Fitness Community Board

Control your body. When you run you have to be able to feel every muscle of your body, feeling it work. Your body must feel solid every time you make a move. A lot of people have no idea what their body parts are doing while they are running they just concentrate on the legs and it’s wrong. While you are running your whole body is working and you need to pay attention to every part of it.

Let’s go and look at all the different parts you need to keep in mind and which constitute good running technique.

1. Move your arms correctly. You cannot run while twisting your body from side to side letting your arms fly around you while you are running just like you cannot let them just hang there like two empty sleeves. So every time your right leg goes ahead you should move your left arm forward and when the left leg is moving forward you use the right arms to balance it. Arms generally help you a lot during running: the faster you move your arms the faster you run. If you want to speed up start with moving your arms faster and your legs will follow them. Make sure your arms are held bent 90 degrees at the elbow and extended to 120 degrees when throwing them forward in a piston-like movement. Don’t close your hands into a fist but don’t let it be completely open either, have your hands open but bend your fingers a little bit inside so it doesn’t flop about, this way you actually reduce the amount of blood your body pumps into them and have a little bit extra for where it’s needed: your lungs, heart, brain and legs.

2. Don’t twist your body from side to side. Make sure your body is straight while you are running. If you don’t do that you are getting into the bad habit of pushing your shoulders in front of your body, their momentum at odds with where you are actually running towards. It is tiring, it is wasteful and it is simply not very efficient.

3. Careful on the landing! When you land make sure you maintain your momentum so that instead of getting into a wasteful heel-toe action where your entire body weight is absorbed when you land and then you need to sprint off again, you get into the much more efficient motion of landing, transferring the momentum to the outside of your foot (the edge) and then smoothly sprinting off the ball of the foot. This minimises the length of time you spent in the air (which slows you down) and uses up less energy which is useful when running for long periods of time.

4. Control your mind. Running fast and running for a long time is not an easy task especially for those who only just started running. Unfortunately it never gets easier as your own horizons expand and you want to do more and more but it does get better. In order to run faster and longer you need to make sure that when you get to the point where it stops being a comfortable run your mind is focused and able to control your body in order to keep moving forward. Some find it easier to run if they listen to inspiring music (like Rocky soundtracks), some try to think about something else but the run so they can make their mind forget about the struggle. You can imagine yourself running on the beach or any other activity you would enjoy. A thought of anything which gives you pleasure can extend your run and make it easier as well as more enjoyable.

5. Breath! Every step you take you breath in (two short breaths) and on the second you breath out. This is just a guide. Everyone’s breathing pattern is specific to what they can do and personal to them, so experiment and find out what works for you. Make sure you maintain the rhythm of your breathing while running and if you start to get out of breath take one deep breath for two steps, that should help. If you feel muscle pain in the side of your body, don’t worry and don’t stop (unless the pain is already unbearable). It is just your body letting you know that it needs extra oxygen. Maintain the pace but try breathing in and out deeply, holding each breath just a little bit longer, till the pain goes away.

6. Don’t eat before running. This is the obvious one but it is not always followed. When we say you can’t eat before running that means your last meal was at least 3 hours ago! 2 hours is a very small window but if your meal was very light you probably can make it through. Otherwise you will simply throw up.

7. You need to feel comfortable while you are running. There is no restriction in clothes when it comes to running but there is one very important rule: you need to feel comfortable. No matter what you are wearing, lycra or a tracksuit if you feel comfortable in it then it’s right for you. There is also the factor of how comfortable you are wearing less clothes. If you feel more comfortable wearing something heavier, something which hides your body completely, you should stick to it. While you are running it’s important that you feel not just physically good but mentally as well. If you will keep thinking about your stomach hanging out during the whole run you can’t enjoy it. Negative feelings and thoughts can really hurt your progress. Not just in technical ways but the way you feel about the run itself. Running should be enjoyable as well as productive. Even when you give it all you have and in the end practically crawl to the finish you should feel good about it and be inspired and be excited next time you even think about another run.

8. Invest in good running shoes. You may think it isn’t necessary but it is. You may wear whatever clothes while running but the shoes must be good quality. It’s not just that they make it easier for you to run (they do) but they also reduce the chances of injury.

Providing you follow these rules you will be able to run long and fast any time you want. Your body is just a tool and you need to know the correct way of using it. And remember: your body doesn’t tell you what to do, you tell it.