<h2><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">PAMPY’S POST 10.15</span>  </strong></span></em></h2>
<h2><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>FINE TUNE YOUR TECHNIQUE BEFORE MEGA MILES</strong></span></em></h2>
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Morning Team,
Many of you are starting your preparation towards the 21.1km Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon. If you haven’t entered the race yet, you’d better get to it - <a title="SMH HALF" href="http://www.smhhalfmarathon.com.au/">http://www.smhhalfmarathon.com.au/.</a>
In today’s post, I’ve outlined my experience on the importance of fine tuning your technical efficiency before you amp up the miles and certainly your training intensity.
There a 4 absolute key features of running smoothly. There are 4 bio-mechanical positions ALL efficient runners employ to reduce the cost of impact. Consequently their potential of injury is reduced to near zero and of course their optimal performance is reflected.

Running or jogging is a weight bearing activity. Meaning, there is a braking cost of impact each and every stride. Your forward momentum is unfortunately slowed (a brief pause) every time you hit the surface. Being a repetitive and continuous action, should your technique be floored with bio-mechanical inefficiency (increased cost of impact), you can expect stress in your weakest link (usually; shins, knees and lower back). This often means injury! Damn!
Here are 4 key features I teach.
<strong>1. YOUR HEAD MUST BE POSITIONED OVER YOU HIPS</strong>
It’s all about balance – much like a golf ball evenly positioned on a tee. If your head is forward of your hips (like it is now while slouched over your keyboard) your inclination will be to counter balance by throwing your lead leg out ahead of your hips. This is usually done with increased force of contact, most often landing on the back edge of the hell, and certainly producing far more braking than necessary. Tell yourself to run TALL – pretend you’re being lifted up off your legs.
<strong>2. RELAX YOUR NECK &amp; SHOULDERS</strong>
When most people are stressed, whether it be delivering a speech or running late for a bus, commonly, shoulders ride high. Muscles around the shoulders and neck contract, which, firstly, restricts breathing, and secondly, has your brain believing you’re under enormous stress – so expect signals of SLOW, STOP or GIVE UP. You must learn to relax these muscle groups particularly when picking up your pace.
<strong>3. SOFT CONTACT</strong>
If you’re forcefully throwing your supporting leg into the surface, you can expect excessive “return to sender” impact costs – a reverb if you like. Your contact should be light and cushioned. Really, irrespective of your weight and size, I shouldn’t hear you coming. Don’t squash ants – lightly allow your supporting foot to FALL to the surface, and importantly, RELAX your ankle on impact. The likelihood is, providing everything is in order to this point, you’ll make first contact on the outside of your forefoot.
<strong>4. LIFT SUPPORTING LEG</strong>
Once you’ve made contact – the sooner you’d clear the supporting foot the better. The less time spent balancing and more so stabilising the less stress on your functional body. I practice LIFTING the supporting foot NOT DRIVING into the surface.
<strong>CHECK IT THIS AWESOME VIDEO OF PERHAPS THE GOLD STANDARD IN “THE ART OF RUNNING”.</strong>

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