Breaking the Wall

Pettibon exercises? Adrenal Formula? WOBBLE CHAIR?? What kind of crazy voodoo are you cooking up down there Sasha??

Oh, and what are headweights?

Good luck at TOU - hope you do well.

Adrenal Formula is an herbal mix to improve adrenal glands and nervous system. I am a firm believer in combination of a good diet and herbs to build the health of internal organs. With essentially the same training I ran 2:33 in TOU in 2001 (PR), then 2:37 in 2002, and 2:27(PR) in 2003 followed by another PR in St. George two weeks later (2:24). I could barely walk after TOU in 2001, and 2002. In 2003 after the finish and the interviews I ran back to mile 22 (via a 2 mile short cut, met my wife, and paced her for the remaining 4 miles of her race. What I believe made the difference was an improvement in diet and using herbs to restore the internal organs to better health.

Also, between 1999 and 2004 my VO2 Max went up from 66 to 75, max heart rate dropped from 187 to 170, while the half-marathon race pace heart rate dropped only from 173 to 163. The resting heart rate did not drop. I did not do any measurements in 2001-2002 to see if I already had something going before the dietary improvement in 2003, but I strongly suspect it is responsible for the lion's share of this cardiovascular breakthrough.

The rest is a part of the

href="http://www.pettibonsystem.com/"

>Pettibon system for spinal correction. You put headweights on your head and hold them for 20 minutes to form the proper curving of the neck. Here is my reasoning for investing into it. The VO2 Max of 75 predicts about 14:00 5 K with the average economy. My best reasonably honest 5 K is 15:37 (Draper Days, 0.4% elevation drop, but some climbing, probably enough to make it honest course equivalent). So there is a good amount of energy waste going on. Subjectively, I feel strong when I run, but not smooth. Often I feel strong, but progressively slow down as I go. I am yet to run a 5 K PR with a negative or an even split. So the accusing finger of evidence is pointing at bad biomechanics to start with, that often gets worse as the run progresses possibly because it takes so much mental energy to keep it even semi-decent that on some days I just do not have.

I have become convinced that a runner attains biomechanical perfection naturally as he runs a lot of miles, but that perfection limited to the degree that his bone structure will permit. I have tried several times to change my form with a conscious effort or with form drills. The visuals would improve, but the performance would not. I was still running the same pace with the same effort at best. Thus I came to the conclusion that the only way a seasoned runner could ever effectively (resuling in better economy) improve his form is my changing his bone structure to be healthier. So that has become my focus recently.

Why Pettibon? First, you've got to start somewhere. And, second, and perhaps the deal winner - it worked for Trever Ball, I have seen him run, I've checked his running history before and after (16:19 5 K -> 14:09 5 K), and he swears by it.

Thanks for the information, Sasha. Your results speak for themselves. So you're obviously doing many things right.

Is the Gotu Kola that is in the Adrenal formula related to the Kola Nut? I've seen that ingredient in GU, I think it has caffeine in it.

Anyway, I agree with your focus on good nutrition. I've been a vegetarian for 10 years. The best thing the diet has done for me is to make me conscious about everything I eat, which helps eliminate a lot of junk. I've tried various supplements too, but right now just try to get everything from food. I'm always interested to hear what is working for people, though. And as I say, your results are proof that something is working!

On the point about running form and efficiency, have you worked closely with a running coach to help improve form?

I have worked with and without a coach on the form, and found it ineffective. I found that is fairly easy to improve the superficial visuals, but something deep inside at the core, not so easily perceivable is still wrong. And I do not run any faster.