“Anyone can run…”
So we are often led to believe by hearing that running is not a very technical sport. There is nothing further from the truth, especially in triathlon!
In triathlon, running technique is even more important as you are expecting to run fast on already tired legs. So, better technique means better running economy and less energy cost per kilometer.
Some quick terminology to remember when running;
- Support leg: the leg you are standing on/pushing off.
- Flight leg: the leg recovering forward for the next stride.
To run better keep these four points in mind;
- Posture: start with a solid core by relaxing your lower back and quads, then activating abs and glutes to put your pelvis stable position. Stand tall through the torso, balanced over your core, which for most people means shoulders back slightly and hips forward slightly. Lastly, keep your head up and always look forward!
- Sequencing: as with swimming and cycling always begin your movement using the big muscles that attach onto your pelvis/core then move out to the extremities. In running activate hip, then knee, then ankle and foot. It takes time to learn this sequencing as it feels easier and less effort, and sadistic tendencies tend to dominate many runners who believe that more fatigue must mean faster…
- Arm swing: Keep the arm swing relaxed! To do this you need a relaxed back and shoulders. Keep your elbows back so that the weight of your arms is always over your center of balance, try to keep your elbows behind your torso as much as possible, and your hands in front of your torso as much as possible. Remember, arm swing is always matching opposing arm and leg!
- Core movement: The main objective in running is not pushing back, it is moving the core forward as much as possible. Every time your support leg extends, make sure your core moves forward as smoothly as possible. Every time your flight leg lands, make sure your core doesn’t slow down but maintains its forward movement.
Go run!
Running- work in progress
Many runners hear about mid and fore foot running being faster and assume that by simply changing how their feet land it will speed them up. With any technique change, what you see at an extremity (i.e. the foot) is not a function of adjusting the biomechanics of the foot itself, but of a number of elements acting on the foot (i.e. ankle, knee, hip, core, etc.)
So, without altering anything other than your foot landing from heel to mid/fore-foot you’re asking for trouble. Injuries.
It is important to remember that when we’re talking about heel striking and mid/fore-foot running- its not about the landing being heel down and toes up vs. toe down and heel up. Simply raising your heel and pointing your toes down will very often cause your calves to cramp up fast. In long distance running, the heel in the mid/fore-foot landing is barely not making contact, by a few mm to a few cm depending on the individual. Each person will have a different comfortable heel height when mid/fore-foot running.
One of the most important aspect of the height of your heel is not to let it drop down to make contact after your mid/fore foot makes contact. If this takes place, there is a very good chance there is a loss of connection between the ground and your core.
As your running speed gets faster, it gets harder and harder to keep your core moving forward while minimizing resistive forces. One way this can be accomplished is to keep your foot strike closer to your base of support, which in turn will require changes to your running mechanics that often results in… your weight transferring from the back of the foot to the front of the foot.
From here it is much easier to allow your hips come over the support leg; if you overstride (reach too far in front of your base of support) you get a significant braking action as your core slows down each stride. If you hear you foot skidding on landing- its a good clue you may be slowing your core.
Support leg- once the foot is stable and core is moving up and over that foot, remember to extend the support leg and push your core forward! A common error I saw as peeps tired this morning was not extending the support leg or pulling the knee back- while hips and foot remained in the same place.
