A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Bike Path

I wish I had a picture for this one. Funny stuff happens while we are out there running. I have to share this story because it was funny and fun. Two Sundays ago, I was coaching Evan, one of the athletes I work with. Evan is a fast, strong runner. We were running on the bike path near the Santa Monica Pier. My metronome was set at 87 or 174 strides per minute as we were warming up. It was mid-morning and beautiful. While we were focusing on our form this guy ran by us. I think it is the same guy I have seen on television. You may recognize him by this description. The guy who plays guitar on roller skates in Venice. He usually wears a turban on his head. Well, if this is the same guy and I think he is, he is a fast runner too.

Now we are all just cruising along and I say to Evan, “Add some lean from the ankles, let catch him.” We kept the cadence a 87. Slowly we start to catch him, just the way ChiRunning® works. As we get closer he hears our metronome and guess what happens, he starts to increase his cadence too and he speeds up.

By this time we are starting to move at a quick pace and every time we would get close he would accelerate. For some reason he would not let us pass him. So, I bumped up the cadence to 90 and kept that nice long stride flowing out the back. We were neck and neck, still he wouldn’t give an inch. We were definitely going sub 7 min. miles and it was a “test fest” – testosterone festival.

We reached our turn around point and let him go. It was just one of those funny, crazy things that happens out there. Evan and I laughed about it the whole way back. In the end it made our run even better, because I like to get the athletes I coach out of their comfort zones. That Sunday our mission was accomplished, we worked each other. If you have any funny stories, let us know. I like to hear about the fun stuff that happens out on the road.

Train Focused,

Steve Mackel

April 25, 2006 | Filed Under Steve's Posts 

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