Running Heavy, and Why We Need to NOT Do It!
Run form, it seems like such an easy and natural concept. After all, most toddlers learn to run pretty much in conjunction with learning to walk – especially if they have an older sibling to chase! As children, we play tag, we run at recess, we play soccer and basketball and football – all while running. So why is run form Not always natural? Well…fast forward to adulthood. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. Regularly. Was I tired as a kid? I don’t think so! Not during the day, and definitely not while I was running and playing with my siblings and my friends.
So what I’d like to go over is how fatigue affects our run form, and what to do to combat it – in laymen’s terms.
When an athlete runs tired, that athlete (generally) runs heavy. The runner’s footfalls get heavier, because his muscles are fatigued and therefore not carrying the weight as well. (By the way, this doesn’t happen as much with swimming or biking – they are not weight-bearing sports!) And when footfalls get heavier, the joints take on more impact. Feet, ankles, knees, hips, back – all are impacted by the impact! 😉
So, how to ‘fix’ it? There are many individual needs that go into that answer, of course – depending on how long you’ve been running this way, and how much pain you are in, and how many overuse injuries you have sustained.
But two changes can make a huge difference, in form:
Get bouncy. Activate all those tiny muscles in your feet and ankles, and ‘bounce’ off the ground – like the muscular use when you are bouncing on a trampoline. A small push on each forward run stride will do wonders for the ‘heaviness’. It’s not easy, and you may have to slow down your run to really get the proper balance of push and pull, but it’s worth it!
Engage the glutes and quads. As runners, we have some hamstrings – they work hard! And they’re effective. But there’s nothing that says we can’t work the glutes and quads just as hard! A small lift from the quad and forward drive of the knee (after the ‘bounce’ from #1) will engage the glutes and give the hamstrings a much-needed break.
Getting tired is inevitable, especially after a swim and a bike, so learning how to run tired is essential to a successful triathlon and longevity as an endurance runner.
Happy Running!
Hope this run tip helps you – let us know next time we see each other!
And be sure to contact Coach Dom or Coach Helen at 850-776-2685, or via email at tripossibilities@gmail.com if you’re interested in coaching on ANY level.