We’re back, with Dave’s final post for the Multisport 101 series. He’s walked us through the swim and the bike, great advice in both posts. In this final post — which has great information for longtime runners as well as newbies– Dave gives solid advice on running form, equipment and gear. Take it away, Dave!
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Let’s wrap up our multisport 101 series. Swimming? Check. Cycling? Check. Running? Let’s get started.
Well, before we do, just a quick note: Before you begin any exercise regime – either for fitness or for competition – you need to consult your doctor. Get a physical, and make sure that there are no issues that you’re not aware of that could cause injury or worse as you move down your road to better health and competitiveness
So, you’re running already and want to boost things to the next level? Or you’re walking and want to start jogging? Whatever the reason, running is a great, great, exercise. But you need to be careful here – the previous two disciplines that we talked about, swimming and cycling, are relatively impact-free. Running puts some stress on your body. Knees, ankles, hips. If you’re just starting out, be ready for, maybe, a few aches and pains as you acclimate and build up your time in your running shoes.
As with swimming and cycling, I’m going to cover just a few basics here. If you’re at a point where you want to really take things to the next level, and increase your speed or try to attack that local sprint triathlon, then good for you! There are lots of workouts and drills to increase speed and improve your running anaerobic threshold. I’ll be happy to chat with you about this in a one on one environment. Heck, any running or triathlon coach can help you out. But here we’re just going to talk about some basic stuff to get you going in the right direction.
Running, just like swimming and cycling, isn’t all about the engine. It’s also about efficiency, balance, and biomechanics. Technique in running, just like the other disciplines we’ve talked about, is critical. What are some key things to look for and focus on?
- Arm carriage – Bend at elbow. Don’t raise your shoulders. Carry your hands “high,”
- Torso twist – A little is okay and natural. A lot and you’re going to lose some efficiency.
- Cadence – a higher foot-strike cadence is better than lower. Faster turnover will help with your efficiency as you won’t be “braking” while you run. And by braking I mean landing too much on your heel. More on this in just a minute.
Any issues with your form can be managed – most certainly by a coach. When you become tired and tighten up, that’s when issues generaly begin to show. And usually when you fix one issue, other things will begin to fall into place.
Let’s jump back and talk about your arm carriage. There’s a lot of articles on arm carriage and running form. Some schools of thought lean towards your hands low to increase efficiency. Is it efficient? Yes. Does it help you run fast? No. Why? To run faster, you need to have a faster arm swing. A faster arm swing allows you to have a higher cadence. When you start to get tired while out on a run, tell yourself to focus on your arm carriage. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed and low (don’t shrug your shoulders) and that you have a 90 degree (give or take) bend in your elbows.
Speaking of cadence and foot strike. Don’t over-stride. By that, don’t over-extend your legs and try to have too long a stride. That won’t make you faster or more efficient. You want to be leaning forward a little bit and you want your foot to land as close to under your body as possible when you make your foot plant. When we run faster we tend to start to lean backwards. This creates over-striding and braking. As stated above, by braking I mean that you start to land too much on your heels and you start to slow yourself down. This isn’t to say that there aren’t people running out there that land on their heel’s first. Many do. However, you really want to keep your running form with a slight forward lean, or “angle of attack”. I’m not going to get technical and talk about the ideal angle in degrees here. But for our purposes, just try to think about leaning forward a little bit. This will help keep you from landing “too much” on your heels and will assist in getting you into a more efficient position.
Remember in the swimming article I talked about bilateral breathing, or breathing off both sides, and how not doing this could come back to haunt you later in a triathlon? Well, here’s why: If you’re doing a triathlon, and you hit the run leg and are tired and fatigued (as you should be!) your form will be the first thing to suffer. What you’ll see in regards to your shoulders is one riding higher than the other. Why? Well, the side that you breathe on during the swim will have the stronger shoulder (due to muscle use). That shoulder will ride higher, in a natural position, while the other shoulder will drop. This will impact your form and you’ll lose efficiency. Hence, breathing on both sides – bilateral breathing – will help you with the run leg of a triathlon. I ran a clinic earlier this season for some first-time triathletes and could pick out what side they breathed on during the swim. After a bike session, when people were just starting to get tired, we did some running drills. It was amazing how easy it is to spot.
Most importantly – if you’re just out trying to get some jogging in to get in shape or add an exercise regime to your life, you don’t need to run fast. Just go out and run at a pace that’s comfortable. You want to get your heart rate up and you want to sweat. Most importantly you want to run or jog for at least 25 minutes to get the full aerobic benefits. But, speed isn’t important. Yes, if you want to take things up a notch and become more competitive that’s a whole other conversation (contact me and we can chat!)
Need shoes? Well, yes, you do. What kind of shoes do you need? That depends on a few factors. To keep it simple – and so long as you don’t have any major arch (flat feet, for example) , or pronation / supination issues (extreme footstrike on the inside / outside of your foot), then most likely a neutral cushioned shoe can serve you well. Go to your local running store (find a good one) and have someone watch you run (on a treadmill is fine). If they know their stuff, then they’ll know what kind of shoe will be a good fit for you. They should let you run in them before you buy – on a treadmill is fine but you need to get a feel for them. Ideally you will be allowed to run outside, around the block or down the street, to see how a pair of shoes suits you. Try a handful of different shoes out. Don’t be afraid to take a chunk of time to do this. You want to be sure that you like the shoes you’re going to run in. And don’t choose a pair of shoes because you like the color! Please…..don’t.
I’m fortunate that I live in close proximity to an amazing running store here in Westchester County New York. Westchester Road Runner is staffed by runners, frequented by runners (and triathletes), and they really know what they’re talking about. For a great place by you? Ask around. Find that Sunday group run that you may see and ask people there where they go for shoes? An internet search is good as well. Bottom line, just like your bike shop, you need a good place to go for shoes. You want to get shoes that you need – not the shoes they want to sell.
Oh, I mentioned the dreaded treadmill above. I know during crappy weather that everyone (myself included) are resigned to the “dreadmill”. But, whenever possible, get outside to run. Treadmills are evil. Why? The belt is moving and that provides a false sense of speed and cadence. Don’t get me wrong, when it’s dumping rain outside, or is 10 below zero, I’m all about a treadmill. But whenever possible you need to be outside on the road.
LIke any exercise regimen, you need to warm up before you head out. Do you do a slow jog at the start of your runs? Do you do some light stretching before you leave the house? You should add in some high knee marching, backward walk, jogging with ‘butt-kicks‘. Will you look goofy doing it? Yep. Will it ensure that your muscles are warm and ready for some added intensity later? Yep. Will this help avoid injury. Yep.
Gear. Really, you need a comfy pair of shorts and a top – wicking / technical material is ideal. This will help keep you cool as well as help avoid chaffing. I won’t go into all the details about warm weather vs cold weather running gear. You can get all that info at your running shop.
One last thing to think about…..it’s always tempting to try to push yourself during a workout. This isn’t a bad thing. However, you need to be careful. It takes time to improve your fitness / performance / speed / etc. You can’t create magical improvements in one workout. What you can do by pushing too hard is increase the chance of injuring yourself. Train smart, and stay healthy.
While he does have a full-time day job, Dave Burgess is a competitive 40-44 age-group triathlete and USAT certified triathlon coach. His group, Podium Training Systems, works with all levels of triathletes to help improve performance and attain individual goals through customized training plans and one on one interaction. He blogs at Stalking the Podium.
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Thanks again to Dave for taking time out of his coaching schedule to provide three terrific posts on the swim, bike and run.
Readers, if you have any multisport or triathlon questions for Dave, now’s the time to ask!
6 thoughts on “Multisport 101: The Run”
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Great tips! I can’t tell you enough how much of a difference getting fitted for shoes at my local running store has made.
Another great piece on the run….I enjoyed it as much as “the bike”! Very important info about form, I recently broke the bone in my heel so I found out the hard way!!
Wonderful post, thanks Dave! So true on shoes, fit became so important when I got into distance running and noticing little problems.
Can you still run if you have l4l5 disx compression? Doc said not to but alot of people run anyways.
Well, while I’m not a doctor I’d suggest doing what your physician says. You can always get a second opinion, of course. While it’s true that a lot of runners and triathletes run through pain and injury, I don’t suggest that path. I’m guilty of it myself and paid the price. I eventually had to stop running for 6-8 weeks and I ruined the end of my season (and missed my two target races). Again, get a second opinion if you like, but don’t injure yourself further. Rehab / remedy the current issue and stay healthy.