Part 6: Connecting the upper and lower body

By now you should be into the swing of regular training with sufficient cross training sessions to keep your body more flexible whilst gaining even more aerobic fitness.
Your running sessions should include a couple of runs each week on a firm surface such as the cycle path you will be running along in the fun run in a couple of weeks time.
It will give you confidence to be mentally prepared for the conditions experienced when racing. So that you are better prepared for the race, ensure that you have a few training runs at the same time of day as the race. This way you will know what to eat, and how long prior to the race. Experienced runners all have their own strategies for what they eat and drink leading up to a race.

Last week we explored the motion of the feet and how this involves the hips and the upper body. When you run on a softer surface such as grass, or an uneven surface such as a bush track, the motion of your feet is exaggerated. So it is useful to be able to run on both sorts of surfaces knowing that your feet and body need to make the necessary adaptations.

In the next two sessions we will be exploring the connections between the upper and lower body through the trunk region.
Lie on a mat on the floor, stretch your legs and arms out long and feel the way your body makes contact with the ground. Take a minute to feel this and you will gain a much clearer sense if you close your eyes.

Then turn onto your left side and place a folded towel or a book under your head for support, so that your head lies in a neutral line with your spine. It needs to be firmer than a pillow. Have your legs stacked on top of each other and bent at a right angle so that your shape would be the same as sitting in a chair.

Move your right hip forward a small amount, very slowly and return. Do this ten times feeling how you do the movement. Find out what happens to the lower leg and foot, the knee and the hip underneath as you do this. Keep exploring. Do it much smaller and slower and see how much more you can sense. When you become aware of how the hips move, you gain much more control of the power source for running. Now move the hip backward and return. Repeat ten times again. Now move the hip up toward your head ten times. The movements should only be small. Notice what happens to the ribs and the waist line on both sides of your body. Then do this movement so that your hip moves down toward your feet. The waistline goes in the other direction now. Notice that the hip on the top moves in the opposite direction to the hip underneath. Now with a light hearted and curious attitude, as if playing, connect the four points and draw a circle with the hip. See if you can get this circle to be smooth and clear in its shape. Notice if you prefer to move in a clockwise or anti clockwise direction.

Now roll onto your back again and lie flat on the floor. Notice if it feels different, especially in both legs and buttocks.
Turn onto your left side again in the same position as before. Now take your shoulder forward and back slowly. Make it as smooth as possible. Pay attention to how the shoulder blade is moving across the back of your ribs. Do this ten times feeling different parts of your body each time. By doing very slow movements, and making them very small, you will be able to observe more about what is happening.
Now move your shoulder up and down in the direction of your head and feet.
Again, join all four points into a circle and aim for a smooth round circle. Watch that you are breathing all the time as many people hold their breath when they are concentrating hard.

Lie on your back again, and observe any changes.

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