I have decided to begin to write down what I think I know about racing and training.
I plan to write a couple of other articles on this topic - hence the “Part I.”
Feedback is obviously welcome.
How to run the entire Ironman marathon – Part I: The Basics of Run Form
Distance events demand efficiency. When I look at the guys and gals at the top of our sport, the first thing I notice is how smooth and effortless they move. Their training has taught their bodies to perform each discipline while using the least amount of energy. They lack movement that is not used to propel them forward. They also perform each movement in such a way as to expend the least amount of energy. The last three sentences sound the same but describe slightly different reasons why they are able to go so far and so fast.
A very distinct, but often overlooked, indicator of running success is running form. There are some who teach that we are best off sticking with the running form that we have – that we can’t or shouldn’t change our running form. I disagree. If you take a close look at most successful runners, whether in triathlon, distance running, or track and field, you will notice one similar feature about their running form: they don’t strike the ground with their heel. There are the rare exceptions, however.
So, if you don’t strike with your heel first, which is how most of us started running, then where should your foot strike the ground? Your foot should hit the ground somewhere between the middle of the outer (lateral) edge of the foot and the forefoot (the ball of the foot). This does not mean that the heel never touches the ground, only that weight is not placed on the rear half of the foot. You are not “running on your toes.”
Attempting to change foot strike alone is not enough, and not really the point of changing your form. The main goal is to move the point where your foot hits the ground under your center of gravity. When a runner heel strikes, the leg is extended and the foot hits the ground in front of the center of gravity.
There are negative performance effects of your foot hitting the ground in front of your center of gravity. You are trying to move forward when you run. When your foot is applying force to the ground, the ground is also applying force back to your foot and in turn your body. So, when your foot is on the ground in front of your center of gravity, the ground is applying force to the rear – the wrong direction. Another negative effect is that it is difficult to maintain the proper stride rate of 180 beats per minute (bpm). Generally, a heel striker (not to label a person) takes too long of a stride and to maintain proper leg turn over would need to always run fast.
Here is an old photo of me with leg extended and heel striking.
There are also negative health effects of striking the ground with your heel first. When a runner’s leg is almost in full extension, the muscles of the leg begin to relax because there is very little force acting on the leg. When the heel hits the ground loose muscle and tendon react rather violently to regain tension to stabilize the leg. Two very common injuries that can be caused by this are Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) and the o-so-common shin splints.
Also, when the leg is close to full extension and the heel hits the ground, where does the energy of the foot strike go? It goes directly into the skeletal system. Most runners rely on the 10 mm of foam between the ground and their heel to cushion the blow of the force of all of your body weight in motion coming down on a couple of square inches. Unfortunately, no running shoe technology will absorb that much impact. Instead, your joints, where there are thin slivers of cartilage and a little bit of movement, absorb a lot of the impact. You should be thinking about those sore knees and hips here.
Here is a more recent photo with a mid foot strike.
Now, imagine that you have shortened your stride so that your foot lands underneath your center of gravity. How would you describe the state of your knee – almost fully extended or with quite a bit of flexion? Flexed is the correct answer. With your knee flexed, your muscles have to engage to absorb the impact. The impact that was once transferred through your heel directly into your skeletal structure is now absorbed by the contraction of the major muscle groups in your leg.
You will also be more efficient, once your body has adapted to the changes in your form. Instead of you foot hitting in front of your center of gravity and causing forces towards the rear, all of the forces that are exerted back by the ground are now propelling you forward/supporting your body weight.
Another effect of shortening your stride is that your muscles are now engaged when your foot hits the ground. This is because your knee is bent and your foot has begun a slightly rearward path before your foot has hit the ground. Since your foot is moving in an oval shaped path and where your foot hits the ground is the lowest point on the oval, it is moving towards the rear also. Think about an object moving in a circle. Imagine that the blue ball is your foot and it is moving counter-clockwise.
There will be a couple of changes in the rest of your running form that will come about because of the changes in your stride. Your arm swing will decrease. Since your legs are traveling a shorter distance, your arms will, too. You leg turnover will increase. To go the same speed as you did during your heel striking days with the long stride, you will need to increase the rate at which your legs hit the ground to go the same speed. Your stride rate should be around 180 foot strikes per minute (that’s both feet). This should be for all of your runs, except for maybe very short sprint efforts. To run faster you simply lean forward from the waist and increase the amount of travel in your arms – your legs will follow.
A few last pointers:
-The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. To reduce the amount of energy spent moving your limbs, move them straight. This means that your foot should move though a single plane that is perpendicular to the ground and parallel with the direction that you want to run – that is forward, by the way. The same thing goes for your arms. They should move in short motions to the front and to the rear, with a little movement toward the midline of your body to counteract the rotation of your torso.
-Arm Carriage: The bend in your elbow should be roughly 90 degrees or slightly acute of that.
-Lift your knees. Lifting your knees causes your knee to flex when your leg is moving forward. This makes your leg shorter while traveling forward, thus reducing the amount of energy required to move it.
Lower portion of left leg is high during the forward movement.
-Two demonstrations to help to change your stride:
=Watch a child run. Children almost always have a mid foot strike with a bent knee. They lack the overall economy, but they usually exhibit the basics.
=Run barefoot. This should obviously be limited to a short duration and on a predictable surface. You will not want to heel strike while running barefoot. Unless you have no feeling in your feet, you will almost assuredly strike the ground with your mid foot. Do some running and skipping drills on a relatively soft surface.
It will take time for your body to adapt to the changes. For me, the calves took the longest to adapt. I haven’t had any running injuries since I changed my form a couple of years ago. And, I ran every step of the marathon in both of the Ironman races that I have entered.
