The Right Way to Run

Hi, Friends & Fellow Runners:

As infants, we started scampering across the living room floor within days after first delighting our parents by being able to stand upright.  And because the progression came so naturally to us, we find it hard to imagine that the sport of running in which many of us are now engaged actually involves a proper technique that must be learned if we want to become as good as we can be and stay healthy in the process.

The simple truth is that an incorrect running form wastes energy and thus compromises running economy – which is the amount of energy needed (measured in calories expended) to run a given distance at a given pace.  And bottom line, it’s the improvement of running economy, perhaps more than any other result, that is the basic purpose of all training done by a distance runner.

Front and centre among the worst aspects of poor biomechanics, in my opinion, is the tendency of most recreational runners to extend their stride beyond their body’s center of gravity and strike the ground heel-first when they pick up speed.  The problem is, this technique creates a braking effect and thus slows down a runner.  It also increases, jackhammer-like, the force felt by the knees and leg muscles, thereby increasing the risk of injury.

The myth persists that East African runners (primarily Kenyans) win a disproportionate share of their races because they are genetically superior and live and train at high altitude. But aside from the fact that they simply spend more hours running than the rest of the world, a major reason why they consistently win is their near-perfect running form.  For starters, they don’t extend their stride length by more than several inches when they want to run faster.  Instead, they increase their leg turnover.  And most importantly, regardless of their speed, their feet consistently land almost directly beneath their bodies with a nearly flat, forefoot or mid-sole strike that is the best way to run and the key to faster times.  It is also perhaps the single most important safeguard against below-the-waist injuries such as iliotibial band syndrome (knee), piriformis syndrome (glutes), and plantar fasciitis (feet).

Let’s zero in on these ideas more closely.  First, as to the matter of performance – are you old enough to remember the pogo stick?  While riding that thing, if you hit the ground at less than a 90-degree angle, you’d be propelled backward.  The effect is roughly the same, although much more imperceptible, with the heel-first strike while running.

Arguably, it’s not just a coincidence that the decline in North American distance running (vs. the international competition) started at about the time – 1972 -- when the modern athletic shoe was invented by Bill Bowerman, a famous track coach at the University of Oregon, and later introduced into the US and Canada by a fledgling company called Nike.  The construction of that shoe – with its thick, waffle-like bottom and extra padding at the heel – made possible a heel-first landing for the first time in the history of our sport.  This change in mechanics was something that Bowerman may have felt would make distance runners faster.   If he did, he was terribly mistaken, a fact since proven by hundreds of research studies over the years.

Our running icons of the past – Frank Shorter, Steve Prefontaine, Bill Rodgers, et. al. – were all in their heyday during the seventies and all ran with the midsole or forefoot strike.  No one in North America has even approached their stature since then.  And it’s worth noting that the current Canadian woman’s record in the marathon was set by Silvia Ruegger in a time of 2:28:36 at the Houston Marathon in 1985.  To this day, her 28-year old accomplishment remains unmatched by any other Canadian woman – although, sad to say, hundreds of female marathoners from other countries have recorded faster times than Ms. Ruegger in just the past decade. 

Also, consider the matter of injury risk.  Dr. Timothy Noakes, author of the seminal book on our sport called Lore of Running, has discovered that hitting the ground heel-first while running transmits up to 50% more shock to the knee than the forefoot landing.  And it’s a common belief among researchers that the heel strike is a major factor accounting for the rampant injury rate among runners – which, at 70 to 80% per year, is the highest among all sports.

Consequently, as part of any training you may be doing, try to maintain a midsole or forefoot landing as you ratchet up your pace while running.  And remember that this should be part of a total package that includes a shorter stride length and more rapid leg turnover.  If you got on a treadmill and ran as fast as you could for one minute, you’d probably find that your feet struck the treadmill pad about 160 or 170 times.  The optimal number among elite runners is at least 180 foot strikes.  So work on reaching that total, if you would.  You’ll discover that in doing so, you’ll also be helped immeasurably in your efforts to wean yourself away from any problems with a heel-first landing.

Other Elements of an Efficient Running Form

·         Proper posture is one of the keys to good biomechanics.  Here we’re talking about the head held high, with ears aligned directly above squared shoulders.

·         As you run, avoid bending at the waist – something you’ll be prone to do with the onset of fatigue – because it will affect your ability to breathe properly.  Instead, take advantage of gravity by leaning forward slightly in a straight, unbroken line from the Achilles heel to the back of the head.  (This is the essence of the so-called Pose method of running.)

·         Don’t rock side-by-side or bob up and down while running.  This will just waste much of the precious energy you need to perform well.  Except for your arms, your upper body (primarily the head and shoulders) should remain as still as a statue.

·         Before starting a run, hold your arms at right angles at the elbow.  Then, once you begin moving, pump them forward in the direction you’re running, again to take advantage of the pull of gravity.  (Imagine a vertical line at the center of your chest from the neck to waist, and try to keep your hands from crossing that line.)  Finally,  keep your arms between the chest and hip even though you will be tempted to drop them lower as you tire during a long run or race.

·         Develop a breathing pattern that is in sync with your running.  Ideally, your stride-to-breathing ratio should be on the order of 4:1 – that is, the first time your left foot hits the ground, you should be breathing in, the second time it hits the ground, you should be breathing out.  This means that a full circuit of breathing is completed with each four steps of running.  (The correlation between breathing and foot strikes, by the way, is an important part of what has come to be known as Chi running.)

·         Strike the ground lightly and quickly.  Pretend, if you will, that you’re running barefoot on hot coals.

The objective of all this is to reach a point where you feel as if you’re gliding along as you run, not merely pounding the pavement and pushing yourself forward.  When you achieve that objective, you’ll have a real shot at getting “into the zone,” surprising even yourself with your pace and stamina.

Coach Stephen

Let Food Be Thy Medicine

Hi, Friends & Fellow Runners:

As far back as 400 B.C., Hippocrates, the father of modern medical practice, was urging his fellow citizens of Greece to “let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”  We’ve come a long way since then – mostly in the wrong direction.  Arguably, the food we eat today causes more illness and disease than it cures.  Obesity has reached epidemic proportions, and diabetes has come out of nowhere in the last generation to rank with heart disease, cancer and stroke as a major cause of death in our society.

The question at the heart of this message has to do with whether, as a serious or soon-to-be runner, you truly want your fridge to be your medicine chest, and vice-versa.  If you do, then consider obeying these “Ten Commandments of Good Eating” which I’ve cobbled together, tested out and benefited from over the years:

1.      Because you can no longer trust the processed food industry to put your health ahead of its profits, protect yourself by learning to read food labels and by concentrating your food dollar on the perimeter walls of your supermarket (rather than on its interior shelves).  Along that perimeter you’ll find the products that should dominate your diet – fresh vegetables and fruits, lean poultry and fish, low-fat dairy, and whole-grain breads.

2.      To the extent you can, buy foods that are certified organic and locally grown.  And look for descriptions such as free-range and grass-fed.

3.      Eat five meals a day, instead of three (while avoiding, of course, any unnecessary increase in caloric intake.)  Try never to go without food for more than three hours while awake.

4.      Get serious about breakfast.  It’s the day’s most important meal.  Think steel-cut oatmeal, natural fruit juice, pancakes, eggs, whole-grain cereal with bananas, fruit and yogurt smoothies, etc.  And wean yourself away from the nutritional travesties that pass for breakfast items at fast food drive-ins or convenience stores.  You might also try eating breakfast at home, instead of in your car or at your desk.  Wouldn’t that be something?

5.      Include in your morning and afternoon snacks one or another of the following (in order of potential benefit): nuts, fruit, plain yogurt with real berries, instant oatmeal, or a whole-grain bagel with natural peanut butter.

6.      Avoid certain foods like the plague.  In this category are such processed items as cold cuts, hot dogs and sausages; fat-drenched products like pastries and other rich desserts; and breads and pasta made from white flour.

7.      Keep yourself properly hydrated.  This means that, as a runner, you must drink a lot more than your couch-bound cousins.  As previously noted, our favourite rule of thumb, and one that has stood the test of time, is to drink daily a quantity of water that is the equal, in ounces, to half your weight in pounds.  And add an additional 20 ounces (500 millilitres) for each hour that you run or exercise on a particular day. 

8.      Appreciate that colas and other soda drinks have no redeeming social value.  They offer you the worst of Hobson’s choices.  The regular varieties give you, in a single can, appreciably more sugar than your body should have in its system at any one time, while the diet versions give you a potent mix of nutritionally useless chemicals.  Stay clear of both.

9.      Take supplements.  Among the most beneficial of them, for runners, is greens powder, which contains an abundance of vitamins and cell-protecting anti-oxidants that are needed to sustain training and recovery.   Then there is plant-based protein powder, which aids in muscle recovery, boosts strength gains in response to training, and helps to maintain a healthy immune function.  Rounding out the list of key supplements for runners are vitamin D, which strengthens bones and lowers stress-fracture risk, and Omega 3 fish oil, which reduces inflammation in the body and improves blood flow to muscles during exercise.

10.  Always bear in mind that healthy eating is as much a case of the foods you eat as the nutrients you consume.  Carbohydrates from an orange are significantly better than those from potato chips.  The same is true of protein from skinless white chicken vs. a Macdonald’s hamburger, and fats from fish and nuts vs. a Baskin Robbins banana split.

That’s all for now, people.  Take care, stay well and, above all, keep moving.

Coach Stephen

Seize the Day!

Hi, Fellow Runners:

Carpe Diem! – a phrase familiar to most of us as Seize the Day! – were the words used by the poet Horace to inspire participants in the Secular games of Rome in 17 B.C., and they resonate for us more than 2,000 years later.  Whether the next race you run will be your first or another of many, you can and should try to make it a memorable event in your sporting life by preparing for it properly in the last few days before you toe the starting line.

In the Final Week before the Race:

n  Adjust your sleep patterns to reflect the ungodly time you will probably have to get up on Race Day morning.  Bear in mind that most races begin very early in the day (usually between 7:00 and 8:30 a.m.), and that you should be at the race location an hour beforehand.  So turn in a little earlier each evening during the week to assure yourself of at least seven hours of sound sleep every night prior to the race itself.

n  Consciously work at raising to about 65% the portion of your total caloric intake that comes from carbohydrates.  Two vegetables should be part of both your mid-day and evening meals, and fruit should be one of your staples at snack time in the morning and afternoon.

n  On a daily basis, drink a quantity of water that is the equal, in ounces, to half your weight in pounds.  (Thus, a 120-pound woman needs 60 ounces of these liquids each day.)  Check your urine color.  Lemonade is what you’re aiming for.  Apple juice means you’re not hydrating  

On the Night before the Race:

n  Consume a meal at around 6 or 7 p.m.  Chicken with brown rice or whole-wheat pasta would be ideal.  And, of course, avoid alcoholic beverages.  

n  Check the weather forecast and decide what you’re going to wear on Race Day.  Pin your bib and chip on your outer garment. then lay out all your clothes and gear in a corner of a spare room.  Don’t overdress!  Remember, once you start the race, you will warm up quickly and the temperature will feel as if it’s about 3 or 5 degrees higher than it actually is.

On Race Day Itself:

n  Wake up in a positive frame of mind.  Your initial attitude upon opening your eyes is critical.  Before you get up, replay in your mind a recent successful training run.  Assume an attitude that says:  “I’m in control and, come hell or high water, I’m going to nail the finishing time I’ve set as a goal for myself in today’s race”.

n  Eat a good, carbohydrate-rich breakfast, but make sure it’s something your body is accustomed to.   Think either oatmeal, pancakes, whole-grain cereal with banana, brown toast with peanut butter, or yogurt and fresh fruit.  Caffeine before a race is good, so drink at least your usual quantity of coffee or tea.

n  When you arrive at the race site, find a quiet place where you’re able to relax.  Then warm up with some easy stretching and light jogging.  And be sure to visit the Porta-Toilet in the half hour before the race starts.

n  Keep in mind a quote by Jack Daniels, one of North America’s pre-eminent coaches and the gentleman who certified me as a running coach: “Most mistakes in a race are made in the first two minutes, perhaps in the very first minute.”  As you stand at the starting line, don’t be intimidated by the crowds.  Make sure you’re serene and confident when the horn sounds.   Don’t go out too fast.  Start easy instead, then gradually pick up the pace.      

n  During the race, check your form regularly.  Distract yourself when you begin to feel the discomfort brought on by exertion.  Use self-talk to remain positive and to keep negative thoughts at bay.  And all the while, visualize yourself crossing the finish line and seeing the clock recording the finishing time that you may have projected for yourself.

Once it’s over, you can revel in the knowledge that you accomplished something that you may have considered beyond your reach not too long ago.  And in so doing, you will have learned much that is good about yourself.  After all, nobody take on the challenge of competitive road racing without a certain degree of physical and mental toughness that rises above the ordinary.

Coach Stephen

The Meaning of the Marathon

Hi, Fellow Runners:

A while back, in Running Times magazine, a college coach named Adrienne Wald wrote that it was a ‘joke” to run a marathon by walking every other mile or by finishing in six, seven or eight hours. “It used to be that running a marathon was worth something – there used to be a pride in saying that you ran a marathon, but not anymore,” she added.  “Now it’s, ‘How low is the bar?”

That comment raised a firestorm of protest from the magazine’s readers.  Here a sampling of responses:  “Ms. Wald wants to know how low the bar is.  The ‘bar’ will be trampled under the feet of the marathon walkers and joggers, and Adrienne Wald can suck it!”...  “Let’s get rid of the exclusionary lingo and invite more into the sport” ...  “The quote by A. Wald was rude and stuck up.”  And, finally, there came this disclaimer from the editor:  “...we were surprised by the number of readers who took offense at the quote, and agreed with many of the points made.  In hindsight, we should not have run the quote without a larger context.”

The conflicting viewpoints became a subject of discussion at a marathon clinic I was coaching at the time, and the consensus opinion of the 40 members in attendance was decidedly opposed to Ms. Wald’s comment.   This, as it happened, scared the hell out of me.  You see, I had agreed wholeheartedly with Ms. Wald and had intended to track her down and tell her so.  But the reasoned observations of the clinic members gave me pause.   Could it be that, after 35 years of competition, I was falling out of touch with the running world in which I grew up?   Should I even be teaching young people whose thinking on marathons seemed so different from mine?

It took a while and some lost sleep, but  I finally figured out that any disagreement between Ms. Wald and her critics, and therefore any difference between my clinic members and me, was more apparent than real.  That’s because the discussion in the magazine and in the clinic had focused on the numbers – the six, seven or eight hours it took some people to finish a marathon.  But the issue is not time; it’s motivation.   It’s not the what; it’s the why.

Consider the following individuals, all of whom took more than six hours to finish their last marathon, but who had decidedly different reasons for doing so:

A young man in the early stages of Lou Gehrig ’s disease, who ran to show his body that he’s still the boss....., An ex-athlete who made a barroom bet that he could finish the distance and ran slower than he could have because he didn’t want to look too beat up when he collected his winnings later that night ..... A cancer survivor who ran to celebrate her second chance at life..... A twenty-something whose only running goal this season is to collect more finishing medals than her sister.....  A husband and father who told his doctor and promised his family that he’d get off the couch, stop smoking and work himself back into shape. ..... A tourist who stopped a dozen or more times on her marathon route to photograph the host city’s famous landmarks...... Another tourist, this one at Disney World, who ran his marathon on the same week-end he also ran a 5K and a Half-Marathon.     

The list could go on, but I think you get the point.  The right to consider yourself a marathoner is defined by why and how you ran the 42.2 kilometres, not by the number of hours it took you to cross the finish line.  Only your willingness to push through pain, your commitment to be the best you could be on that particular day, allows you to become part of a stream of history that dates back 2,400 years.

The lineage of today's marathoners began, of course, with Philippides and his three-hour run from the Plains of Marathon to the city of Athens in 390 B.C.  It’s a lineage based not on blood but on a shared experience that gives them insight into how Alberto Salazar must have felt when he collapsed and was hospitalized after beating Dick Beardsley by two seconds in the 1982 Boston Marathon that famously became known thereafter as the “Duel in the Sun.”  And they are uniquely able to share the anger and frustration of a Katherine Switzer as she resisted the physical assault of an irate race director dead-set on throwing her off the course simply because she was trying to complete a Boston Marathon that until then (1967) had been closed to women.  And, finally, they can understand the drive of a Jerome Drayton, Canada’s greatest marathon runner, who had a serious leg discrepancy (one leg shorter than the other) and so ran every race in chronic pain.

That’s the heritage of marathoners like myself.  So come and run our race in six, seven, eight hours or more, but do it with respect – always with respect.

Coach Stephen