Category Archives: HomeField

Marathon Training: No Running, Still Plenty to Review

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Last week, my schedule called for very little running since I had run a 10K Sunday morning.  The week mostly consisted of crossfit endurance training and conditioning, but not to worry, good form is just as crucial.  Therefore, video is as important as ever.

As an added bonus, this week some of my friends joined in on the fun.  Without me asking (I swear), my roommate and his friends video taped themselves running, playing tennis, and working out.

Let’s review what we did, how we did it, and what it taught us:

I'm actually embarrassed with the comparison.

Above is video of me performing a clean and press.  For this particular exercise, I needed to do 30 reps as fast as I can.  The picture on the left is video of me during my second rep.  The picture on the right is me at rep 26.  It’s painfully obvious that my form deteriorated as I got further along in my workout.  What’s even more embarrassing about this is, I was doing the exercise in front of a mirror.  Theoretically, I should have realized my form was failing and corrected.  However, I was sure my form was close to flawless.  Again, video doesn’t lie.  What this tells me is that I need to lower the weight, and focus on form, not weight.  I won’t be able to make the type of gains I want, if my form is failing.

Also, this week my roommate posted some videos of himself working out, and playing tennis.

Ted, doing pulls up, and serving.

Ted, a new crossfitter, has been focusing on his pullups.  This has been a weak area for him, and he knows form is a key factor.  Without any push from me (again, I swear), he decided to film himself.  Also, to the right, is his form while serving.  We reviewed the video, and noticed a few holes in his serve he plans to correct his next time out.  For instance, in the above video you can notice how close the ball is to his body.  The ball needs to be further forward.  While I’d love to take credit for realizing this, it was actually a friend more familiar with tennis who pointed this out.  If you invite the right people to analyze your video, you can get tremendously valuable feedback.

The amazing thing about all these videos is how easy it was to do.  It didn’t take an expensive camera, or a team or videographers.  Ted used a flip cam on a tripod (he’s a video producer, so he has these things), and I used my iPhone.  I leaned it up against the wall and filmed myself.  Uploading it to HomeField took a few minutes, and afterwards I was able to see things I would only have been able to notice with a personal trainer by my side.

It was easy, it was fun, and watching the video afterwards is addicting.  I plan to start filming myself in the gym more often during this marathon training stretch.  I’ll even invite a new group of people to review my form; people who are more familiar with proper crossfit technique.  I’m sure the things I’ll learn will be invaluable, and it’ll just be another push towards my goal of a 3hr, 10m NYC Marathon.

I invite any of you start a personal HomeField account.  Sign up for a free account, and you and your friends can start analyzing your form in whatever area you want to improve – golf, swimming, running, crossfit, etc.  Email me after you’ve created your account, and I’ll set you up with a special personal account.

Marathon Training: Critiquing My Form

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It’s been a week since I started using HomeField video analysis to critique my running form.  One thing’s for sure, watching video of yourself is addicting.  You see things you wouldn’t have normally been able to see.  Even with the use of a mirror I wouldn’t be able to make the kinds of adjustments I’ve made, because I don’t have the ability to slow things down.  Let me show you what I mean.

For this first trial run, I placed a tripod on the side of a track.  With a small flip cam, I recorded my laps around the track.  For this run, I was doing 10 x 200m sprints.  The goal of the run was two-fold; make sure I never slowed more than 2 seconds per sprint, and pay special attention to my form.  I’m learning to use the Pose running style.  Crash course:  With this style, running is a controlled fall.  Rather than using your legs to push and pull you, you’re basically using them to catch you has you fall forward.  This ensures that I’ll be using the minimum amount of energy possible.

Anyway, what I noticed from my video analysis:

Notice the glaring heel strike. With the Pose style running, you're supposed to land entirely on the balls of your feet. I could have sworn I was doing that, but video doesn't lie.

The bottom line is, I wouldn’t have been able to realize I was landing on my heel without video.  I really thought I was running correctly.  I even said to my roommate the night before, “this new style of running is really speeding me up.”  Sure enough, I hadn’t really changed a thing.

Upon seeing the video, I noticed the heel strike right away.  It was comforting to get the same type of feedback from my friends who also reviewed the video:

That’s the power of collaborative video analysis.  I not only got feedback on my technique, I got feedback on how to improve it.  Something I should point out, Aaron lives in Texas.  He’s someone I’ve met on Twitter.  I’ve never met him face to face, yet his feedback is still valuable – and now possible because of HomeField.

I’ve just uploaded a new video of myself to HomeField this morning.  Going to see how much I’ve improved since the last run.  I’m always looking for more help, so anyone who would like to critique my form on HomeField – shoot me an email.

 

Training for the NYC Marathon

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I’m running the NYC marathon this fall in memory of my dad.  It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and now that I have finally committed to doing it, I absolutely want to crush this thing.

Over the past few years, I’ve seen a number of friends train and run in the marathon.  The training process is obviously pretty grueling, and I’ve seen the effects it had on their bodies.

The training regimen seems pretty straight forward.  You’re going to be running for an extended period of time, so you should train by running for extended periods of time.  Simple, right?  Well, after seeing what that type of training did to some of my friends, I wanted to go a different route.

Brian MacKenzie finishing a 100-mile ultra marathon.

After doing some research I found out about Brian MacKenzie, and the regimen he recommends for his athletes.  It’s totally different than what you might expect (which is exactly what I love about it).  In a nutshell, it’s a combination interval training (400m sprints), and crossfit endurance exercises.  The whole goal of the program is to get my body to run aerobically, rather than anaerobically which tends to happen to athletes when they run for extended periods of time.  Without going into the science of it, running aerobically will make my body get it’s energy from fat, rather than carbohydrates.

Another major aspect of the training regimen I like, is Brian’s outlook on video analysis.  He says, “You can get more done in an hour of video analysis, than a years worth of self correction without video.”  This is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of HomeField.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be video taping myself during certain runs.  Then, I’ll post that video to HomeField where a few of my friends and former college track athletes will critique my running technique whenever they have the time from their computer.  I’m confident with their pointers my technique will greatly improve. I’ll be blogging about my progress over the next few months.  Anyone who would like to help out with my training on HomeField can chime in in the comments below.

I’ve already adopted a new training regimen, changed my diet, and bought new running shoes.  The video analysis will be the extra boost required to get me to be the kind of runner I need to be on race day.  My goal?  3hr, 10mins, enough to qualify me for the Boston Marathon.  Ambitious?  Yes.  Crazy?  Maybe.  Would I have it any other way?  Hell no…

Everyone’s an Expert

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One thing that makes sports so great and unique, is that no matter your age, athletic ability, or level at which you play, everyone’s an expert.
You know exactly what I’m talking about.  Your dad questions every call the manager makes.  Your friend claims that he can do ‘such and such’ better than a professional athlete.  It never ends, and it’ll always be that way.

HomeField allows you to use this phenomena to improve your team.  Our discussion rooms allow your team to discuss a video in a way that was previously only possible in a locker room.  Coaches can highlight plays or players they’d like their team to focus on, with time coded links that will take them right to the highlight.  While players can respond to these comments, ask questions, and even link to the video themselves.

It’s a great way to keep up communication with your players while you’re outside the locker room.  And, it makes everyone an expert!