42point195
By marathonerArchive for September, 2007
Marathon training plan (5) – Strength
When talking about strength here, I do not have as intention more strength to propel me faster. That is not my priority.
What I have learnt about long-distance running in my short engagement with it is that running is not all about running. When running extended distances, especially over prolonged periods of time, it really takes abilities more than just being able to run to complete the running.
Running involves very repetitive motion of my legs. It is each of these legs that support the weight of my body at every step I take. After running for 2 to 3, or even 4 to 5 hours, these legs become tired. They get wobbly. If the primary muscles on the legs are challenged to support the body at each landing of the foot, I may have a tendency to alter my posture or running style so that I use less of the tired muscles. This may not be a good habit because I may end up running in an unnatural way and over stressing some other parts of my legs and body.
Another comment on posture is that I should ideally maintain a good posture when running. If my core muscles are not strong enough, my posture may start deteriorating and the body has to exert some additional forces to hold itself up.
Have said this much, the important thing about long-distance running – and it is not running – is strengthening. I believe in strengthening the parts of the body that allow me to take stable and solid steps as I run. I have learned through the hard way too that strengthening exercises is part of a routine to help avoid injury.
When I was recovering from an injury, my physiotherapist taught me some strengthening exercises such as bridging and side stabilisers. I have been doing them regularly for the past two months, but not to the extent that I feel sufficient. Looking at the training plan that I have set for myself, I am hitting the region of about 20 miles weekly and this is set to increase in the next 3 months to come. It came to dawn on me that this is the time when I should really have my core strength built up to get me ready for the longer runs that I have planned.
So, more days of strengthening exercises into my routine!
First language and mother tongue
A public lecture that I attended last week prompted me to write this post. That was given by a French radio journalist, who follows the affairs of the United Nation for the Radio France International. Having reported from the UN in DC and published two books on the UN, he delivered the lecture in English on the topic of the two competing views of the UN, one from Europe and the other from the US.
The purpose of this post has got nothing to do with the topic of his lecture, but on my observations on his command of his native language and my thoughts that result from them. Obviously, French is the mother tongue of the journalist, not English. He has left the US for a number of years and has rarely used the language since then. It is hence not a surprise that he spoke more naturally in French than in English.
The lecture was enjoyable. The question and answer session was even more so, particularly because he answered the audience’s questions in his native French language, which was then interpreted in English for the audience. I can understand proper French fairly well, which made it such a pleasure to hear him articulate his ideas to answer the audience’s questions in a fluent and off-the-cuff manner.
This is a skill that I do not possess today, that I would very much like to have and that I have to work very hard for. Sadly, I have to say that I am not even sure if I know what the feeling is like to be able to express myself in my own native tongue, as my thoughts command. Here comes the question – what IS my native tongue?
When explaining to people my language background, I usually do it with a sense of pride, because it does make me feel proud that I am brought up in an environment where bilingualism is the norm. It is an environment that I call unique, which lies at the heart where oriental and occidental cultures meet. From young, most of us speak the language of our ethnic origin. Most of the people of Chinese heritage, like myself, are exposed to the Chinese language and its dialects. In addition, all of us learn to use English once we start going to school, if not earlier. With the country becoming more and more cosmopolitan, many of us get to learn more languages spoken in other parts of the world too.
Paradoxically, it is also this unique linguistic background that is the cause of my feeling of inadequacy when it comes to expressing myself. Let me go back to the question of what my native tongue is. Strictly speaking, my native tongue, or mother tongue, is Cantonese – that was the language that I first learned to speak as a child and it was the only language spoken at home when I was a kid. Then came Mandarin, which I started speaking when I started going to kindergarten. Then for some reason, Mandarin came to replace Cantonese as the lingua franca in the house.
When it was time to begin formal education, English then became my “first language” in school since the age of 8. In fact, our education system allowed for two “first languages”, which in my case were English and Chinese for the better part of my pre-university school days. As I grew older, I also picked up French, which I have persistently pursued for the last decade or so.
Having grown up immersed in such a linguistic cocktail, I do not think that I have a sound mastery in any one of them. While I can say that I can express myself reasonably well in English, perhaps Mandarin and to a lesser extent, in French, I do not really know what the feeling is like to be in total command of a language, be it a native tongue or any other language. What is ironical too is that I have lost my Cantonese over the years, what that should have strictly been my mother tongue. I can still speak and get by, which was what I did when chatting with my ex-landlords from Hong Kong in San Francisco. Any extended conversation would stretch my Cantonese linguistic capabilities to the limit.
I was indeed very envious when I listened to the French journalist command his spoken words through his thoughts, in his native tongue. “Command of a language” – I like this expression, for which I cannot find another appropriate way to paraphrase. I yearn to get a sense of what this sense of authority feels like.
Marathon training plan (4) – Taichi
I picked up taichi over 6 years ago and have been rather persistent in practicing it until a couple of years ago. I can tell that I can sense a difference in me comparing those days when I used to practice it regularly with the more recent times when I have left it out of my normal routine.
Back in those days, I had stronger legs that were also better toned as a result of my taichi exercises. I also sensed that the exercises helped me develop a better sense of equilibrium than before, though I cannot tell if I have ended up losing it partially due to my lack of tachi practice in the recent years.
For my Marathon training, I decided to include taichi routines. The past one and a half month, I have been spending an evening or two every week feeding mosquitoes in the park as I performed my taichi exercises. I must have been quite a sight in the park when I was going through the moves in slow-motion in the park en solo and occasionally sending a kick or two flying in the air. Oh well, maybe I am just being self-conscious.
After a long lapse in taichi practice, it is natural that I have forgotten some moves in the routine. I used the internet to look for resources that would help refresh my memory and interestingly, I did manage to find some of them. Among these resources was some literature that I could not fully understand. There were also videos and illustrated instructions like the ones here.
Seeing these illustrations was pretty amusing because they reminded me of the little boy in Stephen Chow’s movie, Kungfu Hustle. The little boy supposedly got a secret martial arts manual from a beggar. Thinking that he was then the proud owner of a piece of treasure, the boy followed the illustrations in the manual and diligently practiced the moves. It was later when he found that his “skills” failed to protect him against a bunch of bullies then the audience realised the poor boy was tricked by the beggar and the “manual” was only some sort of a kungfu comic book.
On a more serious note, not only do I think that practicing taichi can improve my general physical wellbeing, but I also feel that it may even help me with my running. I know of a book written by a trainer who applies principles used in taichi to running. I have not read the entire book yet so I cannot comment on the techniques that are taught there. However, I am able to draw on what I experienced when I used to practice taichi and relate them to running.
What I am trying to build through taichi practices are strength and balance. The strength is not so much for propulsion, but more so that my feet can land properly and are strong enough to support my entire body, with every step I take. A better sense of balance would mean a better consciousness of my CG, thus knowing what it takes to keep myself from toppling with my every step and avoid subjecting my legs to excessive impact.
I grew up in an environment where taichi is often viewed as an old man’s sport because the moves are so slow and do not seem strenuous at all. These, however, are not true.
Practicing taichi well can be rather demanding on the individual. Throughout an entire routine, one has to support his weight on either one of his legs most of the time and one is constantly shifting his balance from one leg to the other, with almost all the movements carried out with the legs bent at the knees. What makes it difficult is that the movements have to be slow and yet fluid, thus asking for a lot of strength and control. You can actually work out a sweat when practicing taichi.
As with many other aspects of my marathon training plan, I am experimenting things out to learn about what works for me. I am feeling good about taichi, not just seeing it as part of my marathon training, but also as part of my regular physical fitness routines. I should be continuing to practice it, only that I need to find an alternative venue other than the park as the nights fall earlier along with the cooler weather with the arrival of Fall.
An evening like Armageddon
Looking out of the window this evening was like watching a scene in Armageddon. The sky was grey with heavy clouds looming over the skyscrapers that tower over the business strip of Midtown Atlanta.
I got my camera and set up my tripod on the balcony to capture a few shots. It has turned darker by then and the rain clouds were then glowing in orange.
I was hoping that the cranes were not there. They are now building a high-rise apartment right across the street. The cranes have been an eyesore – an intrusive addition that stands in the way of an otherwise unobstructed view of the midtown skyline from our window.
Enjoy the view while it lasts. In a few months’ time, it will be blocked, as the storeys pile up day after day on the new building across the street.
Marathon training plan (3) – Cross training
This week has been cross training week for me. Running brings about a lot of impact on the knees. The knees can take a real beating, especially when running regularly to prepare for long distance events. They need to be rested. That is why I have planned for a week of cross training, where I will not do any running at all, after about every 4 weeks of training.
I should say that I am still exploring the cross training options available to me. This week, I tried both swimming and working out on the elliptical trainer. Both of these activities were supposed to not produce any impact on my knees, while still enabling me to have an aerobic work out.
I just read about the numerous benefits of swimming. Some say that cooling effect of the water also has its therapeutic effects – it promotes blood flow, helping to rejuvenate tired leg muscles. Swimming also provides a full body workout that builds strength in the upper body and core muscles. It is also supposed to be good for one’s posture. These help a runner maintain a good posture while running, especially towards the end of a long run, when fatigue starts to wear in. Running with a bad posture causes the body to exert unnecessary forces, tiring out a runner even more.
This is the first time I am plunging into a pool after more than a year. So, of course, I do not get to see the results swimming brings yet. In fact, going by my plans, I am having cross training stints like that only about once a month. I guess that is probably not frequent enough for me to see any observable benefits. I reckon that I will have to work swimming sessions into my weekly routine if I want to see if it makes any difference to my training. Let me see how my regular training goes first.
I have also read about some other exercises for cross training. One that caught my attention was pool running. In pool running, you basically keep yourself afloat and upright in the pool using some flotation device and, well, run. This is supposed to simulate real running, but with much more resistance and no pounding on the legs at all. Pool running is commonly used by athletes as an alternative form of training while they recover from running injuries and is said to be very efficient in helping a runner run faster on the road. I have never tried it before, but it is something that I would like to experiment with at some point in time.
