Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Perfect Pacing

Many different strategies exist; the important one is what works for you!

~The “even pacing” strategy says that it is best to start out at a pace that you can maintain and finish at. This is a great goal for beginners because one of the most common mistakes they make is to start out too fast. Always start slower than you think you need to! If you are able to complete the intervals in the first half of the workout just fine, and you are struggling to finish the intervals in the second half of the workout, chances are you are doing the intervals in the first half too fast.

~The “even effort” strategy is the most common for beginners and it involves maintaining the same perceived effort level throughout the race. This will result in slowing throughout the workout due to the increased perceived effort level as you fatigue. This type of pacing will allow you to finish comfortably, but will not result in optimal performance. We discourage this in MOTR as it is easy for this to become a habit rather than the more optimal even pacing. “Even pacing” also allows class to stay on schedule by bringing all the runners in together at the same time after the workout.

~Buy a pacing watch with GPS or use a running app like MapMyRun

~Your pace is just that. YOUR pace. Do whatever feels comfortable for you. Your rate of perceived exertion during a steady-pace training run should usually be about a 7 on a scale of 1-10. Pay attention to your breathing to find your pace using last week’s breathing tips.

~There are specific pacing strategies that can be beneficial for racing which will be discussed at the end of the season when we prep for race day.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Learning to BREATHE

BREATHING TECHNIQUES

~Learn to breathe more fully. Shallow breathing doesn’t exercise the diaphragm and lungs enough and most people only use a small amount of their lung capacity. Belly breathing is better than chest breathing (practice lying down observing stomach physically rising and falling). Most runners do better breathing primarily through the mouths. You will naturally breathe through mouth and nose. You can experiment with nose inhaling if you struggle with sideaches or are running in cold weather.

~Breathe deeply before a workout to oxygenate your cells. This creates energy. The more oxygen in your blood, the less fatigued and more mentally alert you are. One of the primary reasons you need a walking warm-up before running is for your lungs.

~Breathe naturally. If you feel your breathing is uneven, try counting out your strides with each breath, trying to maintain an even pattern of 2-2 or 3-3. (exhale left right, inhale left right… exhale left right left, inhale right left right) If you struggle with sideaches in the 2-2 pattern, try varying which foot lands first at the beginning of the stride. If your “natural” breathing rhythm is not an even pace for your inhale and exhale, don’t worry about it! Some people breathe 2-1 for example.

~Focus on your breathing to help you relax while exercising.

~Your breath should be pretty quiet! If you can hear yourself you are working out too hard.

~It is often the cardiovascular part of running that is so challenging for beginners. Many describe “difficulty” breathing. They’re going along at a pace that feels good to their legs, but their lungs can’t keep up. The only solution for this is to slow down. Your pace should always be as do-able for your lungs as it is for your legs.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Good Running Form, from Head to Toe!

Proper form is important to learn right away as you start out on your running journey. No more slouching or pounding on the heels! Read on to stay injury-free and perform well this season.

Head
Look ahead naturally, not down at your feet. This will straighten your neck and back, and bring them into alignment. Don't crane your neck or allow your chin to jut out.

Shoulders
Relax! This is critical to maintaining efficient running posture. For optimum performance, your shoulders should be low and loose. As you tire on a run, don't let them creep up toward your ears. If they do, shake them out to release the tension. Your shoulders should remain level and not dip from side to side with each stride. One tip for relaxing the shoulders is touching pointer finger loosely to thumb tip, or anything to keep the hands relaxed as described below.

Arms
They aren't just along for the ride. Your hands control the tension in your upper body, while your arm swing works in conjunction with your leg stride to drive you forward. Keep your hands in an unclenched fist, with your fingers lightly touching your palms. Imagine yourself trying to carry a potato chip in each hand without crushing it. Your arms should swing mostly forward and back, not across your body. Keep them between waist and lower-chest level. Your elbows should be bent at about a 90-degree angle. When you feel your fists clenching or your forearms tensing, drop your arms to your sides and shake them out for a few seconds to release the tension.

Torso
If you are keeping your head up and looking ahead and your shoulders low and loose, your torso and back naturally straighten. This efficient, upright position promotes optimal lung capacity and stride length. "Run tall" or stretch yourself up to your full height with your back comfortably straight. If you start to slouch during a run take a deep breath to straighten again. As you exhale simply maintain that upright position.

Hips
If your torso is properly positioned your hips should be too, pointing you straight ahead. If you allow your torso to hunch over or lean too far forward during a run, your pelvis will tilt forward as well, which can put pressure on your lower back and throw the rest of your lower body out of alignment. For good hip position, think of your pelvis as a bowl filled with marbles, then try not to tilt the bowl and spill the marbles.

Legs/Stride
Rather than the high knee lift of sprinters, efficient endurance running requires just a slight knee lift, a quick leg turnover, and a short stride. Together, these will facilitate forward movement instead of wasting energy on vertical movement. At proper stride length your feet should land directly underneath your body. When your foot strikes the ground, your knee should be slightly flexed so that it can bend naturally on impact. If your lower leg (below the knee) extends out in front of your body, your stride is too long.

Ankles/Feet
To run well, you need to push off the ground with maximum force. With each step, your foot should hit the ground lightly--landing between your heel and midfoot--then quickly roll forward. This is very important to shin splint prevention and a key mistake beginners make is heavy heel landing. Keep your ankle flexed as your foot rolls forward to create more force for push-off. As you roll onto your toes, try to spring off the ground. You should feel your calf muscles push you forward on each step. Your feet should not slap loudly as they hit the ground. Good running is “springy” and quiet.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Lots to learn this spring and summer in MOTR!

This Just In... our 2011 running curriculum! Make it to class each week for lots of great info from your favorite instructors.

Apr 25 SHIN SPLINT PREVENTION
May 2 RUNNER Q&A, get to know each other
May 9 RUNNER Q&A
May 16 GOOD RUNNING FORM FROM HEAD TO TOE
May 23 BREATHING TECHNIQUES
May 30 PERFECT PACING
Jun 6 STRENGTH TRAINING TO PREVENT INJURIES AND PERFORM STRONGER
Jun 13 BEFRIENDING THE FOAM ROLLER
Jun 20 HELP WITH HILLS
Jun 27 WINNING THOSE MENTAL GAMES
Jul 4 HOT WEATHER RUNNING
Jul 11 BLISTERS AND FOOT CARE
Jul 18 NUTRITION BEFORE AND AFTER RUNS
Jul 25 INTERVAL TRAINING
Aug 1 METABOLISM MAGIC
Aug 8 BAREFOOT RUNNING
Aug 15 PROPER WARM-UP AND COOL-DOWN
Aug 22 RACE-DAY TIPS