I laid out my gear the night before to make sure that I didn’t wake up the whole house on a morning where everyone else got to sleep in a bit. I ran in my Swiftwick socks, Altra shoes and Free Motion gear for the first time in a race, and I was super comfy the whole way through! At least, as comfy as you can be running a hilly 5 miles.

We arrived at the race bright and early because we still had to pick up our packets. Packet pickup went very smoothly and we even got some cool neck warmers/hats which came in handy because it was a chilly morning at the start line. I also used the bag drop for the first time at a race, and that went off without a hitch, as well.

At 9AM, we were off. We all ran together for a bit and then we all fell into our own running grooves and parted ways. I felt great for the first two miles and cruised the whole way, but around mile three my left foot started bothering me a bit on the decent from the hills. It kind of made me angry because I was struggling up the hills and couldn’t get a rest going down because my foot was hurting. I need to work on the mental aspect of running races because I get caught up and focus on one little thing and it throws my groove off horribly.

The rest of the race flew by. There was only one portion where we crossed the same part of course twice, so it was nice to have a constantly changing scenery. I also loved that there was a ton of people out playing with their dogs. Happy puppies make me happy.

The finish line was packed with lots of spectators, which made finishing all the better. There is nothing like crossing a finish line with a bunch of people yelling and cheering you on, even when you’re finish with a time of 1:03:36, which isn’t exactly gold medal time. Best feeling ever. On the way out I grabbed my finisher’s medal (which is so so sweet looking) and headed up the hill to grab some post race fuel. There were tables set up with lots of volunteers handing out apples, bagels, hot chocolate and water.

Overall, the race was very well organized and a lot of fun to run. I can’t wait until next year where I will beat my time, fo sho!

Did you run a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving?

The post Prospect Park Turkey Trot Recap appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

The first thing that really struck me was that running is the only sport in which technique is not taught. As a former high school track runner, I can vouch for that. We were encouraged to run our hearts out, but no one ever mentioned the proper form or anything about form at all. This is the reason that runners are very prone to injury.

Golden shared four steps to better running:

1. Posture. You should run with a straight body, slightly leaning forward, with your head up, shoulders back and relaxed. You shouldn’t be bending at the waist. Golden told us that his father, who is also a running legend, would watch marathons with him when he was younger and be able to predict the winners and who would fall away from the pack when they lost their core and bent at the waist. You can make sure that you have the proper posture by raising your hands “to the moon” while you run.

2. Foot Strike. Your midfoot should make contact with the ground and not your heel. You should also land under a bent knee in order to be able to absorb the pressure that your body creates when hitting the ground. Traditional running shoes have a heel that is at least two times the thickness of the toe. Due to this difference in height your foot doesn’t hit the ground at a natural stride and not under a bent knee. Golden also went on to say that there is no such thing as a magical running shoe. A shoe will never make you a better runner, but the wrong shoe can hurt you.

3. Arm movement. Your arms should be high and relaxed. Your elbows should stay behind your waist and your arms shouldn’t cross your body. If you have trouble keeping your arms in the efficient position, it is helpful to carry a water bottle or small weight to keep your arms up.

4. Cadence. No mater what speed you are running at, you should aim for an average of 180 steps per minute. An easy way to check you cadence is to count how many times your right leg hits the ground over 20 seconds. If you’re around 30 steps in 20 seconds, you’re looking good.

After the clinic, we were all outfitted with Altra shoes see the drop zero difference for ourselves. Since my gait analysis earlier this summer showed that I overpronate, I went with the stability shoe, the Altra Provisioness.

I’ve only been able to use them twice, and I am following Golden’s advice to slowly rotate these into your running routine. So far, so good. They honestly feel like no other running shoe I’ve ever had and they completely change the way your foot hits the ground and how your foot is spaced inside the shoe. It is remarkable what a difference a shoe can make.

What kind of shoes do you run in?

FTC: Altra Drop Zero provided me with a free pair of Altra Provisioness.

The post Altra Drop Zero Clinic appeared first on Frolic Through Life.