Running seems more appealing than ever. 

I always found that running is a good outlet both physically and mentally for me. It took awhile to get where I wanted but once I reached there I was overwhelmed with “runners high”. I couldn’t get enough of it.

To me, running is not only a work out for my body it is also a work out for my mind.

Especially in these times, I want to make sure that I keep activity and avoid injury. 

So my running technique and training are playing a crucial part in keeping me fit, healthy and injury free.

Here are a few tips you can use to help improve your running technique and training:

• Form: 

Having a good form is important when running - while running you want to maintain a good posture by standing up right.

This will help you to engage your core muscles to help stability yourself and allow you to inhale/exhale more efficiently.

What I try to imagine or do to help me maintain this is gaze forward. I either pick a tree in the far distance or imagine that the finish line is just ahead. By keeping your gaze forward, you prevent your head from tilting down to look at the floor and slumping your shoulders. 

• Pace:

Sounds simple but can be hard to follow. Keeping and maintaining a good pace for you will help you to reach your target distance without fatiguing too quickly.

One downfall I see is that people start at such a high pace that it is too hard to maintain throughout the run. Their muscles start to fatigue, the form becomes poor and next thing you know you picked up an injury.

My advice is to start slow and slowly pick up the pace into a nice comfortable jog. Allow yourself to warm up and find your rhythm.

• Training Progression:

It is important to progress your training gradually. 

Focus on one thing at a time - for example, if you are starting off - (how much you do) is a good one to start with.

Start with 2 or 3 times a  week - making sure to have a recovery day in between.

Each week you can increase the session roughly by 10% - try not to go beyond this. Rome wasn’t built in a day so take your time with this!

• Recovery:

Recovery time/sessions is an aspect of training that sometimes we don’t put much emphasis on how important it is. Performance = Fitness - Fatigue (which Tom Goom, a sport physiotherapist) uses to sum it up perfectly.

Training is all about balance. We want to balance becoming fit but avoid being fatigued. 

Include recovery days after hard sessions in your training plan. Listen to your body if it’s feeling tired. This is important in preventing possible injuries 

Employing these few tips into your training can help you to improve your running technique.

If you find that you have tried all of this and still having an issue or want to get your running checked by a specialist - contact the clinic today to book an appointment with one of our podiatrists. 

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