. I began adding 25 meters per day until I reached 1 Km, then I added 50 meters a day until 3Km then 100 meters until 5 Km. This took a long time. At that point I began 10-20-30 training specifically to enhance my running form. 10-20-30 intervals really help improve my running form and now I can do my long run of 5 miles totally on my forefeet.

I go to the Chiropractor

I felt sharp pain in my lower back when I stood up straight after changing a burned out headlight bulb on my car. After that I continually felt the pain when I stood up after sitting down in a chair. After a few days the pain became constant and I could not run or sleep. After a week of not being able to sleep I took an afternoon nap and slept on my right side because it was most comfortable. When I woke up from the nap and got out of bed I immediately noticed the sharp pain of standing up was gone. My back had somehow righted itself during my nap. The next morning I had soreness in my lower back and down both sciatic nerves for a short time. But I resumed running with no pain. I was totally blown away that a nap could cure the most intense pain I have ever felt and decided to go to a Chiropractor to see if I could get rid of the morning pain. I had never been to a Chiropractor before and no idea of what they did. But if a nap made this huge difference, what could someone who knew what they were doing do? I found the Boulder Back Pain Clinic on Google with a 4 1/2 star rating and made an appointment. I have Kaiser health insurance so it cost a $20 co-pay. My Chiropractor was Marc Cahn at Boulder Back Pain and he immediately noted the motion in my left pelvic joint was more restricted than in my right pelvic joint. He first attached a muscle stimulator to my back and ran that for a couple of minutes to loosen the very sore muscle over the joint. Then he had me lie on my right side, raise my left knee, draw back my left elbow and he "adjusted" the joint by pressing somewhere on my back. I felt a click in the joint but absolutely no pain. Immediately afterwords I felt no different but the next morning the bi-lateral sciatic nerve pain was gone and I only had the sore muscle for a few minutes until it loosened up. The tight muscle went away completely four mornings later. My first experience with a Chiropractor was positive because I experienced rapid pain reduction as a direct result of the spinal adjustment and recommend Dr. Cahn to others experiencing the kind of lower back pain I had.

Report on First Week of 10-20-30 Training

I have a 5K race training plan that incorporates 10-20-30 interval training. It is a six week plan and I just finished week 1. The first week wore me out. I found myself plodding through Intervals, Long run and even Easy recovery runs. I was very tired after I finished the Long run and went to bed before it got dark that day. The main reason I was so worn out was I ran two Interval sessions for the first time. I ran them on Wednesday and Friday with Easy runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I run 5 mi Long on Sunday. My initial reaction when I realized I had become fatigued was dismay. Now I think I have a very good 5K race training plan and the first week of training should shock a newbie like me. I now do 15 Intervals rather than 16 and take 2 breaks rather than 1 during an Interval day. I also strictly limit fast running to 10 seconds, something I was not doing in week one. I hope these two adjustments minimize the wear and tear on my body.

10-20-30 Training Counts Intervals

10-20-30 Training involves running fast for 10 seconds, then moderate for 20 seconds and finishes with very slowly for 30 seconds. It is in reality a 30 second, two stage interval followed by a 30 second recovery. This pair takes exactly one minute and I use this to count intervals. If my stopwatch reads 5 minutes I know I have run 5 intervals. I previously ran 400 meter intervals and then ran very slowly until my heart rate dropped below 130 bpm. My old method had no convenient method of counting intervals like 10-20-30. So far I have only discovered good things about 10-20-30 training.

July Running Plan

I managed to work my way up to 20 miles per week in June despite a heavy traveling schedule. I wish to increase my speed in July while keeping my weekly mileage at 20 because of the heat and smoke here in Colorado. Monday - no running Tuesday - 2 x 1 Km at 10 min/mi pace, total of 3 mi Wednesday - 16 x 10-20-30 intervals, total of 3 mi Thursday - 2 x 1 Km Friday - 16 x 10-20-30 intervals Saturday - 2 x 1 Km Sunday - 5 mi I call this plan my "Minimum Plan" because it has three minimums. Running 30 minutes is the minimum run to not lose fitness. Nor does it increase fitness so it is a good recovery or Easy run. I do this on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Sixteen 10-20-30 intervals are the minimum number the Dutch researchers used in their study. They had subjects running 3-5 sets of 5 10-20-30 intervals with a 2 minute break in between. I run 8 intervals out, break for 2 minutes and then run 8 intervals back because I take my break at turnaround. Jack Daniels says the Long run should be 25-33% of weekly mileage, and 5 mi is 25% of 20. This is my plan to get faster despite the hottest summer in Colorado history. I will let you know how it went in early August.

Trying 10-20-30 Training

I felt really good today while warming up for my 2 mile short run so I decided to try 10-20-30 training. The interval of this training is 10 seconds of fast running followed by 20 seconds of moderate pace followed by 30 seconds of very slow pace. A sequence is 5 intervals in a row followed by a 2 minute rest. The originators of this training, a university in the Netherlands, used 3-5 sequences per workout. You can read a summary of The Journal of Physiology article here. Today I just wanted to see what the intervals were like and to my surprise, I really liked them. They were a breeze compared to 400m intervals. I only ran one sequence of 3 followed by a sequence of 5 today and 15-25 intervals may feel a lot different. I will find out how 3 sequences feel next week when I replace my 3 mile Medium runs on Wed and Fri with 10-20-30.

June Running Plan

One week of running with plantar fasciitis and I continue to improve. I felt so good I added half a mile to my long Sunday run to give 3.5 mi. I am discovering I cannot run slowly with a forefoot strike. In order to stop my heels from crashing into the ground I need to lean forward and that causes me to go faster. My running plan for June is complicated by a six day trip to Boston, a three day trip to Eugene, OR and a four day fishing trip. I will stay at 2 mi easy days and 3 mi hard days. There are no more Sunday runs in June for me and I will not be increasing my long run distance beyond 3.5 mi. I will continue to run through plantar fasciitis and increase my pace if possible.