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Maiden Peak Up-Down ("reaching uphill")

July 26, 2019 (Night)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: mid 70s-60s, nice

Comments:
Parked at the TH off Gold Lake Road, and ran up.

NEW IDEA for uphills: "Pawback Reach".

I've known - on and off for years - how important the "FLICK" of the "Flick & Pull" is for form cues:

* the PULL is the pawback: pulling the leg underneath your body AND then facilitating hip extension

But when I came up with F&P back in 2010...I didn't know why it worked (and if I don't know why or how something works, I'm unlikely to continue doing it).

But in the past couple years, in particular this year, it's hit home in multiple ways how important this is:

1. the Flick "sets" the leg into a lengthened state, prior to landing. The leg is more likely to be "Long & Strong" passing over it if it starts, nearly straight, at initial contact. This is key to faciltiate strength in the feet, ankles and knees

2. It facilitates "anterior depression" of the pelvis. In short, the pelvis will "reach down" toward the ground at initial contact. This is a HUGE aspect of the "glute braking" (e.g. pelvic/trunk stability/cushioning). In addition to less stress, it's also more efficient (less wasted energy).

But it now has a new use on uphills: STRIDE LENGTHENING.

For various reasons, my uphill running has SUCKED FOR YEARS. And I haven't understood why. It just does. No matter how good I am at posture...it's just slow as shit.

So, today - building off the good "F&P" I've been doing recently - I decided to try to "flick" (or, reach) a bit farther on the uphill stride.

This is so key because the difference between medicore and good, and good and great ultrarunners is the ability to run HILLS, fast. And the key for both up and downhill speed?

1. Quick cadence
2. LONG(er) strides

This applies on both downs and ups.

So...that's what I did. In doing some more "F&P" on uphills, I'm lengthening my stride - while still staying hip-hinge forward.

That's why guys like Walmsley can run so fast uphill: his stride length might be six inches longer...but without a ton more effort!

That's what I found out today: I could get 3-4" of stride length for maybe 3% more effort. But 3-4" of stride length on a medium uphill might be a 10% increase! That's a BIG difference, and it showed today.

Ran pretty controlled all day, but allowed myself to push into "grinder" gear.

Gold Lake to PCT: 24:xx. OK split for 2.4 miles

From PCT to Maiden, I moved really well. That said, I also did a fair amount of hiking. Notably, the amount of hiking required in that last 2K? Ridiculous. But when I could run, I ran and ran with that more aggressively long stride, which felt good.

PCT to Summit: 43:5x

Solid...but I can help but compare to 2104: I did that 29 miler, 3 weeks out, finishing with a Maiden-Up down (so had a 20-mile warm-up, including Fuji). I did 44:xx that day.

Nonetheless, comparisons aside, it was a strong run, and more importantly, I FELT GOOD.

Descent: was solid. Again, always rough getting down, but the descent from PCT to the TH was nice. Split. 24 and 17 for that, I think? Solid.

Rest of the day:
* drove to Gold Lake and did a lake bath
* pulled up to camp just as folks were finishing dinner. Good crew, including:

LB, Monkey Boy,
Kelly Woodke, Nate (Bevel)Jaqua
my coaching client, David
some other folks

Ate some dinner, then was tired so I retired to the van by 9:30...but took probably 'til 11 to fall asleep, again! Ugh! Annoying.