Run-walk-run: method or madness?

I agree with your overuse assessment as an initial diagnosis. I'd suggest backing off the mileage a bit and rolling the legs with a rolling pin before and after each run.

How's your arm swing?
I got a foam roller coming tomorrow. I know you like the rolling pin, but I thought a bigger roller might be useful for non-leg stuff. I also got a compression band coming. Hundreds of reviewers on Amazon reported success with that. I'm also going to try a couple of ITB stretches I saw on YouTube. As I wrote above, I have been feeling soreness in the glutes with these longer runs, and the stretches really attack that area, so worth a try.
I don't know about the arm swing. I'm a pretty athletic guy, so I assume it's good. The slower I go the more the forearm comes in, when I sprint it's in the same plane as my forward motion. Shoulders are relaxed and relatively upright. Do you think running at a slightly faster pace might help?
 
Don't read to far into every comment. Conditioning is very important and is necessary for injury free running. Technique/skill of running is the most important aspect of running but it doesn't exist outside of our our physical condition.
Please read a little farther into my comments. The variable at play was a sudden upsurge in mileage before I had become properly conditioned to it.
 
Please read a little farther into my comments. The variable at play was a sudden upsurge in mileage before I had become properly conditioned to it.

Oh...I read that part. Sorry but I don't believe that conditioning caused your overuse injury. Yes as your conditioning deteriorated your form probably became worse but the flaw was most likely there to begin with.
 
They probably all want to do that. Who gets into a sport like that? Are they people who aren't fast enough to compete running? Or do they just like to add a little jiggle? If there's judges involved, then maybe they should recruit some more voluptuous women for points on style.

The mens race walking world record for 50k is 3 hrs 34 mins, that's pretty fast by any standards.
 
Lee,

Made a quick video of a drill/exercise that I use to establish and maintain my weight over and off the balls of the forefoot. Sorry in advance for not getting my whole body in the video. I hope you still find it of value despite:
 
Lee,

Made a quick video of a drill/exercise that I use to establish and maintain my weight over and off the balls of the forefoot. Sorry in advance for not getting my whole body in the video. I hope you still find it of value despite
Thanks cat. I'll give that a try.

BTW, foot feels OK today. More and more, I'm convinced it was simply a case of TMTS, but it's been helpful to think about all the other issues that might be involved, and to begin taking more preventative measures so that I will be able to begin building up distances again in the near future. Here's a young skinny guy who also got hurt by impatience, from http://strengthrunning.com/2011/03/7-things-i-wish-i-knew-when-i-st/:

"Success in Distance Running Takes Time

A lot of time. Greg McMillan tells his elite runners that it takes 2-3 years to start seeing their potential. This amount of time is on top of their high school and college running years – so it’s really about 10 years. Distance running success is about consistency and a gradual, yet progressive, pattern of training.

One of my previous problems is that I jumped from 40 miles per week to 70 in three months. I got hurt. After six months at 60 miles per week, I tried to jump to 90 miles per week. I got hurt. I disregarded the basics of gradual training. Be patient and recognize that modest increases in mileage done over a long period of time will have you running fast over the long-term. There are no shortcuts."

Not that I'm comparing myself to a sub-three hour marathoner, but the percentages in his ill-fated mileage jumps are similar to what I tried. I jumped from 10-15 mpw to 20-25 mpw, skipping the 15-20 mpw part. Dumb. If even young, skinny guys can't get away with it, then who am I to think I can, right? Running seems to be a different animal from cycling or hiking, where you really can just jump in with the only risk of getting sore (provided you got the right gear and set-up). I guess it's the higher impact, not necessarily my age or body type. Just gotta take it slow and enjoy the journey, as so many have recommended.

Damn, another long post, and I was hoping to keep my comments to quips today. Oh well, at least half of that was a quote.
 
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I have tried something different recently on some of my runs that have broken down to a walk - I walked backwards. As stupid as I may look, it works those muscles that are underutilized.
 
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Thanks cat. I'll give that a try.

BTW, foot feels OK today. More and more, I'm convinced it was simply a case of TMTS, but it's been helpful to think about all the other issues that might be involved, and to begin taking more preventative measures so that I will be able to begin building up distances again in the near future. Here's a young skinny guy who also got hurt by impatience, from http://strengthrunning.com/2011/03/7-things-i-wish-i-knew-when-i-st/:

"Success in Distance Running Takes Time

A lot of time. Greg McMillan tells his elite runners that it takes 2-3 years to start seeing their potential. This amount of time is on top of their high school and college running years – so it’s really about 10 years. Distance running success is about consistency and a gradual, yet progressive, pattern of training.

One of my previous problems is that I jumped from 40 miles per week to 70 in three months. I got hurt. After six months at 60 miles per week, I tried to jump to 90 miles per week. I got hurt. I disregarded the basics of gradual training. Be patient and recognize that modest increases in mileage done over a long period of time will have you running fast over the long-term. There are no shortcuts."

Not that I'm comparing myself to a sub-three hour marathoner, but the percentages in his ill-fated mileage jumps are similar to what I tried. I jumped from 10-15 mpw to 20-25 mpw, skipping the 15-20 mpw part. Dumb. If even young, skinny guys can't get away with it, then who am I to think I can, right? Running seems to be a different animal from cycling or hiking, where you really can just jump in with the only risk of getting sore (provided you got the right gear and set-up). I guess it's the higher impact, not necessarily my age or body type. Just gotta take it slow and enjoy the journey, as so many have recommended.

Damn, another long post, and I was hoping to keep my comments to quips today. Oh well, at least half of that was a quote.

Being cautious and thoughtful is sound advice for everyone. In regards to examples of people getting injured when running x amount of miles. We could list examples from all ends of the spectrum from people running increasing large amounts and still not getting injured. I do agree and think many get injured with large increases. However I interpret the statistics to mean that most people inherently have poor form and thus when they increase those flaws are magnified and their muscles, tendons and ligaments can't sustain the act of running due to the mechanics not the poor condition of the tendons and ligaments. Only when we employ the best mechanics can we fully allow our muscles tendons and ligaments to reach there peak conditioning both volume and intensity.
 
I have tried something different recently on some of my runs that have broken down to a walk - I walked backwards. As stupid as I may look, it works those muscles that are underutilized.
+1
You know Shorty, what I do a once or twice a week is run backwards for a couple of laps. It is amazing the feedback you get. It also helps with form. I feel that more in my quads than anywhere else.
 
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Hey, I've ended up walking home at the end of my last two runs, and that got me to thinking about Jeff Galloway's walk breaks training protocol, whereby he prescribes a certain frequency and length of walking breaks according to your running pace (http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/walk_breaks.html):

Has anyone tried it over a significant length of time, and if so, how did it go? I do it all the time om my runs of 14+ miles I run staright thru under 14 mi

Did your rate of improvement improve? Most definitely

Were you more successful at avoiding fatigue, overuse, or injury? YES! YES! YES!!!

Did you feel silly walking in the middle of a good run and getting out of the 'zone'? It was a little difficult at the beggining because I didn't like walking but my goal was to decresae the risk of injury so I stuck to it and now I embrace it and look forwar to my walk breaks.
Although I don't follow the JG method to a T I do my own ratio of 1mi run to 1 min walk.

Do real runners walk?
YES! YES! YES! DO IT!!! once you heal of course and QUIT BEING TOO MACHO!!!