Hanging Up Those Boxing Gloves

As those of you following along may remember, my running style leaves much to be desired. Give me some boxing gloves and I may even be able to hold my own against a kangaroo.

I've been working on keeping my shoulders relaxed, elbows behind me and hands down for several months. It still is a conscious effort.

The run photos from my past two races show that occasionally I am getting it right - or at least making progress. More often than not, especially when tired, the pictures tell the truth - my shoulders want to come up and in - and my subconscious hope for a punching bag comes out.

Need proof?

Not perfect, but not bad, running at the PowerSprint (remember, it was a hurricane):





















Bad running at Eagleman (I tried to pick up the pace a little after seeing the finish line):




















Now that the post Eagleman slack period off is over, we've resumed a more serious run schedule - and I'm still struggling to piece this form thing together.

6 miles yesterday, 4 today. I seem to be able to concentrate on my form for a quarter mile maximum. Then I get distracted. Or tired. Or bored.

But I've discovered a few things. Watching my shadow can give me an indication of just how much my arms are flying around. Sometimes, when things "feel" right, I'll check Garmin and see that my pace is better. Other times, I look down, thinking things feel right - and see that my pace has dropped, but when going through all the checkpoints, can also figure out that something slipped.

I just hope someday, muscle memory kicks-in. Looking less like a kangaroo when running, no matter how cute they are, would be a welcome improvement.