6 Tips for Improving Your Running

By Forerunners team member Jerry Ziak, a 2:17 marathon runner.

Tip #1 - Arms 90 Degrees

Having your elbows bent to a 90 degree angle ensures the most powerful and relaxed arm swing.  As an exercise try swinging your arms really quickly forward and back with yours elbows bent at three different angles;  First completely straight, next at a 45 degree angle and, finally, at a 90 degree angle.  You should notice that it is easiest to get your arms moving quickly when you elbows are bent at 90 degrees.

Tip #2 - Thumbs Up

Keeping your thumbs pointed up (or simply have the knuckles of your thumbs facing upwards) helps to keep your elbows driving straight backwards and forwards as opposed to having your arms moving across your chest.  Moving your arms across your chest can lead to excess torque through the midriff, adding to fatigue and decreasing overall power in the forward plans.

Tip #3 - Shoulders Relaxed

Focus on keeping yours shoulders back and down rather than bunched up towards your neck.  With running, as with stress in general, we tend to store tension in our shoulders.  In the late stages of a race or hard effort it is useful to remind yourself to relax this area since relaxing this often leads to greater relaxation throughout the rest of the body.

Tip #3 - Posture

Poor posture causes you to run into the ground rather than over it.  If you can decrease your contact time with the ground you will be able to run faster and at the same time reduce the impact force on your body.  To achieve this optimal bodily position you can imagine that you have a string attached to the top of your head with this string pulling you straight upwards.  This should result in your hips being shifted forward under your center of gravity (as opposed to having your buttocks sticking out), a straight back, and a neutral head position.  Some people advocate a slight forward lean while running, but the main focus should be on not leaning back.  If you do lean slightly forward keep your body straight while doing this (as if you are a falling tree), avoiding the urge to bend at the waist.

Tip #4 - 180 Strides per Minute

Most people over-stride while running.  The tendency is to reach forward while in the air in order to create a longer stride length in the same way that we do while walking.  However, with proper running form the focus should be on pushing back rather than reaching forward since this is the action that propels us through the air (this "air-time being the defining difference between running and walking).  A focus on pushing off the ground quickly and lightly reduces impact time with the ground and increases your number of strides per minute.  This increase in stride rate reduces the amount of impact stress on your shins, knees, and lower back while also leading less fatigue in general.  A good way to practice running at a higher stride rate is to imagine that you are running barefoot on a concrete or some other painful or unforgiving surface (hot coals, broken glass, etc.) with the goal being to get off the ground as quickly as possible.  There is no need to increase the pace you are running.  Rather, you will simply be taking quicker, shorter strides instead of long loping strides.  To check on your progress now and again count how many times one foot strikes the ground during a :30 second period.  The goal should eventually be to reach 45 or more (90 if you were to count both feet and 180 if you were to count both feet for a minute).

Tip #5 - The Right Amount of Clothing

Have you ever started a run feeling like you were wearing the perfect amount of clothing for the temperature outside and within 10 minutes found yourself peeling off the layers?  Sometimes this is just the result of unpredictable weather, but often it's because runners have a tendency to overdress.  a simple rule of thumb to follow is to attempt to feel slightly chilly when you step out the door for your run.  Do a quick check on the door step before you start running.  Are you too cold?  Warm?  Hot?  spend a minute getting it just right if need be.  Your run will be much more enjoyable if you are able to find that perfect equilibrium.

Tip #6 - The Right Clothing For a Rainy Day

Rule number one:  a little rain never hurt anyone!  If you have the right combination of running apparel, running in the rain can actually be a refreshing and even invigorating experience.  The main thing is to not get chilled (especially through the core chest area).  If you are warm enough it really doesn't matter if you are soaked completely through (in the same way it doesn't matter if you're soaked while swimming).  You can be in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and running through a warm summer shower and be completely comfortable.  a water proof jacket in the case would cause you discomfort from the over-heating and you would likely end up being completely soaked from the sweat instead of the rain!!

Keeping comfort while running in the rain is all about finding the right balance between breathability and water resistance.  Here are a few rules of thumb for feeling comfortable while running in the rain (though we all have our individual differences in how we tolerate heat and cold):

Tip #7 - Train Don't Strain

Too many people still buy into the old myth of training that states "no pain no gain".  There are too main things wrong with this idea.  First, the fastest runners in the world are also the ones who run with the most relaxation (even in the most powerful Olympic running event of all, the 100 meters).  If you are always straining in practice you will never learn how to run fast while relaxed.  As soon as tension enters your muscles you will begin to slow down no matter how much effort you put into running faster.  So, while training, whether it be on an easy aerobic run or during an intense interval workout, try to maintain a sense of relaxation and control throughout.

The second thing wrong with the "no pain no gain" idea is that you only improve when your body is able to absorb the training that you've been doing.  If you are pushing yourself too hard too often you will find that your performance in training and racing will plateau or even decrease.  You need to find a balance between a good stimulus in training and good recovery.  If you train too hard on one day you will either not recover fully before your next workout (leading to a plateau or decrease in performance) or you will have to wait too many days to recover properly (which will a lso lead to a plateau or decrease in performance).  To a large extent this balance between work and recovery can only be learned through trial and error, but by putting the idea of "no pain no gain" to rest once and for all you will be well on your way to achieving this.