I was dragged kicking and screaming into the world of running by the U.S. Marine Corps in 1977. Back then, most people only ran in boot camp and to pass their physical fitness tests. In other words, when they *had* to.
After regaining the weight I had lost in boot camp, and then some, I was put on the "fat body" program, which included, you guessed it - running. This time, however, I stayed on a running program long enough to get hooked on it.
After I had lost the required amount of weight, and then some ;-), I kept running, and was preparing for the Peachtree 10k in Georgia. Then my knee gave out on me. Chondromalacia patella. Given the state of sports medicine at the time, and the Navy doctors' view of running ("If it hurts, don't do it!"), it took a while for me to find a diagnosis and orthotics. I returned to running for quite some time.
Like many others, my career as a runner has been pockmarked with injuries and significant amounts of time sidelined. I was never a fast runner. I never will be. My talent, such as it is, lies in running for a long, long time, recovering quickly, and running some more. But, I could never stay well long enough to develop what little speed I might be gifted with. Very frustrating.
I found Pose online several months ago, referred to the website by Active.com's banner ad. Having not been able to run for over two years at that point, due to yet another injury, I was eager to explore anything that would allow me to get back on the road and trails again. The theories behind Pose made a lot of sense to me. I started toying with it, was lucky enough to have a seminar pop up locally, went to it, and became even more convinced that it was the answer for me. And for many others.
Although I'm an insurance geek by day, I have a "second life" that's devoted to fitness and wellness issues. I became certified as a personal trainer two years ago, and I specialize in runners, equestrians and dancers. All of whom have unique needs that are not understood by the majority of trainers. There was no way I could go forward in training runners without incorporating Pose into my tutelage, so I worked to become a Pose Certified Coach as quickly as possible.
I do many things besides running, and some of those things have helped with Pose tremendously. Dance, for instance, teaches one to know where the body is, and what it's doing, which, oddly enough, is a lot harder than people think. It also teaches alignment, which is of utmost importance in Pose.
Riding horses utilizes the same alignment as Pose with one small variation (head, shoulders, hips, heel), teaches balance, and again, knowing the body's position.
I am currently working on developing a weight training regimen especially for Pose runners, as I've noticed that questions about exercises in the gym come up a fair amount. Weight training is certainly not needed to run Pose, although exercises and drills are. But, if you're going to be in the gym lifting weights, it's best to know how to lift weights in a way that will enhance your performance at Pose, rather than hinder it.
I'm very happy to be able to have an opportunity to help people run better, longer, faster, and with much less exposure to injury, and I look forward to enjoying many years running, assisting clients, and changing the running world, one runner at a time.
RELATED ARTICLES:
POSETECH.COM
January 25, 2005
WARM UP & COOL DOWN IN TRAINING by Nicholas Romanov, Ph.D.
What kind of role does a warm up play in the training session? The most obvious answer is to warm up the muscles, ligaments and tendons, and prepare the nervous and cardio-respiratory systems for the specific workout.
Click here to read full article »
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