<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #993366;"><em><strong>PART 5 - RUNNING DRILLS</strong></em></span></h1>
&nbsp;
<div align="center"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9iXfdUwPZCQ" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Why specific running drills?</strong></span></h3>
<ul>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Specific running drills will improve your running timing, coordination and balance.</em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Your rhythm and tempo will improve.</em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Your awareness of body parts will heighten, and </em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>It's likely you can expect a gain in performance. </em></span></h5>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<blockquote>
<h3><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>What sort of time should you allocate towards running drills?</strong></span></h3>
<ul>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>1-2 minutes before your run - or even simply'bouncing' on the spot for 20 <img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3752" src="http://www.bpsnowyhealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/SHARP9-300x169.png" alt="SHARP9" width="300" height="169" />seconds pre-workout will sharpen your running senses. </em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>3-5 minutes twice a week - performed post your longer more or your most challenging run of the week.  Focus on your form is most beneficial on tired legs to best simulate back-end fatigue in races.  </em></span></h5>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;</blockquote>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Where should you practice running drills?</strong></span></h3>
<ul>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Performing drills on grass is usually the best place to start, then,</em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Move onto a harder surface like bitumen or even better a tartan running track. These surfaces will further encourage your natural stretch reflex, or elastic recoil </em><em>(spring-like effect) particularly within your plantar fascia (arch of foot), and achilles tendon (as mentioned in PART 3).</em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Basically map any 15 metre flat surface.</em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Established runners should also consider performing the drills below on a 3-6% gradient.  </em></span></h5>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>The Drills.</strong></span></h3>
<ol>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Short sharp Clip</strong> </span>- this involves a very short stride, employing a very fast turnover with your recovery phase kept low to the ground.  Over exaggerate your cadence with super fast spring-like feet.</em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>High pull ups</strong></span> - forget about your running speed, and focus more on maintaining your postural balance.   With an over exaggeration of your lifting <img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3754" src="http://www.bpsnowyhealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/SHAR-300x169.png" alt="SHAR" width="300" height="169" />range pull your supporting foot up towards your bum - more so towards the crease between your bum and the top of your hamstrings.  *It is NOT a heel kick.</em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Skip Drill</strong></span> - requiring a little more coordination, employ the high pull from the drill, but perform within a skip - just like you did as a kid.  Skip means to skip a stride.</em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Bouncing</strong></span> - performed on the spot with relaxed knees and ankles, simply bounce super quickly.  While your first set will often bring a burning sensation in your calves, after a few sets your timing should adapt to produce 3 x 45 seconds.  </em></span></h5>
</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<blockquote>
<h3><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Extra's</strong></span></h3>
<ol>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Down hill fall sets</strong></span> - <span style="color: #ffffff;">this is best performed on grass.  Holding well balanced posture (being careful not to lean or collapse forward) allow yourself to fall down the hill.  Expect your cadence to increase as your speed increases. Remember the trick as with all running is to supporting your moving body weight underneath your hips (your centre of mass) - and thus avoiding over-<img class="alignright wp-image-3755" src="http://www.bpsnowyhealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/carioca-300x131.jpg" alt="carioca" width="355" height="155" />striding at all cost.  Let yourself go - free falling if you like - until such time you experience excessive lactic burning in both lungs and legs.  This is a drill set NOT a hard threshold training session.  </span></em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Backward falling</strong></span> - <span style="color: #ffffff;">again best on grass - allow yourself to fall down hill backwards) so be certain to check out the surface before starting.  This is a great drill to develop your perception of 'falling' and floating within your stride.  It also helps in developing responsive and healthy calves (calves being a super critical muscle group in running).</span></em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Side to sides</strong></span> - <span style="color: #ffffff;">allow your feet to overlap each other while leading your direction with the side of your hip.  This again encourages the sensation of falling and coordination of catching your moving body weight - just like when running (specific neural firing).</span></em></span></h5>
</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;</blockquote>
&nbsp;
<h3><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>The Set</strong></span></h3>
<ul>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em>Bounce on spot - 30-45 seconds.</em></span></h5>
</li>
</ul>
<h5><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>15 metre track</strong></span></h5>
<blockquote>
<ol>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><strong>3 x Quick turnover</strong>s - jog easy back to start.<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3751" src="http://www.bpsnowyhealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/SHAR00-300x169.png" alt="SHAR00" width="300" height="169" />
</em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><strong>3 x High pull ups</strong> - jog easy back to start.</em></span></h5>
</li>
	<li>
<h5><span style="color: #008080;"><em><strong>3 x Skip drill</strong> - jog back to start.</em></span></h5>
</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
&nbsp;
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #993366;"><em>Fairly simple supplementary dose to your base running miles.</em></span></h4>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<blockquote>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><a style="color: #ffffff;" href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/part-6-recovery-from-running-sessions/"><em><strong>TAKE ME TO PART 6 - IMPROVED RECOVERY FROM RUNNING</strong></em></a></span></h3>
</blockquote>