great 10

I thought today was going to be another tired run, and I considered skipping considering the storm that was forecast for today.

Then I saw a post on Instagram from an account that details proper running form and it featured instructions of proper form with the legs, regarding a specific motion. It looked interesting and I tested out how I run compared to what it showed and I saw that I have bene doing it wrong - exactly what it showed should not be done, and how I suffered from exactly what it showed that posture would cause.

So I decided to go out for  a short run to test i. I figured 5km would be enough and a good test, and anyway it would be my third consecutive day running and my legs need a rest anyway, and the change in form would mean using muscles that dont get used often that would likely get tired...

The run felt great as I stayed conscious of the form I was trying to use. The first few km were significantly faster and smoother. As I hit 5km, I decided to keep going as I felt fine and the weather was still amazing. The forecasted storm had not yet reached Bet Shemesh! From 5km, the run is a nice uphill, which anyways meant slowing down,. I tried to keep to the form, and while I did slow down, the run on that section was still going faster than usual. I ran through the park to the top of Hayarqon and decided I would just run down back home, finish at 7.5km, maybe stretch it to 8.

And then I noticed, as I approached 8km, that if I could keep the pace I could easily beat the 1 hour mark for 10km, which I have only done a couple times in recent years. So I ran down to home, but kept going and did another section of Kishyon to stretch it out to 10km. I ended up finishing the 10km in 59 minutes and a few seconds.

It is going to take some effort to get used to the form. I caught myself a few times late in the run slipping back into old routine and even slowing down, so I had to keep focused. Hopefully it will become second nature to my style after a few good runs like that.