So, updating my gym log has not been my top priority. I've been staying on my plan - strength twice a week, running 3 times a week, and other stuff 2 or 3 times a week. My trainer has really increased the intensity the last few weeks, so I'm sweating when we're done. It's been great.

I've been sticking with One Hour Runner. I finish that this week! But, I've started to feel a little pain in the knees mostly the last week or so, so I'm trying to ease up a bit. I bought new shoes and took the tempo runs out of the lineup for a while. I'm also going to stay level with the running time (distance) until at least my next race, May 12th.

I also bought ChiRunning. It's a book about running technique that basically applies some Tai Chi principles to running and really focuses on giving advice about running form. Since I never ran in high school or anything, I really felt like I needed some advice on form. I knew that I probably wasn't doing something quite right but I couldn't find any advice on how to identify or correct my form.

So today's run was my first try at using the ideas he presented. I was doing an easy 30 min run outside. Typically, I run this at a 13:30 - 14:00 min/mi pace (I'm slow) and my heart rate is ~148. Today, I focused on relaxing while I run and keeping good posture. I ran at a 12:51 pace and had an average HR of 145. Huge difference!

Even though the roots of his advice are a little new age-y, the physics make total sense. It was exactly what I needed and I think it will definitely make me a better runner. I'll find out for sure when I run my next race on May 12th. I don't expect to PR this one (it is very hilly) but I'd like to be in the middle third of the pack instead of the bottom third.

I sped read the book pretty much all day Sunday, so I need to go back and read a lot of it more closely before my next run. It was amazing how fast this run seemed to go by even without any music. I hope my long run feels as good as this one. I'm up to 60 minutes this week!