Contributed Collaborative Post
Running has always been immensely popular in the UK. However, 2023 saw an uptick in the number of people taking up running for various reasons, with an estimated one in five Brits running at least three times per week.
The popularity of apps like Couch25K has inspired many to embark on a journey of self-improvement, from the comfort of their couch to the great outdoors. For others, the thrill of pounding the pavement has long been a source of personal achievement and fitness.
Running offers many benefits for the body as a solo fitness endeavour or as part of a varied training plan. Not only does it provide the body with much-needed cardio exercise, which is vital for improved heart health and stamina, but it can also help you lose weight, strengthen your body, and improve your lungs. One study even found that runners (for a control group of 675 marathon runners) had a reduced risk of arthritis, too.
If you’re thinking of grabbing your trainers and going for a run, or if you simply want to elevate your running experience and take things to the next level, these tips can help you at whatever stage you’re at.
Gait Analysis
Gait analysis is the observation of your running technique. You can perform this by filming yourself running from various angles to see how you run, the way you land, and your stride. Taking videos from the front, back, and side of both feet in action or going to a specialist gait analysis provider can enlighten you about your gait.
Understanding your running form through gait analysis is a game-changer. It not only improves your runs but also guides you in selecting the most supportive running shoes for enhanced comfort and reduced risk of pain and injuries. After all, the more painful something is, the less likely you are to stick with it. Gait analysis can identify your potential hot spots, allowing you to equip yourself for a more comfortable run.
Running Shoes
Getting fitted for the perfect running shoes, ideally after a gait analysis, is vital for running. The wrong shoes will not provide any support and will make your runs much more complicated than they need to be.
In the UK, the Asics Novablast 4, New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4, and Brooks Ghost 16 are considered some of the best running shoes and are worth the investment.
You can find supportive trainers for running in a variety of price bands from £25 to £200 plus and there will be a range of sizes and styles to support your feet for added comfort and performance for you.
Warm Ups and Mobility
Everyone knows that you need to suitably warm your body before you head out for an urn. This means completing a dynamic warm-up before your runs. Dynamic warm-ups are active warm-ups that begin slowly with stretching and build to a more intense finish.
Dynamic warm-ups can include a range of stretching as well as jumping, skipping, hip circles, arm swings, leg swings, lunges, twists, squats, etc.
You’re essentially moving your body in multiple different ways to warm it and raise your heart rate a little bit while you do so to prepare your body for the run and ensure every part of you is ready.
Starting with a dynamic warm-up over simple stretching is crucial. It helps increase your range of motion, speed up the heart rate, warm the body, and activate the central nervous system. This preparation ensures that your body is ready for the run and able to cope with the demands you’re about to place on it.
This leads us nicely onto mobility exercise. As mentioned, runners can be prone to injuries, and if you’re not flexible enough, then you’ll likely experience more issues and get injured more easily. Plus, your runs will be harder. Mobility exercises are like dynamic warm-ups, except you can do them anytime, anywhere. They involve gently stretching and manipulating your joints and muscles to help you increase your range of motion. Not only will this help you to become more flexible and reduce the risk of picking up injuries, but it will make your run more comfortable and, over time, eliminate niggles and pains. Not to mention, mobility exercises are functional, meaning that if you commit to adding them to your life, you can look forward to increased flexibility and movement as you age.
Focus on Strength, Too
Running is primarily a cardiovascular workout, but you need to be strong to help you run, too. The stronger you are, the more physical power you can incorporate into your runs. This means you can continue to move forward and push yourself to run faster and longer, as your body will be strong enough to support you. Start by focusing on strengthening your core.
You can do this by strength training with weights if you prefer; however, workouts like pilates and yoga can be massively beneficial for runners as they incorporate the mobility work mentioned in the above point.
Take Cool Down Seriously
Running can be demanding on the body, and it’s crucial to prioritise recovery. Taking the time to cool down properly and allowing your body to rest and recover between intense runs is a way of showing care and respect for your body’s needs.
You don’t need to go all out on each run, but you do need to have a good recovery schedule in place. This means doing around 10 mins of stretching at least, longer for beginners or when you have pushed your limits. It means incorporating other techniques alongside cool-down stretches, such as hydrating your body with fluids and electrolytes, foam rolling to release stress in muscles, massages, getting a good night’s sleep, eating a healthy balanced diet and using tools like cold water therapy to help you recover. Cold water therapy is the use of an ice bath or plunge tank that you fill with cold water that is uncomfortable. Cold water therapy can help reduce inflammation and muscle soreness, leading to quicker recovery times between runs, meaning you can get back out faster. This is because cold water may help to flush out lactic acid (which causes DOMS) and deliver oxygen and nutrients to the muscles to aid recovery.
Include Hills
If you really want to improve your running and fitness, the hills are the answer. If you’re only running on flat terrain, then you need to add hills and different gradients to your run. Why? Because hills require dynamic power to get you up there, which is not only good for raising your heart rate and pushing you out of your comfort zone but aids hip mobility as you need to drive your hips higher to accommodate the change in incline leading to improved range of motion and hip strength which is imperative for all runners.
Lose the PR Mindset
Running isn’t always about setting PRs each time you hit the road. It’s about improving what you do and how you run. Aim for consistency, reduced tiredness after each session, deeper squats, a freer, easier run, building strength and endurance, and not hitting those PRs all the time. Sure, you can reach tohse PRs in as you progress, and aiming to be faster is a great goal, but it shouldn’t be your only goal and only reason for running. Aim to be better, not always quicker; faster will come automatically.
Consistency, Not Max Effort
What this means is that you shouldn’t be pushing yourself to max burnout or effort 100% of the time. Or even frequently. You need to find a comfortable and achievable pace. Aim for 80% for half of your runs, and then sprinkle some runs at 50%. While this might seem counterintuitive, it’s not necessary to constantly push yourself to max limits, nor is it healthy. Instead, aim to develop a consistent, easily achievable running pace and an alternative between faster and slower runs.
Sprint More
Adding in some sprints, ideally uphill, can boost your runs and help you improve your cardiovascular fitness, as well to throw some challenges into your run. While you don’t need to focus too much on sprints for your overall training or runs, throwing one in every now and again can be a good idea to help you increase your speed and push yourself for short periods. You can work on boosting the duration of the speed of your sprints over time but aim for around 5% of your run time to be sprints at your max capacity.
Use Tech
The right tech, but not too much, can help you assess your runs, record your times and progress, and give you an overall picture of your running habits.
They can be instrumental when used for training purposes only, not goals. Instead of using tech and doing what the app thinks you should do, simply use your running tech to collate data to help you improve. Some apps might enable you to do this automatically, but it’s important not to let your watch apps or other running tech dictate your runs just enhance them, which means using them to collect specific data only. If you want to improve, this data can help you understand your strengths, weaknesses and abilities so you can push yourself when needed and keep track of things like routes, constancy, heart rate, etc.
This is a contributed collaborative post
