On the weekend, on aging legs, I battled my way through the half marathon(21.1kms) section of a triathlon. Being a repeated out an back course you were always around other runners. To pass time and disengage from my own discomfort, I caught myself gawking, almost studying at others. As I was both being passed and passing other runners I copped a good cross section of running styles – and changes in style as fatigue kicked in.

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<blockquote><strong><span style="color: #008080;">Here’s <span style="color: #993366;">10 points</span> I considered while dragging my ar$e around the course. The 10 most critical features of improving &amp; maintaining total running efficiency.</span></strong></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>1. POSTURAL BALANCE</strong></span>
Consider this - if you run like you sit, you’re in trouble from the word go. Sitting = tight hamstrings, dis-engaged bum &amp; tum muscle groups, stretched &amp; unsupported lower back muscles, and a protruding head causing fatigued &amp; strained neck muscles. Running, like all <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/fvvv1.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2827 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/fvvv1-192x300.jpg" alt="fvvv" width="145" height="227" /></a>efficient human movement, is all about balance. Your goal is to position your head directly above your centre of mass - your hips. As a consequence, you’ll likely load &amp; support your weight with your foot landing under your hips. This point of balance will limit unnecessary muscle strain. It’s like a golf ball on a tee – if placed evenly, the ball is supported without effort. Naturally some people are born with an improved sense of balance, timing, coordination and ultimately running efficiency. Others, like me, have had to find that unique ideal point of balance.

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>2. RELAXING NECK &amp; SHOULDERS</strong></span>
If you’re shoulders are hunched and stressed, you’ll find it difficult to enjoy running – or anything for that matter. Remind yourself frequently, to breathe easily and drop all tension from your neck and shoulders – allowing your shoulders to drop ever slightly back &amp; down (particularly when under pressure of increased relative speed or volume). Shrugged neck and shoulder muscles send a message to your brain that things are far from OK. Next you’ll be feeling like cr*p and encouraged to slow, stop or give up. Frankie said RELAX!

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>3. FOOT FALL</strong></span>
Picture your foot mid-stride returning to the surface. Now, release all muscle tension in your returning leg – letting gravity take over. The result, your foot will find it’s way back <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/ghghb.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2824" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/ghghb-300x141.jpg" alt="ghghb" width="289" height="136" /></a>to the surface. It will get there – I promise. Just at the last second, drive your foot into the surface, hopefully against a solid base of support/ earth, and allow your natural elastic recoil to engage (think locked and loaded spring). As you move forward over your centre of mass (your hips), your feet muscles (namely: plantar fascia group), Achilles tendon, Achilles/ calf muscle group junction with “spring” into contraction = natural power &amp; drive.

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>4. RHYTHM &amp; CONSISTENCY</strong></span>
Efficient Running = maintaining balance, limiting braking costs, then quickly and effortlessly unloading your base of support (foot and leg). Then, more importantly, repeat the process, over and over again. It should be McDonald’s-esque – same sh^t every time – minimal changes. Consider counting your strides to 4, or even more simply, use a two count phrase – like Man-ly, Man-ly – this will help your rhythm, and dissociate from race pace discomfort (sometimes!!!!).

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>5. SWIFTLY LIFTING SUPPORTING FOOT</strong></span>
OK, let’s say you’re loaded mid-stride – moving forward with gravity – now, DON’T GO PUSHING OR DRIVING OFF (remember your natural elastic recoil will do all the driving you need) [again, we’re talking when running long, not sprinting]. Driving super hard out of your stride will only propel your movement upwards, increasing your vertical oscillation. <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/hvgxxsd.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2820" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/hvgxxsd-300x221.jpg" alt="hvgxxsd" width="255" height="188" /></a>Your interest is to move forward NOT up. Now remember - what goes up 1) takes longer time to come down, 2) comes down harder, &amp; 3) make cushioning the impact more challenging. Your goal is to minimise the time you spend on the earth. Each stride is only ever transitioning to the next stride – remember it is far easier to maintain your balance the least time you spend on support. Touch -&gt; get off! Consider running with a metronome – start with 88 bpm – left foot contact, and attempt to increase to 90+.

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>6. LIMITING OVER-STRIDING</strong></span>
Again, uncomplicated smooth running is centred around minimising impact costs. Excessive impact cost can be negatively reflected in: ankles, shins, knees, quads, hips &amp; lower back. A significant feature of increasing unnecessary impact costs, is landing and loading weight out ahead of the hips (your centre of mass) – consequently, braking forward momentum – usually with a straight extended knee joint. I suggest, while maintaining improved postural balance, consider landing and loading your weight under your hips.

<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>NOTE</strong> </span>– I quick comment on what part of the foot you should be landing. I like to explain it this way; if you are employing perfectly balanced posture, allowing yourself to lean forward with gravity from your hips - and not your head, you have engaged your elastic recoil (foot, Achilles, hamstrings, glutes) and, you’ve helped in lifting your support from the deck, the likelihood will be, you’ll land under your hips. Now, if this happens, it will be more than likely you’ll make first engagement through the forefoot (outside 5th metatarsal head). You’ll then likely roll (pronate inwards) naturally using the bones of the feet and hopefully allow the ankle to relax. This will naturally allow the heel to drop down to the surface, at which point you’ll start the lifting process. I don’t believe anyone should be thinking “I must land on my forefoot” – just because some book may have suggested you do so, or gimmicky footwear.
<blockquote><span style="color: #008080;">On the weekend I saw a chap who would have been over 120kg consciously trying to run on his toes. It’s only going to end in tears – or muscle tears. His Achilles &amp; calves where screaming with simply unsustainable contractions. Dial in your posture and the foot thing will take care of itself. For the record – I tend to make first contact through my forefoot not heel.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>7. SOFT KNEES</strong></span>
The way I see it, there’s no need to be straightening the knee joint at any point in your running stride (well, not until you rev it up to 3.00 minute pace that is – so never for me). <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/gcgccgc.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2822" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/gcgccgc-239x300.jpg" alt="gcgccgc" width="167" height="210" /></a>FYI most animals that must run fast to survive, have cocked back hinds (evolution has bred out hind joint extension) – oh, and don’t have heels either. Soften your knees a little, particularly on impact.
Finally &gt; scientists have now proven (big) toe flexibility = running speed, and, only 3% (the naturally talented) can biomechanically press the 4 smaller toes down - while lifting the (hallux) big toe up. OK that was bulls^t, but it was funny from my end!

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>8. LIMIT TORSO ROTATION</strong></span>
If you overstride, the likelihood is, you’ll counter balance by excessively rotating through your torso. You know that ugly twisting motion you’ll often see when someone is exhausted at the back end of a race. Have some stand behind you and check your hips – do they drop from side to side? – if so, you could be unnecessarily overstriding.

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<strong><span style="color: #993366;">9. THINK HIPS FORWARD</span></strong>
Think of your hips like the hub of a wheel – your centre of mass. You don’t want your hub <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Muybridge_runner.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2826 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Muybridge_runner-300x275.jpg" alt="Muybridge_runner" width="180" height="165" /></a>moving up and down – just forward. So, lead with those boney protrusions in the front edge of your hips. DON’T lead with your head or chest – well, maybe only in the final stages of a sprint. But, other than that, it’s again back to the golf ball in a tee – balanced posture.

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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>10. BUILD UP TO SUSTAINABLE SPEED</strong></span>
Think Bolero – start slowly and build to a crescendo – all runs and training blocks should <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/pace.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2656 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/pace.jpg" alt="pace" width="234" height="175" /></a>be like this. From my experience most take it out too fast too early. Practice your technique -&gt; build slow easy miles- &gt; slowly increase miles – slowly increase speed -&gt; build in hard intervals – race.

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Go for a run!

BP