Far be it from me to blow my own trumpet. On this occasion there is a reason for me wishing to write about me getting something right for a change. It is down to my improved perception. Perception is very difficult to quantify and understand simply because it deals with the way we perceive the world around us and how we “think” we are interacting with that world.

The first shock people get when they start to learn efficient running is the huge disparity between perception and reality most of us experience. I have to say, I was amazed and shaken when I realised quite how badly I ran when I “thought” that I ran actually reasonably well.

After many months of learning to run using the Pose Method I have now actually noticed that my perception is much better than it ever has been. So much so that now I know what my body is doing, I’m aware of it and consequently can correct any errors while I am actually running -- a feat that up until very recently I thought would never be possible for me.

I write this in the hope that it will help people in similar situations to perservere with their quest for efficient running. It is worth it; it is worth more than you would ever have imagined because it helps you to develop as a person and understand so much more about yourself. Furthermore, when you actually start running with greater efficiency you start to realise how much easier it all feels. It literally is like taking the brakes off and simply running without fear. The rush is incredible and it is something I will never tire of.

The few paragraphs below detail what I posted on a forum and what Jon, a registered Pose coach had to say about how I described my experiences.

Tuning Landing On the Fly

One thing I have noticed lately is that if you start to become aware of a much heavier feel to the landing -- i.e. LOTS more above 1 bodyweight then don’t simply accept it because this is telling you something is starting to go awry. Either stop running and start again or do running lunges as I do to get the pull sorted out which in turn will make the landing right again and the very heavy feel will go away.
Just a recent observation on my part as I get back into running.

Jon P’s response…

“Very good Ian. The best perception to run with is a feeling of bodyweight quickly releasing from your ball of foot and lightness on your feet (ballet like). A dead foot on the ground is telling you you are “late” pulling and have started to focus on the ground.”

Tuning the Lean

Oh and all this talk of lean made me realise something. I sort of tune my lean and fall as I run too -- probably due to being off road and having to do it.
I noticed that I actually straighten my body up again (probably getting rid of a k-bend starting) and then the running starts to feel smoother again. Something AA said the other night made me think about this. I get a feeling of my legs being slightly behind but not that much that you simply cannot sustain the lean. You can play with this balance until you achieve a good lean, speed and running action that flows rather than feels all staccato.

Jon’s second response…

“Very good again. perfect description of tuning the lean ”

Removing Errors

This is something that people have difficulty in understanding. What is efficient running? When I first started to learn I would have said it is characterised by unlearning bad habits, by enhancing running style and it is probably a very individual thing, as everyone is different. Thus everyone will have their own optimum running style, right? No, this is a popular misconception. Rather than retype lots of words I will include what I posted on a thread earlier…

“…there are things that need to be done the same no matter what because that is how our bodies work. Much like using the clutch or changing gears to the correct one for the bend, hill etc. Everyone needs to control the clutch and gears in the same way; there simply is no other way of doing it. Many folk fall over with this one because they believe that you can do other actions and still run efficiently. Efficient running is minimising movement. Anything else is adding unnecessary movement and that is the biggest problem. The unnecessary movements are these bad habits people refer to. They don’t need un learning per se, they need eliminating.”

Quite simply that is all efficient running is. It is about conserving energy, stopping ourselves hitting the ground so hard and removing any unwanted movements that burn energy and contribute to our energy usage and of course influence the way in which we interact with the ground. Using gravity to run is what we all do. Using it properly in a way that will not hurt us is a skill and not something many people do naturally -- contrary to popular opinion.

Posturing -- Striking the Pose

I have a little more to add after today’s run actually. It all started the other day when I ran barefoot around the cricket pitch. It was a really enjoyable run where I just let speed build all by itself to see actually how fast I could go with the least effort. In the video you will see me set off a little self consciously due to me knowing I was being filmed. I have a little motto or memory jogger now too, just thought of it. However you start a run is how you will continue to run. By that I mean if you see in the video I am pushing too much with the feet rather than simply lifting. This puzzled me because I know I should not do this. The run was a good one yet I wasn’t happy with it because I felt that something was wrong, despite me at one point hitting 18 mph which is probably the fastest I have run on grass.

I digress; for a couple of days I wondered what on earth I was doing wrong. Last night I realised that I was k-bending. This made sense to me because I would be wanting to feel the “boing” -- that wonderfully light, gliding bouncy (not up and down) feeling which is only possible if you have correct posture. I was k-bending therefore my subconscious made me push to simulate the now familiar “boing”. Doing this “simulating” is what leads to injury!  There are some bits of the video where I am running reasonably ok but you can see I am playing around with things -- which at least is good because it shows better perception.

Today I realised that it is probably my job that makes me naturally hunch forwards which of course makes me stick my backside out. It is undesirable when running because you stop being able to fall as efficiently which in turn leads you to pushing your way around -- ever decreasing circles just make it so you have to put more and more energy into the run.

Picture or photographs tell it much easier and more quickly than words. The second one is hopefully what I achieved today when I reminded myself that I had let things slip. Efficient running is a lifetime hobby…

Bad Posture

Good Posture

Hips Don’t Lie

I’ll finish off with a post I made today on Posetech which may help some people who may be struggling with “getting” efficient running…

“Hips forward and just pull…”

For a million times you can think you are doing it. You listen and try doing it. I speak from experience. I have shared Oliver’s frustrations and I know how he must feel.

It isn’t your fault, Pose Method’s fault or the teachers. It is perception and how we have a natural ability to slip back into old habits without even realising it. This has happened to me very recently. I looked at a video of me running and I was dismayed at my posture. I was k-bending again without realising it. I have now adjusted my perception. This will not be the last time I have to adjust. It will not be the last time that I think I have fixed something and have to accept that actually I have slipped backwards. I do accept now that this is why we train. Some of us use drills, others just have a look at themselves in an objective manner and make subtle changes while they run.

This thread has been a very interesting read for me.

I think people get the idea that Pose is cultish because when they ask questions about how to run they get much the same answer or set of answers. I think it is simply because actually there is really only one way to do the act of running. Many ways to achieve it yes but after all is said and done, there is only one way to run. Thus you get the same answers -- especially from a bunch of people who have been taught to express things from a structured perspective.

I guess people would say other methods were dogmatic or cultist if they were as popular…

I don’t think there is an unwillingness to stop beating around the bush and just tell people what they need to know. I think this is largely down to the Internet text based approach and coaches saying things in a slightly different way to different people in the hope that they get through to said individual.

Oliver, you will ‘get it’ and when you do you will wonder what on earth the fuss was about. In fact you will not believe that it can be that simple. This is how I felt and sometimes still do.

The most important advances I made were when I stopped second guessing myself, making assumptions and refusing to believe that it can be that simple. It takes some accepting after having spent so long over thinking and sending oneself bonkers.

I hope my ramblings here help. I figure that even if one person finds my perspective on learning to run efficiently useful then it has been worth collating this information.

I do not pretend to be an authority on efficient running, nor do I think that I can write any better than the many intelligent people that have written books on the subject. This blog is simply a collection of bits and bobs, some of them mine, some of them other people’s that I have found interesting and helpful. If I have found these things helpful then I hope that other people may do to.