One race left to run

I've only got one race left to run on my bucket list. It's a big one that's very far outside my comfort zone .  But I'll have 3 years to plan and train...I have it scheduled for 2018.  The race?   The Haliburton Forest 100 Miler.

I want to run this race in 2018 to celebrate turning 60.  I looked into other extreme races like the Gobi Desert March and the Death Valley Race.  I seriously considered the Gobi Desert March, even shared the idea with Sally.  "Make sure your life insurance is paid up" she said.  I shuddered, came to my senses and agreed that running 250+ km's across a desert in China over 7 days wasn't a good idea for me.

'Haliburton Forest 100 Miler' has a nice ring to it.  It's an extreme challenge for sure.  By then I'll probably be able to stream the entire experience on YouTube which should be cool for about 10 minutes at the start and another 10 minutes at the finish.  I'm not sure yet how to properly train and prepair for a 100 mile trail race.  I'm all ears for suggestions so don't be shy. If you want to join me, all the better. Stay tuned over the next few years for updates.

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

Don't hold your breath

Don't hold your breath!  And breathe from your stomach versus your chest.  Those are the two pieces of advice that will have the biggest impact on your running.  OK, the first one you can ignore!

Back in broadcasting school, we were taught a breathing technique called 'Diaphramatic Breathing'. Basically breathing by moving your stomach in and out.  In that less politically correct time, our instructor had us stand up against a wall, placed his hand on each of our stomachs in turn and have us practice moving our stomach in and out by inhaling and exhaling.  That's a hands-on approach that wouldn't play today in any class room but it sure was effective.  I wasn't running then but once I started I experienced the value of breathing from the stomach versus my chest.

Fast forward to earlier this year.  I started Planking.  And almost immediately I noticed a marked improvement in my breathing as my ab muscles have gotten stronger.  I've noticed I can run faster, harder and longer without 'loosing my breath'.  I may not be running any faster but I'm enjoying my running more than ever.  I found this chart recently that goes into more detail on the value or proper breathing.  Don't hold your breath!

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

The Mobile Marketing Moment

In every business there is 'The Moment'.  The timeline chart is called the Hockey Stick...it's that point-in-time when the growth tips over and experiences very steep growth.  It appears we are there with Mobile:

I was chained to my Desktop once.  That's now a long, long time ago.  More recently I've enjoyed the mobility of my laptop...but was still chained to it.  For the past year it's been Smartphone all the way. 70 - 80% of all my online interactions are mobile.  And that's why Google changed their Search Algorighm to favour Mobile so heavily.  Are you ready?

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

The Optimal Running Form

A lot of has been written about the optimal running form.  I began as a heel striker and ran that way for many, many years.  25 years into running I made the switch to forefoot running.  Forefoot running is not my ideal running form as I learned too late.  Plus I made the switch too quickly.  The result:  3 years of injuries including broken bones in my right foot...twice!

So what's the optimal running form?  Midfoot landing.  And no it's not a compromise between forefoot and heel strike.  If you believe the science behind it, it does make sense as the optimal running form for human runners  

I've been running with the midfoot landing running form since early this year and have enjoyed some physical benefits:

• No injuries.  Touch wood...
• Less pain.  I can do a hard track or hill workout one day and still run smoothly and comfortably the next day
• I run faster.  I'm back to low 8 minutes per mile pace
• My knees feel absolutely fine after any length run

I can't stress this enough:  I'm running without injuries.  

The physcological benefits?  Really only one for me:  I feel like a real runner!

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy