This is an extension of a previous thread. I wanted to post some photos from Winning Running by Peter Coe. Here you will see Sebastion Coe going through a full cycle on the track.
You may notice the “appearance” of over stirding. I want to note that the foot is actually moving back toward him in slides 3 and 7.
The most important thing to note is how upright his posture is and how his whole body is in alignment, from the hip all the way to the head, leaning slightly forward.
Now compare these two pictures:
The guy on the right is me in high school. I was fortunate enough to find a picture of myself in almost the exact same part of the stride. Notice how my toes are in front of my hip joint. This is due to the fact that my whole center of gravity is shifted forward because of the exagerted lean at the hips and the head tilted down position. My feet used to slap really bad. Today, even though I don’t run on my forefoot like SebCoe, I do emulate his position more, keep the hips thrust forward, and lead with the chest. The slapping has pretty much been eliminated.
The last thread asked for 5 key tips, so here they are:
180+ steps a minute.
Stand up tall.
Pick your feet up so that they make little tiny circles and place them beneath you.
Don’t let your arms cross your body.
Do strides several times a week for 10 seconds each and focus on the above 4.
Good call. I wondered that myself. It’s possible that it occurs between slides 2 and 3, or its possible that he never goes beyond parallel. When I wrote that post, I had my cousin in mind whose toes never got higher than 45 degrees DOWNWARD. I had that same problem myself for years until I learned that it was bad.
Awesome. My favorite Seb Coe story has to be how he would not shower for a few days before the race, showing up at the start line smellng nauseatingly disgustingly bad.
Do you know if Seb purposely did his striders barefoot on grass?
Some people swing their feet very close to the ground when their foot moves from behind them to infront of them. You want to think about stepping OVER logs as you run. Toe off, pick the foot up, step over the log, and plant in beneath you.
Its very similar to how you’d imagine yourself running if you were going to run on glass in your bare feet. You’d pick your feet up really quick and snappy and try to place them very gently back on the ground.
We covered this before, but if you run on gravel or a tread mill and you hear your foot make a scraping sound, it’s because you are not picking your feet up and you are sliding it forward onto the ground. Almost “kicking” the ground.
Almost “kicking” the ground.
Lydiard was onto this problem. He told his runners to never let the forefoot land first. Heel, mid, fore…in that order. The feet come down onto the ground, from above, rather than slide forward onto it. He realized that it causes a constant braking effect.
Some people swing their feet very close to the ground when their foot moves from behind them to infront of them. You want to think about stepping OVER logs as you run. Toe off, pick the foot up, step over the log, and plant in beneath you.
Its very similar to how you’d imagine yourself running if you were going to run on glass in your bare feet. You’d pick your feet up really quick and snappy and try to place them very gently back on the ground.
The second paragraph is in contradiction with the first. And the first is TERRIBLE imagery, try to tell that to a person and then watch what they’ll be doing next…
The second paragraph is in contradiction with the first. And the first is TERRIBLE imagery, try to tell that to a person and then watch what they’ll be doing next…
I am not lecturing people on running form, you are. I was just pointing out that when you use images/analogies, you (one) needs to be careful on how it will be understood by the “audience”.
It is obvious to me that asking people to run over logs will cause them to increase their vertical movement, which as you know is one of the factors that influence running economy.
Also using the analogy of running on glass is not the best. Do you want runners to have a short or a long support time? Because running on glass makes you impact slowly but remove the feet fast, so which one is it?
It is obvious to me that asking people to run over logs will cause them to increase their vertical movement, which as you know is one of the factors that influence running economy.
I prefer the word "effeciency, " but nevertheless, as the foot returns and moves toward the front of the body, it should be lifted as if needing to clear a small object on the ground. Be careful not to spring into the air and create veritcal movement as this will waste energy.
Also using the analogy of running on glass is not the best. Do you want runners to have a short or a long support time? Because running on glass makes you impact slowly but remove the feet fast, so which one is it?
Steps should be quick and light. You don’t want to crash or clomp the foot onto the ground.
I like the word efficiency too, one of my favorite words, but we’re talking about economy here.
Anyway, quick and soft steps is again a contradiction. As support time goes down, peak forces go up. So the quicker your steps are, the less “soft” your steps will be.
I do think that support time is a very important variable and stress short support time with my athletes.
I do think that support time is a very important variable and stress short support time with my athletes.
How does one work to lessen the support time?
I do think that support time is a very important variable and stress short support time with my athletes.
How does one work to lessen the support time?
running without shoes on helps. if that’s not an option, be sure you don’t wear socks. if that’s not an option, wear the thinnest pair you can find.
imagine you are bounding, not running and that time freezes while you are in the air, and only proceeds while you make contact with the ground. use up as little time as possible.
