Michael Phelps
WR 1:52.09 200 Butterfly

MICHEAL PHELPS: MELBOURNE WR 200 FLY 2007

Notice the dive and turns; Phelps crushes the competition with his underwater prowess. Tons of core strength goes into each flick of his ankle.

He is meters in front of his own WR redline

As I continue transitioning from the off-season into my base season while focusing on my running, it’s time to address the weakness to my weakness.  My running form.  It is a kind of labored, pounding, shuffle that uses copious amounts of energy to maintain.  When running with my faster peers I sometimes feel like a big yellow school bus, engine smoking, tires low, and loaded to the hilt with screaming over-weight kids.  Ok, well, maybe I’m overdoing it a bit…but my running form is not pretty.  I’ve started doing some plyometrics and that yellow school bus is finally getting serviced.

Doing plyo’s has highlighted the weakness of my weakness, weakness.  In my first session it was obvious how much I absorbed and hugged the ground with each foot strike.  It also pointed out some soft spots in my core strength.  After just one quick session of plyometrics, where I was just getting the rhythm, I was super sore and even walking was difficult and sometimes painful.  We did the plyo’s on the grass but it still shocked my legs.  I have been doing a series of one legged bounding to alternating one legged bounding to a double leg jump.  I have done 3 sessions now and my legs are improving but still have lots of work to do on my execution.  Mainly in strength and bouncing off the ground rather than sticking to the ground.  I am hoping for a full scale make-over to my run efficiency. 

Just last week I started swimming again, while this week I added biking to the mix as well.  Both are taking a back seat to the run training as I focus on run strength, form, and distance.  In addition to the plyo’s I’m also lifting weights again after not doing any the last couple years.  I’m doing power cleans, hamstring, quads, inverted leg extensions, pull-ups, push-ups and lots of sit-ups.  Doing these on the same day as plyo’s has put the ‘hurt’ on my muscles.  Easing into it is key, (I’ve learned the hard way more times than I can remember) just putting my muscles through the motions for now.  By the end of December I should be able to start pushing the program pretty hard while keeping the muscle soreness to a minimum. 

It has been a nice change in my routine and definitely an eye opener for what I need to improve.  I am excited to improve and adapt and enjoying the process.  Doing these running drills has defiantly increased my knowledge and respect for the sport of running. 

Swimming notes:

• Just getting back into it: 3 x (3 200’s) on 3:30
• 1st set broken at 50’s with 5 sec rest –> 2:05’s and 2:06’s
• 2nd set broken at 100 with 10 sec rest –> 2:05’s and 2:06’s
• 3rd set straight 200 –> 2:10, 2:12, 2:13 (ouch, lost my form and coordination)

Running in the teens.

While up in New Meadows the weather was clear, crisp and cold getting down into the single digits at night.  Perfect running temperatures.  If there is one thing I love about running it is heading out when the elements are unusual or provide a challenge.  You truly can run in just about any conditions (save super icy) wearing smart gear.  Running in a storm is an invigorating experience that seems to charge my soul with its most basic needs.

I’m still buzzing from the two long runs I did while up in New Meadows.  The first one was early Saturday.  It was my off-season so I wasn’t doing much other than running here and there, leaving me energized and very motivated.  Add to this fact, I was partaking on an exploration run in the surrounding mountains and forests, where I would encounter no people and be scouting new terrain.  Another thing I love about running, exploring new terrain.

Milo and I headed out into the brisk air, cool on the lungs, at first difficult to take deep breathes.  We ran southwest down a remote road heading towards the flat valley just below us.  We came to an intersection with right being towards the valley and left heading up into the frosted forests in the mountains.  We headed left and immediately started climbing.  It wasn’t long before beads of sweet started rolling down my cheeks.  I took my hat off and rolled it up in the back pocket of the long sleeve bike jersey I was wearing.  We climbed and climbed still feeling too warm I took off my gloves and pulled up my long sleeves to the elbow.  I was eager to see what was around every corner and hopeful that I might be able to crest the mountain.  The snow was getting deeper but had mostly melted off the dirt road to expose the tore up frozen mud from someone’s four-wheeln’ in the past few weeks.  The contusions in the frozen mud made for good tests of my ankle strength and flexibility.

You couldn’t help but be aware of the almost total silence, save the crackle of snow and ice crunching below my feet and the whoosh, whoosh sounds of Milo ’s paw’s quickly and gracefully striking the ground.  I breathed deeply and new it was some of the freshest air around.  It felt so basic, being out in the woods, it awakened me in every sense.  The road started heading back down towards the valley.  I came to an area recently being logged and decided to turn around and head back. 

We climbed again back up to the highest point of our run before the very long descent back to the intersection.  Running downhill recharged the batteries and the speed quickened.  The quick jaunt downhill was a pleasure. Leaving me wanting to run more, to go longer.  Alas, I had ran an hour and ten minutes at 5000+ ft and done plenty for the day.  Breakfast was calling me and promised to be a most succulent feast.

The next morning I was yearning for another run.  I felt good from the previous day’s effort and thought I would go further this time and start with the same route but take a new course once in the mountains.  I would head up, every chance I had and try to get near the top of the mountain.  I headed up and up finally reaching a point on the old logging trail where trees were now growing in the road some of them 20ft high already.  We continued on, blazing through the snow and weaving through the young trees.  Still wanting to keep running I made it to a clearing with a vast lookout of the valley below.  Being almost an hour into my run I thought it best to head back.  I paused for a moment, taking in the scene and enjoying how I felt.  “C’mon Milo , Let’s go home”.  With that, we cruised the long descent back and finished in just under an hour and a half.                  

It was a great thanksgiving weekend.  Still in the off-season but slowly transitioning into the ‘Base’ season, these two long runs would prove to be some money in the bank.