Still thinking a lot about running. Much more than usual in fact. There will be some important news on here shortly. Basically, WE are thinking a lot about running and we want to help.
The Wingerworth Wobble
Here is a local fell/XC race our local running group have organised in support of our local school and hospice.
http://www.fetcheveryone.com/viewracedetails.php?id=69732
It’s a nice little run around our village and there may be some hills, all off road save for a couple of stretches of road of about 200 mtrs.
It’s listed in FellRunner too…
http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=1859
Oh and here is our local running group’s website for more info…
http://www.wingerworthwobblers.co.uk/
Would be great to see anyone there. I’ll be sweeping at the back.
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Running in the High Places
Not that we have places that are excessively high here in Derbyshire. They are high enough, however to give you that unique feeling, that connection with the primeval. That feeling of being small and your surroundings of being immense and … Continue reading
Posted in Front Page, Hill Running, Niggles, Running
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Technique – What is it?
Running in VFFs on a Wall
As a follow on from my last post about technique here are a few more points about what technique isn’t and why these cannot be the objective for anyone trying to achieve efficient running.
Just as a reminder, here are the points I mentioned and which ones have been covered thus far…
I can tell you what it isn’t…
It isn’t trying to run on the balls of your feet
It isn’t trying to run “lightly” with quick steps
It isn’t trying to land on a bent knee
It isn’t trying to not step out in front
It isn’t trying to shorten your stride
It isn’t trying to increase your cadence
It isn’t running barefoot or in “minimalist” shoes
Trying to Run “Lightly”
I’m at a loss to explain this one to be honest because the only way I can think of running “lightly” is by using correct technique which significantly reduces impact forces.
I have seen people try to run “lightly” by sort of walking fast, rolling their feet from heel to toe. They just look a bit like Groucho Marx to me. This doesn’t lessen the impact forces either because as soon as you start moving faster like this then you will push too hard, leave the leg behind which means the other leg will hit the ground before your body has caught up with it. In other words you will still land in front of yourself with a straighter knee, putting the brakes on. Most people are really bad at defining how hard or soft they feel their landing to be – especially when they are used to hitting the ground bloody hard!
Basically, you might kid yourself that you are in fact running lighter on your feet while actually nothing has changed. The only way to ensure that you run with minimum impact forces is to train your body to run with correct posture and technique. There are no short cuts.
Trying to Land on a Bent Knee
Although there may be some merit in visualising more of a knee bend for some people, just trying to run with mor of a bend in your knees is likely to make you overdo it. Also, just bending the knees while not adopting good posture could possibly make things worse. You will certainly not be running more efficiently. That being said though, if you learn to keep a slight bend in the knees by looking at your overall posture will help you to reduce the chances of injury when you run. Notice though that I did say that the root of all this is to make sure you have a good posture. Good posture makes sure that you have just enough and not too much of a knee bend at appropriate stages of the running cycle.
Trying Not to Step in Front
Trying to do this actually results in “chopping” the stride which can result in leaving your legs too far behind you and yes, you guessed it, the running action is slowed down and you end up landing in front anyway. Another problem with this is that in “chopping” the stride, tension is introduced in the hips and thus you can injure yourself by landing with tense muscles. The legs should be allowed to move freely, the knees should be allowed to naturally come forwards (but not up) so that the lower leg then assumes its proper position beneath the knee. This guarantees a good landing with knee bent just enough to provide cushioning and store some energy within muscle and tendon to be released when your body travels over centre.
And to clarify…
I started out looking at Pose and Chi, both of which have their upsides and downsides. I still keep an open mind though and tend to believe more in what I see scientifically proven and what seems to work in practice too.
The bit about cadence – well apparently it has been bandied about that 180 steps per minute is the optimum frequency at which we can utilise the elastic return of muscle and tendon. One has to realise though that this is a basic average that seems to work best for most folk. If you run faster down hill, your cadence will go ballistic. I’m not sure how mechanically efficient it is to let the cadence go very high – I suspect that it has a much higher energy cost than most proponents of efficient running would advocate. That being said, it doesn’t mean that nobody should run at higher cadence. It is up to the individual, how they like to run and of course what their goals are and what level of runner they are. 
Personally I think running at lower cadence points to other issues within the runner’s form that probably should be looked at and maybe corrected.
The emphasis is simply not to try to force the cadence but let it happen as a result of getting the posture and motion right. You can only do this if you relax enough into the run and let the legs move freely. Tense up and the cadence will drop. I swear by leg speed drills down grassy slopes! As well as it being enormous fun charging down these slopes, I believe it helps us to understand the link between cadence, running speed, rate of fall etc. It also trains the muscles to accept that they can move the legs much faster than they (and you) previously thought. As always, it’s practice that helps you to find exactly what works for you.
Trying to Shorten Stride
Actively trying to shorten or “chop” your stride introduces tension which in turn slows your running action down and thus your whole running style will suffer as a result. It will probably feel very uncomfortable too. It’s just another version of trying not to step out in front of yourself. You will leave your trailing leg too far behind you and it will become difficult to retrieve. As you know by now landing with tense muscles id bad and trying to shorten the stride will lead to tension in the quads and possibly calves too. At the risk of repeating myself, no I will repeat myself in an effort to remind you! Read on from “trying not to step out in front”…
“The legs should be allowed to move freely, the knees should be allowed to naturally come forwards (but not up) so that the lower leg then assumes its proper position beneath the knee. This guarantees a good landing with knee bent just enough to provide cushioning and store some energy within muscle and tendon to be released when your body travels over centre.”
Running Barefoot or in “Minimalist” Shoes
Although this is intrinsically a great idea, it will not guarantee that you will start to run more efficiently and you may well injure yourself in doing so! Not so long ago I was at a local Saturday morning 5k race; it’s events like this where I can’t help but watch people and try to think what is going through their minds. There are so many examples of running style to look at, I always find it interesting to watch. Anyway, I noticed one person who stood out from the crowd a little – he looked very serious and determined to do well I thought. The kit he was wearing looked top notch stuff and when I looked at his feet, he was wearing some Vivo Barefoot Evos. Now he was the ONLY person there that I could see who was wearing them! I decided to keep an eye on him as he went to do a warm up lap or two of the cricket pitch. At first I thought his running would look quite good but then all of a sudden I could see his conscious effort kick in and he started prancing round on the tarmac path that circled the pitch. Obviously he was thinking that these new shoes would make him run great and he had to make it look good. Sadly he made it look very bad. If only he had just let himself run and not think about it then I think his style may well have been much better. I was a bit concerned that he would hurt himself as he was very powerfully springing up in the air with the full power of his calf muscles and was standing on his toes at all times – even when he started walking! Unfortunately this lad pulled out of the race with a torn calf after a mile or so. I wish I had said something BUT I decided not to because I thought he’d more than likely have taken great offense to a complete stranger trying to tell him how to run when he had spent so much on these shoes that would obviously make him run better! I felt rather sorry for him as he limped off looking very sorry for himself; he must have been wondering why on earth these new shoes didn’t work for him! Of course, it is because the shoes do not change how you run, you do and without the knowledge of how to run properly then people will continue to make mistakes.
Conclusion
So now you know what good technique isn’t. “But what is good technique then?” I hear you say. Well, it’s surprisingly simple really. Simple but not particularly easy to put into practice for a lot of people. All you have to do is stand with knees bent, upright posture, fall forwards and keep picking up our feet as your body goes over each one in turn as you change feet. That is basically all you need to do. Do anything else and it will slow the running action down. introduce more errors and then you will try to compensate buy introducing more extraneous effort. Before you know it, you are running with bad technique and getting injured!
When I describe what to do, you will notice that what I say never changes. It is never any different for running up hill, down hill, on the flat, in the wet, snow, ice, on road or off road. The basic technique is always the same.
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Technique – What is it?
First of all though I do have to tell you that the opinions expressed herein are completely my own (although many others may share similar ones) and I have come to these conclusions as a result of studying and practicing technique personally for several years now – since 2007. I have been to Pose Technique courses both as student and helper. I have also read the Pose , Chi and Stride mechanics books and been on my own learning curve with technique. I have also had a few successes with people whom I have helped to learn how to run more efficiently and get over sometimes chronic injury, getting them back into running and enjoying it once more.
It is hard to get it right and it will not happen instantly. You have to be patient and persistent to get anywhere with running – it’s like that for much of life really isn’t it?
Feel free to try to change your technique if you feel that you need to. I cannot, however be held responsible if you read something on here, try to put it into practice and get injured. Be careful and be sensible and responsible for yourself.
Before a person can make changes to anything they do they have to understand what it is they are doing now, what they need to do and how to go about effecting that change or those changes.
Lots of people think they know what technique is when they think of different sports. We all know what skiing technique is right? Or at least what makes good skiing technique? No? Ok then we all know what makes good swimming technique surely? Is there a “proper” way to do things when it comes to natural human movement?
Well, yes there is. I tend to think of it as moving in such a way that is mechanically efficient whilst also protecting the person’s body from damage.
So what is running technique?
I can tell you what it isn’t…
It isn’t trying to run on the balls of your feet
It isn’t trying to run “lightly” with quick steps
It isn’t trying to land on a bent knee
It isn’t trying to not step out in front
It isn’t trying to shorten your stride
It isn’t trying to increase your cadence
It isn’t running barefoot or in “minimalist” shoes
All of the above are markers of good or efficient running but they are not things that people should try to do in order to achieve efficient running. The points above are the result of doing something else right if the context is changed too.
Confused? Ok then I’ll explain a little more.
Better running technique is basically improving the way you interact with the force of gravity and the ground. Rather than smack into the ground really hard with every step, transmitting up to 5 times your body weight straight up through the leg and up the spine, it is far better to strike a glancing blow, turning some of that energy into forward propulsion through use of muscle elasticity.
Cadence
Cadence or the number of foot strikes per minute helps to make use of muscle elasticity (http://lavandaelite.com/exercise-fitness/muscle-elasticity/). However, to be able to run at such a cadence is not as simple as willing the legs to move faster. If you position your body just right, then your legs “have” to follow and move at a certain speed – this is what gives the correct cadence, it is a result of having the correct posture in the first place. Correct posture allows you to “fall” forwards which starts a chain reaction really. You fall forwards, your centre of gravity moves over your foot and when it does your subconscious senses a reduction in weight on the foot and issues the command to pull the foot from the ground. When the foot is pulled from the ground it starts to travel towards your backside, the knee folds forwards and the centre of mass of that leg travels closer to your main centre of gravity. This is good because it means that you are repositioning your body in the best way to make use of gravity again by sustaining the fall forwards. If you left that leg trailing behind (like you would if you pushed off very hard) then you wouldn’t be able to fall forwards properly, which would slow your running action down, lessen the cadence and make it all feel much slower and more difficult.
You do have to bear in mind that I only described what happens to one leg at a time. When you picture it, try to imaging that the opposite leg is at the other end of the running cycle if you like. When one foot is on the ground, the other is off the ground, somewhere on its way towards your behind (preferably knee folded nicely ready to start another fall forwards if the foot on the ground is almost directly under the bum).
Most of the actions are almost completely subconsciously controlled – this is because of the timings involved. We simply couldn’t think and act quickly enough to do it, much like playing tennis, we move to where we think the ball will be, or catching a ball, we don’t think exactly how to position our arm, elbow etc because if we did then we simply would not act quickly enough. When you think about it, if you consider running at 180 cadence then that equates to approximately three steps per second which gives you 300 or so milliseconds per step. Quite fast really and I’d say that trying to control any of this would almost certainly introduce tension in the legs and slow the runner down. When the running action slows down then the elastic return doesn’t work as well and everything starts to feel so much more sluggish and difficult.
Leap of Faith
My personal belief is that you can’t really control it; you just have to have your body positioned properly in order to take full advantage of gravity and the springy nature of your muscles and tendons. The subconscious will get you to move your legs and arms in a suitable pattern to do this, you just have to let it. Of course, letting go is usually one of the most difficult nuts to crack for many runners because they are so used to thinking that they control all the running and it’s their efforts that make it all possible.
Running on Balls of Feet
So many people seem to think that if they simply “run on their toes” or run forefoot or something similar then that is it, they are running much more efficiently. What then usually follows is they complain of calf pain or lower leg and foot problems – usually the lot! People who do this can get quite disheartened too because of course, they have been trying very hard to change, they have effected that change and now that change has injured them. The naysayers usually jump in at this point to tell them “I told you so”, scoffing at the mere thought that you can do anything to change your “natural” running style. It isn’t actually anything to do with change of style that has injured the runner though; it’s their perception of what they are doing. They think they have changed to a better running style when in fact all they have done is transfer injury sites possibly from shin to calf. The problem here is trying to run on the balls of your feet without thinking about what you are actually doing exposes you to a serious error that can injure quite quickly and spectacularly. Think of it like this, have you ever done calf raises in the gym? Standing on toes then letting your body weight down, up and down many times until the calf muscles scream? now imagine if I came along and asked you to hold a weight twice your body weight and carry on with the calf raises. What do you think would happen? Believe it or not, doing that would be just about as bad as simply trying to run on the balls of your feet. This is because you could still be hitting the ground at the wrong time, with the leg extended in front. In an effort to land BOF you extend the foot, presenting it to the ground ball first with calf and achilles tendon already tensed as if you are doing a calf raise. You then smash it into the ground with a nearly straight knee, thus transmitting all the force of landing (up to three times or more body weight) straight through your lower leg, twanging your achilles tendon and calf by stretching and already tensioned calf. It’s just like over stretching a spring. You can also end up with very bad plantar fascia, peroneal tendon and metatarsal issues. Please take great care when you try changing anything! Now hopefully you can understand why this hurts so much and so very quickly too.
Relax Dear, it’s Only Landing
When you start landing properly you have a bent knee and you just put your foot down more or less directly beneath you in a very relaxed manner which is very different indeed to what I just described.
That’s it for now but I will do other posts to cover the other points above that I believe efficient running is NOT.
In the meantime have a look at my diagrams. Hopefully they clearly depict what is good technique and what is bad technique.
Posted in Front Page, Running Form, Running Technique
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Quite a Feet!
An often overlooked yet vital part of our running equipment is our feet. We spend a fortune on shoes and other kit items yet how many of us actually care for our feet? We apply moisturiser to our whole bodies but ask yourself: when was the last time you moisturised your own feet and maybe removed some tough skin? I’ll wager that for most of you it will have been a while. How do I know this? Well, I run a fair amount and have always thought that I look after my feet quite well until I started getting a sharp pain on the inner edge of my ball of foot. Further investigation revealed a small crack in the tough skin because it had thickened, dried out and lost its suppleness. Add to that lack of proper moisturising, foot care in general and simply neglect has resulted in a small, irritating niggle that could have developed into something quite nasty.
The Problem
The points of contact within your shoe develop thicker skin due to friction. Over time this skin becomes very thick and tough, loses moisture, flexibility and then cracks open. The feet are a very good environment for nasty bacteria and fungi which can enter superficial wounds and infect the skin causing a potentially nasty chronic injury that can take a while to get rid of.
The Solution
- Clean the feet regularly (not a problem for most runners, since we sometimes shower three times a day)!
- Remove tough thickened skin – I use a Ped Egg ™
- Moisturise feet regularly to retain soft, supple skin – any good quality moisturiser or even better – foot balm.
Luckily I found mine out quite early on; I’ve “filed” my feet down with the Ped Egg and moisturised them well. Fingers crossed I won’t get an infection!
Basically, look after your feet – they take a lot of abuse and we need them!
Posted in Barefoot, Front Page, Niggles, Running
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A Relaxing Race
Yes it may seem a contradiction of terms yet it can happen if you plan it right! I know now that I can run quite relaxed at a reasonable speed and if I concentrate on good technique I can then keep the form as I ramp up the speed. Today was an experiment in relaxed speed for me. Overall of course the 10k I ran was not fast but it wasn’t that slow either!
I decided to keep my heart rate low for most of the race and only let myself increase the heart rate if I still felt relaxed enough to be able to keep good form. The result was that I caught an ex clubmate over the last couple of k, ran negative splits and finished the race feeling like I’d just been for a bit of a jog! It is great when you realise the training in both technique and athletic ability coming together. It was interesting in the gale force winds on a 2 lap course with quite a hill that had to be run up twice of course. For those of you who may be interested here are some splits…
Time
| Split | Time | Avg HR | Avg Pace |
| 1 | 00:07:09 | 140 | |
| 2 | 00:06:58 | 146 | |
| 3 | 00:07:20 | 146 | |
| 4 | 00:07:56 | 148 | |
| 5 | 00:06:52 | 152 | |
| 6 | 00:06:46 | 160 | |
| 7 | 00:01:39 | 164 | |
| Summary | 00:44:33 | 149 | 07:06:00 |
As you can see, my heart rate was quite low most of the time until I decided to catch my mate up. This was a very pleasurable experience – I have never really raced to a clear plan which was to run relaxed and just let my running flow with good technique. Try it sometime, you’ll really enjoy it! Using the heart rate monitor ensured that I didn’t reach my lactate threshold until the last couple of k which had me running with lots left to give thus negative splits all the way! I will give a write up on the Hadd training I’ve embarked upon with a friend just as soon as I get a minute to post something about it.
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I’m Back!
It’s been a while since I had chance to update this site. I’ve been busy what with one thing or another although I’m still doing plenty of running and enjoying it ever more. Recently I’ve helped Julia with her running technique, I raced my first 10k for over two years a stone overweight and not so well trained and I continue to train regularly with one of my “students” who is coming on in leaps and bounds. It is so satisfying and rewarding to see people who were about to give up running due to injury, run without fear, improve and love it like they never did before. I will post a series of my endeavours in teaching people to run with better technique soon but for now I’d like to draw your attention to the video below. It says it all really, very well done!
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Run Like a Child
I have always agreed with this expression ever since I saw the little boy running.
Just a quick post which I think gets across how some children at least, seem to run quite efficiently quite naturally. I’m ignoring all references to schools of thought or methods of teaching efficient running here because I think it’s been done to death.
Just look at the video and decide for yourself how you would like to run. Maybe you think you run like this anyway and maybe you actually do? However, if you have recurrent niggles or injuries I would urge you to get someone to look at a video of you running, especially if you have been running in high tech. cushioned or supportive running shoes. The theory is of course that the shoes deaden your feet and thus kill proprioception which leads to the perception vs reality disparity (in my humble opinion of course).
Look at the video and if you need help, get in touch with me and I’ll gladly have a look at how you are running and come up with suggestions as to how you can improve your style and make it much closer to how the little girl runs.
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Shoe Doctor
Using minimal shoes is not without its hazards. When running without socks or very thin socks you suddenly become painfully aware of what is on the inside of the shoe. Many shoes have ridges formed by stitching lines which spoils the shoe comfort. Why not wear thicker socks? I hear you say, well then it doesn’t feel as good, and the shoes are too tight in places or they pull on your toenails with the stitching, just like the seams in the shoes! Of course, you don’t find these things out until you have done some longish runs in them. As my transition to ever more minimal shoes progresses I have been running for longer and further in my Salohs. I never felt a thing while running but when I stopped I noticed an abrasion on my toe – not a blister, it was skin that had been completely worn off by the seam on the inner of the shoe. These shoes feel great to wear are by far the most comfortable I have ever worn and fit perfectly. I have got the fit so it is very roomy on the toe box and snug around the rest of the foot where I want it. Of course now, the upper of the shoe being so pliable, it is wobbling about up front over my toes and the seam was catching. In the image above see the unmodified Salohs on the left (insole non-standard due to dog chewing incident! Notice how the modified shoes spread more and thus are more foot-shaped than the ones on the left!
This Seams to Work!
What did I do about it? Some months ago I saw someone on Posetech had modified their shoes for ultimate comfort and I investigated what could be done with my Salohs through experimentation. I have two pairs so if I wrecked one pair that wasn’t going to be a catastrophe. I took a craft knife to the fake leather bits on the shoes and removed them carefully easing out the stitching and trying my best not to slice through the shoe upper. I’m getting closer to huaraches by the day! I have considered removing the bit of upper covering the toes which would necessitate wearing them with no socks of course! As you can see in the photo the fake leatherette material created a stiff ridge made worse by the stitches. With this removed the feet are free to spread as they need to and there is only soft cloth like material on them thus no chafing!
What Are They Like to Run in?
No more chafing at all, anywhere, very comfortable and you can hardly feel them on your feet. Of course, the description is how they feel for me to wear! I’ve run a fair distance in them and probably will run a marathon in them at some point. That doesn’t mean to say they will suit everyone. Salohs are increasingly difficult to get hold of but why not try customizing your pair if you have them? You could of course investigate customixing some shoes you already have, send me yours and I’ll post them on here!
Let’s Get Minimal
I’ve used that heading before, I’m sure. Ah well, here is another link pointed out to me by a keen runner and coach. I think it’s really good that the minimal shoe thinking is going more and more mainstream and it looks like the big players in the industry are starting to take note at long last!
An excerpt from the link..
“The entry of the bigger brands into the barefoot/natural running category is a sign that it’s not just a flash-in-the-pan trend.
“I think the best thing about it is that, because some of the bigger brands like Saucony and New Balance have shoes in this segment, shops understand it now. The same ones that two years ago were saying we were crazy are now accepting us,” says Ecco’s David Halter. “This is not a fad; it’s here to stay.””
The minimal shoe movement does seem to be becoming more mainstream and the large companies look poised to make even more money out of the minimal shoe proponents! Just think, it must be a Godsend to the shoes companies – people want much less shoe and are willing to pay the earth for it! Let’s show them by voting with our wallets. Go for the ones that are very reasonably priced and the market will respond!
I am getting increasingly interested in minimal shoes! Do send in your experiences and customisations!