Not to be all doom and gloom, but clocking up the miles and session after session all adds up and the repetitive action on the body leads to an increased risk of injury. For any runner who has been injured, you know the dread associated with not being able to run.

While there is no need to go and wrap yourself in cotton wool, it is important to understand that most injuries occur due to imbalances within the body. To counter this you need to make the body stronger and more efficient by targeting certain muscles and movement patterns with exercises.

Drills
Exercises that offer functional benefits directly related to running are called drills. Compared to ‘normal’ exercises, drills are used to strengthen entire anatomical chains rather than isolate one muscle at a time. They ingrain patterns of movement that make your running more efficient and help address the imbalances that can lead to injury.

Drills don’t have to take over your training regime. Often elite athletes will dedicate sessions only to drills, however, even adding a few easy moves to the beginning or end of your run a couple of times a week can help strengthen your running gait and reduce the risk of injuries.

Some arguments point in favour of drills being carried out before a run as a warm-up routine. This is the ideal, especially if you have had an injury and you are just re-starting training as it warms up and activates the correct muscles and movements used while running.

However, drills can also be implemented after a run. The benefit post run is that when fatigued, you are more likely to lose form and efficiency. Therefore implementing drills in this state can be more representative of a real-life situation when we could potentially get injured.

Have you ever been nearing the end of a race and you notice your knee lift or stride length has dropped or your knees start knocking together? Twisted an ankle in the later stages of a hard run or race? This is exactly the point at which we need our new found strength come to the forefront.

5 drills you can start doing today
The below five key drills are beneficial to running economy and a good starting point for implementing drills into your routine. Ideally, they should be done on a smooth, flat surface. A track is ideal, but a driveway, garden path or a pavement (if you don’t mind some confused stares from passers-by) are all fine. When you start to get comfortable with these drills, you can progress to practising on a gentle slope or a hill.

To begin with, start with only 2-3 minutes on each drill as you may feel some new aches or pains the day after and the emphasis on drills is on quality, not quantity. As you adapt to the new movements increase the time you spend on drills gradually.

1. High knees (Hip flexors)
Running fast, up hills, downhills, through mud and when you start to fatigue all lead to reduced knee lift, which is essential to driving us forward. Strengthening this movement will help maintain your running form under fatigue.

Looking straight ahead, imagine a string through the top of your skull to keep you tall and upright. Slowly walk through an exaggerated high knee movement. Keep your ankle and knee at 90 degrees as you lift the thigh perpendicular to the body. On the opposite, standing leg you should push strongly up onto your toes as the other leg lifts.

Move the arms alternatively in a running action to make the move more functional and include the whole running action, keep the elbow at a 90-degree angle to also promote the best form.

As you get stronger with this movement and it feels more natural, you can progress by adding more speed to the drill. Further down the line, you can introduce more of a skip action so that your stride becomes a bit longer and the movement more dynamic.

2. Hamstrings
The fatigue in hip flexors, coupled with a job (or commute) that entail a lot of sitting leads to your hamstrings, glutes and posterior chain becoming a bit dormant. This drill aims to strengthen that posterior chain by giving a “spring” like movement to help with power and propulsion off the ground.

Again, standing up tall, this time take the leg out in front of you with a straight knee and as the foot lands the aim is to spring off the ground using the mid-foot.

Start with small strides so that the spring action is enough to push the leg right back behind you. As you master this and feel the glutes and hamstrings working you can increase the stride length and/or pace of the drill. Always ensure your whole leg is moving behind you into extension as this will target the glutes more specifically.

3. Toe walks
Foot function is imperative to reducing the stress of running on the body. The foot absorbs a lot of shock as the first point of contact, and the movement of pushing off the ground – all within a very short space of time.

With the next drills, you are going to target more specifically the lower leg and foot strength.

This drill is done at a slower pace and if your neighbours are really starting to think you are losing the plot, thankfully they can be done inside the confinements of your own home. Bare feet are an advantage with this drill because this engages the small, intrinsic muscles of the feet.

Firstly ensure you have a tall, upright posture and keeping your knees straight rise up onto the balls of your feet. The big toe is a vital lever for pushing off the ground and actually directly influences the powerful gluteus maximus behind the hip. Ensure the ball of the big toe remains in contact with the floor on each move and the pressure is spread equally from left to right on each foot.

Move forwards only pushing from the foot and ankle.

4. Heel walks
As muscles work in pairs, the next move is counteracting the above and strengthening the muscles on the front of the shin. For anybody who has ever suffered from shin splints, you know how it feels for the poor muscles on the front to be bullied by the overactive and tight calf muscles behind.

Stand up tall with your heels only in contact with the ground. At this point, it is very important to just check what your toes are doing. In order to cheat, people can often recruit all the tendons running along the top of the foot instead of the muscle in the shin. If all these tendons have started popping up and your toes are all lifted towards the leg try and relax them slightly whilst staying on your heels. With this drill, you should feel the front of the leg doing the work and not the top of the foot.

5. Hopping
At no point during the running gait cycle are both feet on the ground at the same time and the whole action can be broken down into a series of alternating hops.

Hopping is essential and it helps improve the body’s balance and proprioception. Also the stronger you are on one leg at any one time the longer you can maintain good running form without overloading other structures and because of this physiotherapists will often use hopping as a gauge for returning to running after an injury.

The hopping drill is simple and with all the exercises discussed maintain good posture and keep the hips high. Choose a line or mark on the floor as a cue and hop forwards and backwards over this line. Maintain the good posture and next hop side to side over the line.

Hopping can be progressed in a number of ways; introducing a hold after each hop sounds easy but if you hop forward and hold the landed position for five seconds, then hop backwards and do the same it really challenges your control, from the ankle all the way up to your core stability muscles of the trunk.

When you have mastered this drill, hopping up a small slope, on and off an uneven surface or even on and off a small step are all great progressions to really challenge all the simple movements that make up the running gait.

Additional advice
Like stretching, core stability exercises and glute strengthening these drills can provide a useful adjunct to your training and help reduce the risk of injury in the long term. If you are already training specific muscles such as your glute strength, you don’t need to replace your isolated exercise routines but importantly drills help tie together the strength gains from exercises and activate the stronger muscles in a way that is functional to running.

The expectation is not that you will start running like a model in a textbook, with a perfect running style. Who does!? However, if you can make your individual style even 1% more efficient that helps in reducing the likelihood of injury and a happier runner all around.

About the Author

Sarah Tunstall is a Chartered Physiotherapist and British international mountain runner.

The post 5 running drills you should be doing appeared first on Fast Running.

In support of World Mental Health Day on Tuesday 10th October the events follow the successful #runandtalk events in October 2016 and January 2017, which both saw over 100 organised runs to support mental wellbeing through running.

You are often told that physical activity is good for our bodies and our minds, but having a mental health problem can make it difficult to get started, for a number of reasons, ranging from negative body image, or a lack of self-esteem through to practical reasons such as having no one to go with, or not knowing where to get started.

During the week of 6th – 13th October 2017 England Athletics is encouraging people to run one mile or further and to have a chat with friends, family, colleagues or other runners. This can be done at a time and location of their choice or by joining one of the organised runs at an England Athletics club or RunTogether group.

The event is supported by a network of over 350 volunteer England Athletics Mental Health Ambassadors who are active in affiliated running clubs and registered running groups across England to support those of us who are experiencing mental health problems. The support available includes helping people to start running, get back into running, or continue running as well as to improve the mental wellbeing of their existing members.

The #runandtalk campaign aims to improve mental health through running in England by:

• getting people talking about mental health, sharing their experiences and removing stigma.
• raising awareness of mental health problems.
• supporting people experiencing mental health problems to be physically active through running, whether that is to support them in starting, returning to or continuing to run.

The campaign is being supported by the mental health charity Mind. Hayley Jarvis, Community Programmes Manager (Sport) at Mind, said: “Mental health problems are more common than people think with one in four people experiencing one each year. #runandtalk is a great initiative that everyone can get involved with to support their own mental health, while meeting others in their local community.”

Helen Newberry, Inclusion Manager at England Athletics said: “We are really pleased to be supporting World Mental Health Day with #runandtalk, along with our Mental Health Ambassador Programme. We are passionate about the benefits running can bring to both physical and mental wellbeing and ensuring it is an activity that is accessible and beneficial to all. We hope that #runandtalk will help to break down some of the stigma attached to mental health and support people to access the social, physical and mental wellbeing benefits that running can bring.”

Running is one of the most accessible and low-cost ways to be active and meet government recommendations to be moderately active for at least 150 minutes per week. Whether it’s to get fit, improve health, make friends or take on a challenge running has something to offer everyone.

Sign up on Facebook here and join the conversation on social media using #runandtalk.

World Mental Health Day 2017 is on Tuesday 10th October and is an internationally recognised day with the objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world. Find out more here.

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As a runner or athlete becomes more experienced nerves and anxiety before a race won’t always disappear either, and it is quite normal to feel even more pressure when you have heightened expectations on your race performance.

However, there is a big difference between normal pre-race jitters and an anxiety that paralyses your performance.

This is why your preparation is key, both physical and mental In the build up to a big race or competition, physical preparation usually gets your full attention, because rightly so if aren’t physically in good shape your performance will suffer. However, for a large proportion of runners and athletes, this is where it ends, with little or no attention given to the mental and emotional components involved in being prepared for a race.

The following five tips can help you successfully overcome any nerves and anxiety before your next race, leaving you to perform at your best.

Pre-race ritual

A set routine or pre-race ritual can help immensely to beat pre-race nerves and put your mind on something else in the build up, such as a specific warm-up that you know inside-out.

Work on developing your warm-up in the build-up to your race during training. This will allow you to find familiarity and a sense of relaxation from your warm-up on race day. Other pre-race rituals could be listening to music, praying or meditating.

Take Control

When preparing for a race or competition don’t waste energy thinking about things outside of your control, only give attention to what you can control.

Focus your preparation on getting into the best physical and mental shape possible, and plan out what you can control with a race plan. Whether your race is a 5K or a marathon, review the route to know where the course will be fast and slow, is there a steep hill? Then break the race down into smaller manageable segments and plan actions for each based on predicate effort, not pace.

For example, do not explicitly set out to run a specific segment at a six-minute mile pace because outside factors such as the weather can massively impact a pace target. Instead, plan to run the segment by the same perceived effort, meaning, if a six-minute mile is your fastest pace, plan to run that segment ‘as fast as you can’.

So forget about the aspects you can’t control, including the weather and how the runner next to you will perform because dwelling on these will only add unnecessary nerves and anxiety.

Try deep breathing before and during your race

It’s normal for breathing to become shallow when nerves and anxiety are present.

When standing on the race start line try breathing deeply from your stomach for a few moments. You should instantly feel calmer and more focused on the task at hand. During the race as you are running continue to perform this deep breathing exercise.

Positive self-talk

Talking positively before and during a race to yourself can help replace nerves with positive reassuring thoughts. Use simple positive quotes such as, “no pain no gain” or create your own based on past experiences.

A good example based on past experience is thinking back to a time either in a race or life when you overcame a difficult situation. If you struggled in your last race and thought about giving up, but battled on regardless, repeat the phrase “I did it before, I can do it again” regularly to yourself before and during the race.

You can also write down past experiences that you overcame tough situations and read over these when you need a reminder.

This could include details on the hard training you have put in, previous success in races or other life moments. By writing these down in a log you will always have positive reference points to refer to when you have moments of nerves in the build-up to a race.

Visualisation

The vast majority of top runners and athletes will use some form of visualisation and positive imagery before a big race or competition.

This helps to improve focus, reduce performance nerves, and helps by minimising the unknown aspects of a race, creating a familiarity when you actually go through the race day motions.

A month out from your race visualise every detail, what are you wearing, who’s beside you on the start line, running a certain segment, who is supporting you, and most importantly crossing the finish line.

Your race is your reward

In a big race the focus should be on the performance as much as possible, but as discussed this can actually have a negative impact on performance if the anxiety gets too much.

Therefore instead of thinking solely about how you will perform, think of the race as a reward earned for all the effort and hard work you’ve put into training. Are you in a new city or competing at in major championships? By thinking of these associated aspects of the race as rewards it will hopefully help remove some nerves and anxiety.

The post How to Overcome Pre-Race Nerves appeared first on Fast Running.

Yoga has brought me so many benefits, physically and mentally. The impact it has had on my running has been immense, before yoga I did not listen to what my body was telling me, not paying any he’d to stiffness or niggles.

Yoga has taught me to listen to what my body is telling me, how it is feeling in any particular moment, it has added discipline to my stretching and recovery after my runs. From a physical point of view the strength and flexibility I have developed on the mat; namely in the core, quads, hamstrings, and hip flexors, is unquestionable and this has enabled me to run more efficiently and stay injury-free.

So should you try yoga?
I say yes, yoga is for everyone from the mum to the athlete and there is a class that will suit every individual’s need. From yin yoga to vinyasa, there is an array of classes to choose from. My tip would be to find the local yoga practices in your area and give them all ago until you find one that meets your needs.

So what lasting benefits has yoga brought me?
Yoga has helped to correct my running form, I have overcome muscle imbalance in my body, strengthening my stabilising muscles, my core and lower back have never been stronger. Yoga has given me a progressive, effective method of stretching out and realigning my body before and after a tough run. Yoga has vastly increased my proprioception (my body’s awareness of itself interacting with space ie: uneven ground) and also my innate reactions to correct for these moments. Also, I am a lot more aware of how my body feels at any particular time, and what I need to do to adjust it, even mid run.

One of the deepest benefits yoga has brought me is a new found mental focus, and awareness of self. While practicing yoga, a big emphasis is placed on focusing on your breath and mindfully awareness of your postures. I have brought this focus outside of my yoga practice which has affected the way I think and focus in everyday life now.

Rolling it up
Now that the intensity of my training is back to previous levels (prior to the injury), there is a trick in how I am practicing yoga. It is not logical or practical to mirror an intense running routine with an intense yoga routine. Your yoga practice should have a converse relationship with your training: Currently as I am ramping up mileage and churning out hard workouts I am sticking with relaxing and slow stretching classes. When my training eases up again most likely come this winter, I will increase the intensity and frequency of my yoga workouts.

Sage Rountree (a yoga instructor, triathlon coach) says it best in her book The Runner’s Guide to Yoga, “Runners are conditioned to push through pain, but bringing that competitive attitude to yoga can be a recipe for disaster.” “Focus on yourself, not what the person on the mat next to you can do,” and realise there’s plenty to gain from a less-than-perfect practice.

So many runners are hard on themselves when they have an off day, whereas in yoga you’re encouraged to accept the body and mind that you have on that day and push it as far as it will go. This is a valuable way of thinking that has brought a new found ease to my running. I would like to finish by saying that runners should start to think this way too, and accept the body and mind that you have on that particular day, don’t worry about your pb’s or what you have done in the past – simply appreciate your running, and enjoy it each and everyday.

The post Running and Yoga: A good combination? part 2 appeared first on Fast Running.

Yoga has the potential to do so much good; improving strength, flexibility, and mental focus that it’s surprising that so many runners don’t know a downward dog from an upward dog.

We hear from one runner, about his experience combining yoga and running.

In October 2016 I sustained a fairly big injury (from a runners perspective). I was cross training on my bike, and in process of climbing up a hill when I felt a tear at the back of my leg. I would later learn that I tore a tendon, namely the popliteus tendon. At the time I played down the seriousness of the injury, thinking I had simply overstretched the top of my calf, not thinking for a second that it would impact my running. I was determined to continue with my training, and for the following 4 weeks I attempted to run through the pain. I was kidding myself, and each time I was forced to stop with the pain. I would wait impatiently for a couple of days and try once more, only to pull up again.

This was the first injury I had picked up in over two years, and because of this I lacked the awareness to recognise what my body was telling me. The knock on effect of this was that I did not have the self discipline to allow the body to rest, rushing back too quickly each time trying to run. Eventually I could take no more and had to face up to the seriousness of the injury, so I went to a local physio, who diagnosis was that I had damaged the populates tendon in my right leg, and advised me to rest completely for four weeks. Running was out of the question during this time, stretching being the only resistance I should put on my leg.

However, the physio did suggest I try a yoga class. I thought why not, after my repeatedly failed comebacks I had nothing to loose so I looked up local yoga practices and found one close by. Unaware of what to expect, I kept an open mind, because I didn’t really have another option that was productive to fill my previous ‘running time’.

I was determined to give it my best if I could get past the first class. The first practice I attended was a slow class, focusing on long slow stretches (It seems like a long time ago now but this was my first ever hearing of a pigeon pose) and breathing techniques.

I was surprised how much I got from the class, I left feeling renewed not only physically but also mentally. I wanted more, and that first week I attended four different classes. Two of the classes where more physically challenging than I had anticipated, but I found this rewarding. The feeling of pushing my body out of its comfort zone brought back the feeling I have felt all too often with endurance running.

Being exposed to these different types of yoga classes opened up my eyes, and I devised a weekly routine that give me the mix of the slower relaxing classes (focusing more on stretching and breathing), and faster, more physically classes (focusing on balance and pushing the body into shapes it wasn’t accustomed to). For the next four weeks I followed this routine, and week on week I noticed a notable improvement in my flexibility, balance, focus and ‘awareness of self’.

One of the most valuable things that I have learnt from yoga is the idea of always being aware of our body, and how it feels in any particular moment. Yoga became my new running, and I looked forward to it everyday. I never imagined that I would experience similar feeling for yoga that I have for running.

After this initial month and after another visit to the physio I was slowly able to start running again. I ran only on flat surfaces, avoiding hills and taking two recovery days between runs, trying not to do too much too soon. Now that I could run (somewhat cautiously) again, the automatic thought was to stop going to yoga, I had running back in my life, I didn’t need yoga anymore. However after experiencing the benefits yoga has brought me, both physically and mentally during the 4 short weeks I could not just stop going, could I?

Read Part two

The post Running and Yoga: A good combination? appeared first on Fast Running.

There is a long list of things, that when added to your training schedule, will over time enable you to run faster. This could take a period of months or years, and will require a strict training regime and regular self assessment. Not seeing results straight away can be discouraging and it will take a certain level of commitment and determination to persevere with.

However, the good news is, there are immediate actions that can be taken that will give you a boost of fitness and a shot of running speed straight away.

Try making these 5 changes to your training and you will see improvements in a matter of weeks.

1. Add Strides at the end of runs
Strides are one of the best drills runners can do. They will not only help improves leg speed and turnover, but very importantly they will help develop proper running form.

To add strides into your training, run five to eight strides, each roughly 100m after 60% of your weekly runs.

To perform strides correctly, gradually increase your speed over the 100m to 90% of your maximum speed and hold that effort for 10m, before coasting to a stop. Lightly jog for 20 seconds, and go again.

2. Add a dynamic warm-up before your run
Before a run, most runners either don’t stretch, or do static stretching, such as standing and touching your toes. However studies have shown that static stretching before a run or workout is of little benefit and possibly increases the chance causing an injury.

So, forget what you have done before a run in the past, and start doing a dynamic warm-up. Dynamic warm-up drills could simply be, easy jogging on the spot, followed by dynamic stretching, such body weight squats or lunges.

3. Try adding a 15 minute core circuit
Runner’s have a tendency to neglect every type of exercise apart from running, but eventually this catches up, and injuries develop. Without delving to much into strength and conditioning for runners, (we could be here all day) an aspect of conditioning that must be worked on for runners, is developing a strong core. A simple 15 minute core circuit routine, a few times a week is more than enough. Doing this will not only develop core strength, but it will improve your posture, when increasing your running speed.

There is a multitude of core exercises that can be performed, but to get you started try, this simple plank circuit routine; standard plank – hold for 60 seconds, plank up downs – 20 reps, side planks – 30 seconds each side, and spiderman planks – as many as you can in 30 seconds. Repeat this drill until the 15 minutes is up. Do this a few times a week, after a run, and straight away you will notice the difference it makes to your posture.

4. Mix it up, try short and fast
Varying the intensity, and distance of your runs, is one of the easiest ways to get faster.

Many runners fall into the comfort zone of running the same pace all the time. Mix this up, and add one workout per week that’s short high-intensity intervals, this could be on the track, in the park or hills, and a tempo workout, increasing your pace as your run progresses.

These workouts will help engage fast-twitch fibers, and after a couple of weeks you will see noticeable improvements

5. Forget pace, and run how we feel
Today runners can depend too much on GPS devices and apps. This over reliance on technology, can lead to inaccuracies in the ‘actual’ effort you exert during a workout. For example when running over a hilly terrain, your pace will vary whether running on the flat terrain, or going up and down a hill.

Trying to maintain the same pace over this type of terrain is near impossible and will require different levels of effort throughout. One of the best ways to run, is to run based on heart rate, running this way gives an accurate assessment on effort, and after a few runs you will quickly learn how this relates to actual pace. So, try leaving the GPS device behind for a few runs and listen to your heart rate. The benefit of this, is that by accurately understanding your effort, you learn to take it easy on easy runs, which will leave you fresh for your actual hard workouts.

The post How to run faster: 5 simple tips appeared first on Fast Running.

While some love this early start in the morning, other’s hate it or don’t have time, and wait until the evening when they feel more awake and energised. Starting the day with a run or exercise can result in many positives, including; boosting your fitness, burning body fat, and many psychological benefits that will positively impact the rest of your day.

One runner shares their approach to running early in the morning.

What gets me up everyday at 5.30am?
For me nothing quiet beats the peacefulness and tranquility of running at this time of the day. The roads are clear, the air is cleaner, and it is just me with my thoughts. If you are lucky enough to have a running route close to a river, try it in the AM, the sounds of the river and wildlife at this time of the day are something else.

Even going to the gym at this time of the morning brings its own peacefulness. It is definitely a lot quieter for one, and you get to avoid the 8am-9am rush before work. Going to the gym at 6am gives me the time and space to focus on my drills / workouts, without feeling rushed to vacate a space on the mat or bench.

In a way, I suppose I am lucky that getting up early and feeling alert enough to get on with my tasks now comes naturally to me. This wasn’t always the case though, it does take self discipline and some getting used to initially, especially in the first few weeks, but if you keep it up, I promise it will soon become second nature. As an added benefit you will have a achieved something before 9am, leaving you more focused and productive for the rest of the day.

Below are some tips I have found that will help you start training in the morning.

1. Picture waking up early, running — and enjoying it. So for just a few minutes before bed, think about waking up to your alarm and feeling energised. Then, imagine getting ready and having a great run. If you can do that regularly, it’ll only help you see yourself as someone who likes running in the morning. And then you can make it a reality!

2. Ensure your morning routine is simple. Running in the morning has to be as painless as possible, and you want it to be as easy as possible to get out the door. So have your running kit ready to go the night before, in the morning brush your teeth, get a quick bite, lace up your running shoes and get going. Do nothing but the bare minimum. Ideally, it should only take you 5 to 10 minutes to get ready.

3. Do what’s necessary to wake up. Set your alarm across the room so you have to get up and out of bed to turn it off. Then, once you’re up, flip on the lights. And, of course, be sure to warm up before working out in the morning.

4. Have a few bites to eat and water. Eating too much before a run isn’t great, but you will feel better if you eat something.  Try a banana or a slice of toast with peanut butter, and then drink a cup or two of cold water. This will get your metabolism going, and give your body fuel for running in the morning.

5. Make it a non-negotiable. While we all like to hit the snooze button, you need to be strict with yourself and avoid it at all costs. Getting up and out of bed is the hardest part of running in the morning, so hitting the snooze button and procrastinating doesn’t do anything but make it more likely that you’ll go back to bed.

6. Ease into running in the morning. If you’re not used to running in the morning getting up a couple of hours earlier than you’re used to is not going to be easy. Try gradually waking up earlier and earlier, and don’t be afraid to get up for early morning runs every other day, just so that you have some sleep recovery time in the beginning.

The post 6 tips to running in the morning appeared first on Fast Running.

This yoga practice will help runners stabilise joints and release IT band stiffness.

Perform this 30-minute practice twice a week to cultivate balance and find ease.

The post IT Band Relief with this Yoga Routine appeared first on Fast Running.

We’ve came up with 12 beginner running tips that will allow you to start running smoothly, and help you to stick with it.

1. Purchase a good pair of running shoes
2. Start slow and steady
3. Warm up, cool down
4. Fuel up
5. Increase your mileage slowly and evenly
6. Vary your runs – distances and routes
7. Set goals & targets
8. Go outside to run
9. Fix Your Form
10. Strategise – try sprint intervals, tempo runs & hill work
11. Cross-Train
12. Persevere & stick with it

These are just quick tips that are worthwhile sharing. We hope these beginner running points help.

The post 12 beginner running tips appeared first on Fast Running.

Running form develops in time, and by focusing on the basics first, you’ll improve without being completely overwhelmed. When we try to focus on everything before it is time, confusion wins out and a lack of progress follows.

Perform a Head-to-Toe Inventory one or two times per run.

Understanding what your body is doing by performing an inventory, head to toe, will allow you to learn how your body is moving forward and bring awareness to your running style. Perform this inventory a few times during your run and let this simmer for several weeks.

Your head should be over your shoulders, eyes looking forward.

Neck and shoulders should be relaxed—tightness here is a huge energy suck.

Arms bent (don’t worry about the exact degree just yet) and swinging like a pendulum from your shoulder. Still confused? Stand with your feet hip width apart and arms long and start swinging them. You’ll notice they follow a natural arc from your hip to your center line. Now bend your arms and keep swinging with relaxed shoulders—this is it!

Relax your hands—you’re not getting ready for a fight! If it helps, think of something delicate in your palm (bird, chip…)

Hips should be under the shoulders. Think of natural alignment from head to toes. Watch other runners for this one and you’ll see what I mean. If they are bent or slouched forward, they are out of alignment.

Your feet should land with short, quick strides under your hips.

Next—Focus on your feet.

Once you learn how to run in alignment and with less tension with the head-to-toe inventory, the next step is to dial in your tempo, or the number of strides per minute. During the heart of your run, count the number of strides (or steps) your right foot takes in one minute.

According to Coach Jack Daniels, the general rule of thumb for efficient running is 90 strides per minute for one foot, or 180 for both, but there is variance based on leg length. The key is in knowing what your tempo is, and if you’re in the 70s to low-80s, you’re likely trying to cover too much ground with each step—a common newbie mistake.

If this is the case, practice running with shorter, quicker steps. One fun way is to run to a fast-paced song, you can also learn via gadgets like a Garmin. Like proper alignment, being aware of your tempo will have a profound effect on your energy management and efficiency down the road, but it will take time to learn.

Warm Up and Build Your Running Game Slowly.

This may not seem like a running form tip, but it certainly is, especially if you sit during the day and head out for your run post-work with your hips and hamstrings so tight you could play a tune on them. Invest at least three to five minutes in walking briskly and with purpose.

Try backwards walking to open your hips (be careful) and foam rolling if you are particularly tight in areas (hips, ITB, hamstrings). Also have a look at our article on the benefits yoga can bring to your running. A warmup is the gateway to better running form, as it prepares your body to run optimally.

Avoid trying to run ‘perfect’ initially if you still need to learn how to run or you’re fresh into the running scene. Like all sports, investing the time in building the mechanics, fitness, and stamina will allow you to run stronger more quickly than jumping ahead. In many cases, running form issues stem from a lack of foundation of miles and mechanics and can be easily resolved by a solid running training plan and following steps one and two above.

The post Tips to improve your running form appeared first on Fast Running.