Sunday, April 13, 2008

Maggot Tricks

Now that spring is here, the running paths are getting pretty crowded. I don’t mind; I love seeing you maggots finally getting out there. You’re looking good, you really are. A couple of you still need a little more support up top, and a few of you are still trying to go too fast, but I’m proud of you all.

Some of you may be wondering, after you’ve gotten comfortable with slow and steady, what’s next? Well, here are a few tricks to try:
  • Focus on form. Put your shoulders back, tuck your butt under, and pull your gut in. This will feel better, look better, and build up those core muscles in the proper position.

  • Relax. As you run, think about letting your hands relax, then your feet. Hard to describe, but you’ll see what I mean if you try it.

  • Add time. At the end of your run, if you’ve still got jump, do an extra little loop around the block, the park, the penitentiary, whatever.

  • Add speed. I know, this violates my second rule of running, but if you’ve mastered the slow, you’re allowed to try a little bit of the fast—but only at the end of your run, in a tiny little burst.

  • Listen. This sounds a little groovy, but a neat thing to do every now and then is to try to focus on each and every sound you come across as you run. (Yes, this necessitates shutting off the ipod, but it’s good for you once in awhile.)

  • Smile. Smile in encouragement at all the other maggots you see, and smile at the non-maggots, so as to prevent them from saying to each other, “Did you see the rictus of pain across that runner’s face? That’s why I never run.”
Any questions (that haven’t already been answered)?