Deskbound

This book is not directly related to Ultra running and one that I read more out of curiosity, but was a book that I found well worth the time and one that has actually benefited my training. The premise of the book is that extensive sitting causes all kinds of damage to the body and that sitting for hours on end is not healthy.  No real surprises there.  Where the value to the book comes in is with all the little prescriptions as to what to do to correct the damage caused by sitting as well as coverage of basics like how to stand properly and how to sit properly if you need to.  After many decades of life, which included a lot of standing, you would think I would be an expert by now.  Yet, I opted to give the bracing sequence in the book a try.  The bracing sequence is a series of steps to go through to ensure you are standing with proper spinal alignment and it turned out that there was one subtle way in which my posture was off.  If left unchecked, I had to tendency to stand with my right foot pointing a bit outwards which the book indicates can lead to stability issues and collapsed arches over time.  I started diligently trying to remember the bracing sequence and correcting this every time I was in a standing position.  My calf muscle was slightly sore for a couple of days and it took a few weeks for the corrected alignment to stick, but I’m glad I took the time to do so.  I used to get some minor soreness in my right knee after long runs, but the alignment correction seems to have helped correct that.  I’ve always been a fan of including corrective exercises into my routines, but the improvement I found here led to me making analyzing my running form a goal for this year.