Me…posing

So I took a 90-minute lesson in the Pose Method of running from Julie Robinson, owner of RunErie and a certified Pose running instructor and wrote about it for yesterday’s Her Times magazine in the Erie Times-News. Here’s my part:

Posed to Run

By Heather Cass

I love my hot pink and black Saucony Cohesion running shoes with their wide toe box and cushy heels, but Julie Robinson, an Erie-based Pose running coach, said they have to go.

“You need to lose the big shoes,” she said.

I’ve been a heel striker for all of my running life, about 15 years now. It’s obvious if you look at my running shoes. The outside edges of both heels are worn off from being scuffed into the ground for hundreds of miles.

Landing on the ground heel first when running is bad. It sends hundreds of pounds of pressure up the legs, through the hips and into the lower back. It can cause a host of running-related injuries from shin splints to Achilles tendinitis to herniated discs.

Robinson and I are in a parking lot at Penn State Behrend where she is giving me a short course in the Pose Method, which encourages the use of lightweight, thin-soled shoes.

“Getting out of the big shoes helps reduce heel striking because it hurts when you do so in a more minimalist shoe, which forces a change in and of itself,” she said. “But it’s learning to correctly ‘fall’ into Pose that gets rid of that nasty habit. Big shoes just get in the way.”

What is Pose?

It’s hard to explain, but according to www.posetech.com, the Pose is a one-legged stance with the head, shoulders and hips aligned over the ball of the foot. The airborne foot is up under the hips, and running becomes a sequence of falling forward from this position, having the airborne leg drop to keep from falling to the ground and using the hamstring to pull the trailing foot into the airborne position, then returning to the Pose on the opposite leg.

Got it? No? That’s OK because Robinson does get it. In the 90 minutes Robinson and I spent together, she was able to demonstrate some of the methods she uses to build a better runner. It’s a gradual process. She doesn’t just take your shoes away and force you to run in a whole new way. You have to build strength and mobility in your ankles and hips first. You have to work your way down to a lesser-cushioned shoe. You have to practice the one-legged stance, master the use of gravity and “falling forward” and learn to pull your leg up, using your hamstring, instead of pushing off the ground with your toes.

“With Pose, you don’t need the ground to get moving,” Robinson said. “You’re pulling your leg up, not pushing off. Pose is perfect for trail runners who run on rocky, uneven terrain.”

Three days after meeting with Robinson, I ran the Cleveland half marathon. I concentrated on applying some of the principles she taught me, constantly reminding myself to pull, stay centered and fall forward. While I didn’t set any personal records that day (it was 80 degrees), I had no soreness, calf cramps or knee twinges during or after the race. That is a victory for this veteran runner.

Veteran Verdict: Even veterans with closets full of medals and awards can benefit from learning the Pose Method and working with Robinson and Run Erie to improve their form.

There’s more to the story — you can read what newbie runner Marnie Mead Oberle thought of the method here and see a video here.

Bottom line is this: Julie knows her stuff. If you’ve been plagued by constant injuries, it’s worth checking out.  Heck, even if you’ve not been plagued with injuries and you’ve been running (and placing) for 15 years, it’s worth checking out.

You can find more info here and learn about some great workshops they are offering with a master pose coach here.

Starting in June, Run Erie will offer a full schedule of classes on Pose basics at the introductory rate of eight classes for $75. Private lessons are also available at individual and package rates.

RunErie will also bring in master Pose coach Valerie Hunt from Austin, Texas, who will teach two eight-hour seminars with personalized video analysis on June 29 and 30 at CrossFit FBO, 1311 Chestnut St. Cost:$150.

The clinics are open to all ages and ability levels. Each clinic includes eight hours of instruction, video analysis, and time for lunch and socialization with new friends. Details for registration are available on Run Erie’s Facebook page under the events tab or e-mail Run Erie at info@runerie.com.

If nothing else, follow Run Erie on Facebook and learn more about the pose method — they frequently post videos and tips.

Don’t forget about the Art & Sole 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, June 8. Race starts at 9 a.m. at the Neighborhood Art House, 10^th & Holland Streets.

According to race organizers, participants range from dedicated runners seeking their best run-time to individuals and/or families with small children who run/walk the route without concern for speed.

The course winds through downtown Erie. It starts and finishes at the Art House (proceeds benefit the Neighborhood Art House).

If you’re already registered, you can pick up your packet on Friday, June 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the art house.

Top finishers will receive an unique award – artwork created by the children at the Neighborhood Art House.

There’s a Team Challenge this year (Call the Neighborhood Art House at 455-5508 for information on how to form a Team and be eligible for great prizes!)

Registration form & more info available here, or by contacting the Neighborhood Art House at NAH@neighborhoodarthouse or 455-5508.

Have you always wanted to learn the pose method of running? Perhaps you’ve tried to teach yourself?

If you have absolutely no idea what I’m taking about, read this. If you don’t have time for that, watch this:

OK…..now that were all up to speed, the good news…..drumroll, please…..

You can learn it right here in Erie. Erie runners and trainers Julie Robinson and Sean Donachy have formed a business called RunErie to teach local runners how to improve their form, which will result in better race times and — most importantly — fewer injuries! Yay!

They’ve already taught two classes and they are offering another on Saturday, May 25 at 8 a.m.  CrossFit FBO at 1311 Chestnut Street. Cost is $10 and space is limited.  Details here. Contact them on Facebook or call 450-7786 for more info or to RSVP.

Chi vs. Pose Method

You may have heard of Chi running before, too. It similar, but there are some differences as well. Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about Chi running versus Pose method, but, if you don’t have time for that, here’s the short version:

“Pose running puts more demand on the legs, using muscle control to maintain proper positioning. ChiRunning teaches that the leg below the knee should be relaxed, taxing the muscle very little. The primary focus of ChiRunners is core strength and the belief that energy can be redirected from the trunk to the extremities. Another key difference is that pose running uses a short stride while ChiRunning extends the stride, again to alleviate the effort on leg muscles.

Probably the most distinguishing characteristic between these two approaches is that pose running is primarily focused on the physiological elements of running. ChiRunning on the other hand, is steeped in Eastern philosophies that, while may be perfectly valid, Western runners may have trouble applying.”

Harborcreek Township is offering a free runners clinic again this year and it starts next Thursday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m. at Harborcreek Community Park. It runs for 6 consecutive weeks. The goal is to train runners to run the Harborcreek Youth Services Fahey/Ferko Run on June 29th.

“Not only will Sandie offer weekly running tips, but will also pass on information including stretching, nutrition, setting goals, choosing correct equipment, and additional training options for the more advanced runner. In addition to all the knowledge you will gain from Sandie, the location of the clinic offers you many routes and surfaces to run on — from the 7/10 mile paved trail around Community Park to wooded trails that connect into the park. Participants should plan to gather near the Firman Road concession stand and picnic pavilion, using the Firman Road parking lot.

It’s free to participate and you can sign up the first night (or any night). Here’s a Q&A I did with Sandie about the clinic last year.

Need some inspiration? This Harborcreek blogger attended Sandie’s clinic last summer and started running (she had not run prior to attending the clinic) and she just completed her first half marathon!  Read all about it here.

You can do it. You are so much stronger than you can possible imagine.

Go!  DO IT. Try it. It can will change your life.

Jim Lang, owner of Big White Trailer timing, posted the following note regarding a couple of off-Presque Isle racing opportunities available on Memorial Day weekend:

You all asked for races that aren’t at Presque Isle, and you’re getting them on Memorial Day weekend.

Saturday brings you a REALLY different race: A Race to Remember.  This is a dirt road in Albion. Might even get a Dirt Road Anthem going. It’s a senior project to benefit Alzheimer’s, which affects all too many in our community. Those of you who have participated in the Tuesday Night Racing League events over the past few years will remember this as the Albion 5k/5M course that brought a smile to our faces.

Monday brings you a variety. The Human Race — a 5K in Meadville, followed by the Tom McNally Memorial Kids Run. I ran the Human Race years ago and loved it. I’d be torn between it and the other race on the calendar. The Miracle Mountain Stampede in Spring Creek, PA is a hilly, road & trail, challenging course nearly guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. The setting is absolutely wonderful. Bring the kids and look at all they have to offer. They offer an Open House so you’re free to look around.

Please, if you plan to run any of these events, register early so the directors can plan for you.  (And if you wake up on race day and decide to go anyway, please do register on race day.

— Jim

“Will you beat the pig? Or will the pig beat you?” That’s the question Jog ‘n Hoggers will be asking themselves when they line up at the starting line this year.

Here’s how it works: A designated “Pace Pig” will jog alongside runners. Once the pig reaches the eating area, he will hang out for 15 minutes, pose for pictures, and do whatever else Pace Pigs do. Once his 15 minutes are up, he will run back to the finish line.

So the question is…Will you beat the pig? Or will the pig beat you?

Cute video on the Hog Blog here.

A note from the race directors regarding tomorrow’s Mother’s Day Run:

The Mother’s Day Race Fun Run/Walk will be held unless Presque Isle closes (this would make the news!).  The Erie Runners Club/Mother’s Day Race has the best volunteers that show up in all conditions.

If you are able to pick up your bib and shirts today, it will save you time on Sunday!

Packet pick-up and late registration on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Achilles Running Shop, 2309 W. 12 St., Erie, PA from 11 am until 3 pm.

Day of Race registration and packet pickup at Beach #1 beginning at 7 am on race day.

Four races to choose from this weekend…and a reminder that the ERC membership meeting heads outdoors starting this month:

SATURDAY

* Women’s Care Center 5K – 9 a.m. at Presque Isle State Park (Rotary Pavilion). Info here.

* Braves Mighty Milers 5K – 9 a.m. at Iroquois Elementary School. Info here.

*Run for the Woods 5K — 1 p.m. at Wesley Woods Camp in Saegertown. Info here.

SUNDAY

* Erie Runners Club Mother’s Day 5K — 9 a.m. at Presque Isle State Park (Beach #1). Info here.

MONDAY

* Erie Runners Club Membership Meeting (all are welcome) — 7 p.m. at Asbury Woods. Hot dogs, drinks provided. Bring something to share, or don’t (no biggie if you don’t).

So….a reader requested a list of area adventure & fun runs within a 2-hour driving distance and, I was like…sure, no problem. Then I spent like four hours compiling this list because there are so many! Who knew? Now we all do.

Whatever trips your trigger (mud, color, girls-only, seriously tough, etc.), there’s a race for you nearby. Heck, there are 5 cool ones right here in Erie!

BTW — there are many more races in PA, Ohio & NY…I just stuck to the ones that I felt were within an easy driving distance. If I’ve left any off the list, comment below or email me at zipdang22 at aol.

Erie

* Jog ‘n Hog — Presque Isle State Park – June 15  (Run 2 miles, eat pepperoni balls, run back 2 miles)

* Erie Day School Fun Color Run & Walk — Camp Notre Dame in Fairview — June 15 (color run/walk, not timed, very family friendly)

* 3 Mile Isle – Presque Isle State Park – July 27 (Three-mile obstacle/adventure run)

* Beast on the Bay - Presque Isle State Park – September 7 (Erie’s biggest obstacle course — 4, 6, 8 and 12-mile options)

— Join the ERC Beast Team

* Zombie Run (this is LAST YEAR’s info) — Frontier Park – Date TBA (I think it’s 10/12) — 5K Zombie Run put on by the Erie Playhouse

Pennsylvania

* Mud on the Mountain — Seven Springs, PA — May 11 (7.7 mile/26-obstacle mud/adventure run)

* Dirty Girl 5K — Pittsburgh, PA — June 8 (5K mud run that caters to women)

* Project Mud — Wampump, PA — July 13 (5K mud run)

* Run for Your Lives —  Wampum, PA — August 3 (5K obstacle/zombie course)

* Muddy & Messy 5K — Conneaut Lake, PA — July 27 (5K mud/adventure run)

* Warrior Dash — Long Pond, PA — Aug. 24 (3.32-mile mud run)

* Gladiator Rock ‘n Run — Export, PA — Sept. 7 (5K mud run)

* Savage Race — Albrightsville, PA — Sept. 14 (4-6-mile mud run)

* Hardcore Mud Run — Phillipsburg, PA — Sept. 28-29 (6.5-mile obstacle course with 18 to 20 obstacles -hardcore)

Ohio

* Warrior Dash — Butler, OH — June 1-2— (3.2 mile mud run)

* Cleveland Challenge Urban Adventure Race — Cleveland, OH — June 8 (5K “Amazing Race” style scavenger hunt race)

* Dirty Girl 5K — Cleveland, OH — July 20 (5K mud run that caters to women)

* Color Run — Cleveland, OH — Sept. 21 (5K “color run”)

New York

* Kiss me Dirty 5K — Kissing Bridge Ski Resort — June 1 & 2 (5K mud run  for women — men can race in drag!)

* Holiday Valley Mudslide — Ellicottville, N.Y. — June 15 (3.5 or 5.4- mile mud run — no shocks, no fire, no barbed wire)

* Color Me Rad — Darian Lake, NY — June 22 (5K color run)

* Tough Mudder — Andover, NY — July 27 & 28 (10 to 12-mile obstacle course – hard core)

* Color Run — Buffalo, NY — Aug. 17 (5K “color run”)

* Hardcore Mud Run — Swain, NY — Aug. 17 (6.5-mile obstacle course with 18 to 20 obstacles, hardcore)

* Run For Your Lives — Batavia, NY — Aug. 17 (5K obstacle/zombie course)

* Tough Mudder — St. Clairsville, OH — Aug. 24 & 25 (10 to 12-mile obstacle course – hard core)

* Dirty Girl 5K — Buffalo, NY — Sept. 7 & 8 (5K mud run that caters to women)

* Muddy Viking — Bemus Point, NY — Oct. 5 (Four-mile mud run)

Mari Howells, center, and her daughters, Sofia & Elizabeth Viebranz.

Mari Howells, of Millcreek, has run the ERC Mother’s Day run with her two daughters, Sofia and Elizabeth Viebranz, for the last four years, staring when Elizabeth was just 9 years old.

“The 1st one in 2010 was so miserable–cold and very windy,” Mari said. “Luckily, my husband had gloves in his car for our 9-year old, Elizabeth. It was her first race, and she was very pretty cold and unhappy. It took her 55 minutes.”

Mari says their times have improved since that first race and Elizabeth was not deterred by that first miserable run.

“She insists we run the Mother’s Day Race every year, as a tradition,” Mari said.

I did a little Q&A with Mari in hopes of inspiring other mother runners to get their brood out there this Sunday morning:

Family: Husband, Gary Viebranz; Daughters, Sofia Viebranz, 14, and Elizabeth Viebranz, 12.

Do your daughters normally run? Do you?

We are “situational” runners. If we have a race coming up, we try to run so we don’t make complete fools of ourselves. I also go to the Y every week with my mom, and I run the track there. She’s 88. I’m trying to get her to walk a race with me, but she won’t. Sofia was on the cross country team at J.S. Wilson for 3 years, and Elizabeth was on the team this past fall.

Honestly, if I didn’t have kids, I wouldn’t run at all. The only reason I do run is because Sofia joined the cross country team in 6^th grade and she insisted that we run the Turkey Trot together in 2009. I was over 40, and I had never run anywhere in my life. Needless to say, I was extremely sore the whole weekend, but we kept up with a few races every year, starting with the Mother’s Day run, and we dragged Elizabeth along that year.

Do you run the race or walk…..or do you kinda do both (run/walk)?

I slowly run the whole race, although there’s usually a voice in my head telling me to walk at around the 2-mile mark.

Who likes to do this the most…you or the girls?

I think I like it most. I enjoy being around the variety of runners, and the happy camaraderie that you see during a race.

What do you enjoy about the ERC’s Mother’s Day race?

I love the fact that we have a healthy, fun, inexpensive Mother’s Day tradition. It’s a great excuse to get out and get moving. Since we live in Erie, I can’t say that the weather is nice every year, but the odds of good weather are in our favor. People are always in a good mood at the race, and the happiness is infectious.

What do the girls enjoy most about it?

They both told me they like the finish most of all. I think they gave chocolate at the finish one year, so that was especially popular with the girls.

Most memorable moment at any of the ERC Mother’s Day races you’ve done?

The first one in 2010 was memorable for the weather. As I recall, it was miserable—cold, windy and rainy.

The past two Mother’s Day runs, my brother and his family have come from Cleveland to run. It’s always more fun when there’s a group running and cheering you at the finish. They give me a hard time because I’m slower than my brother and his kids—my nephew Aidan finished 3^rd overall last year!

Why should other moms & kids do this race?

Even though getting up early and running at Presque Isle doesn’t sound like fun to many of us, it’s actually a good time. Plus, if you go to a restaurant later, you can justify dessert because you ran or walked a 5K.

What do you do after the race? What’s your Mother’s Day tradition in your family?

We go to Panera’s after every race.

Best parenting advice you ever received…and from whom?

When I was pregnant with my first child, the Lamaze teacher said something to the class that’s stuck with me—“Whatever age my kids are, that’s my favorite age.” I find that to be true for me. I can look back fondly at the baby years and the elementary school years, but right now, with my kids being 12 and 14, is my favorite age for my kids.