Discussion: Stupid hands...

...anyone else get stupid hands when running without a map? Did a fell race yesterday and photos always show my right (map) hand curled up like a claw.
I guess it's something to do with being used to holding a map in that hand, and without it, the hand still tries to hold the map and encounters no resistance.
Either that, or I'm just a disfigured wierdo.

It is normal for an orienteer to run with hands not working properly by the standards of runners.

I'm always getting yelled at by my coach for XC and track about my hands!! He is always like you need to stop gripping your hands your using to much energy doing that. i'm glad i'm not the only one!

On the other hand, I was able to keep running while my arm was still in a sling from dislocating my shoulder because I was used to running while keeping my arm still to read the map.

According to my dad I get "stupid shoulders". Like ebuckley mentioned I'm used to keeping my map arm steady to read, so even if I'm not reading or not holding a map, only the other shoulder moves.

Even the best have strange posture:

Haile Gebrselassie "used to run ten kilometres to school every morning, and the same back every evening. This led to a distinctive running posture, with his left arm crooked as if still holding his schoolbooks."

As an older runner, I've been told by my physical therapist that I must retrain myself whenever I detect a habit that unbalances my body.

When you are young, strong and flexible, your body can adjust for many off-balance habits. But as you age, your strength and flexibility decline, and any off-balances create undue strain which ultimately may cause mysterious chronic injury.

So I've reduced my off-balance activities such as skate skiing, which emphasize a "strong side." And increasingly returned to classical XC skiing, which is totally balanced. I've also analyzed my running style to eliminate uneven arm swings and other tics.

Skate skiing doesn't have to be unbalanced. Don't always pole when you're on the same leg, or pole on every third leg stroke in appropriate terrain.

It's easy to say but much harder to do it. When you are tired and skating up steep hills it's just so easy to use your "strong side". Apparently even the (arguably) best skate skier in the world has a body that is a bit unbalanced: http://kallabloggen.blogspot.com/2008/02/packning-...

The interesting part is about a machine that measures body-composition. A short quote: "I had a little more musclemass on the left part of the torso. It must be because I generally choose left as my "hangside" in second gear (the skatestyle where you pole on every second legstroke)"

Interesting link...wish I read Swedish.

But I think that extra muscle mass on her left side will come back to haunt her as she gets older and less supple. It certainly did for me, principally in my knee.

And as for J-J's suggestion to use alternate side poling, I tried that. And unless I was concentrating, I would always fall back to favoring my strong side. So for a 3-hour ski, I might pole 10% of the time on the alternate side, despite my best intentions.

Any recommendations for an unbalanced mind?

Now speedskating, there's a sport that's guaranteed to be unbalanced. The equipment isn't even symmetrical!

Tennis, golf, baseball, fencing, ... lots of sports are asymmetrical. In my experience, it's the front/back imbalances that mess you up. In particular, running uphills builds the hams and lower back. If you don't work the abdominals as well, you're asking for trouble.