Was able to explain the difference in running technique to Christiane today and it was stunning to see the change in her. The video below is just me demonstrating the "barefoot" or "natural" gait. You can see even from this short clip how comfortable it looks. The forefoot strike looks completely natural.
The weather cleared up a bit in the afternoon and so I managed another climb on the bike - just up to Granier because it was too cold to go to higher altitudes. Excess body weight is really slowing me down on the climbs just now and I'm not managing to really get my heart rate up near maximum. I don't really know what's holding me back there. One positive thing though is that there is a real improvement in stamina and the second or third climbs feel no different from the first. That's a completely new sensation for me and some encouragement and reward for all the training.
During the climb I worked hard at focussing on the core muscles - just like in running. It was interesting to notice that if I imagined that the pedal crank axle was actually running though my hip joints - connecting them - and focussed on continuity of power from there, connecting the push of one leg with the pull of the other - then there was a real shift in fluidity and overall power output. I'm sure that just as with running the key is to move the focus and effort to the core and away from the extremities.
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