Sensory Cues While Running
As someone who is spending a lot of time recently focusing on improving his running mechanics after coming back from an injury I found this article by Matt Fizgerald interesting. Any strong agreements or disagreements from those who have experience in improving their strides?
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It's a good read, but not a one-size fits all. Some things work and others don't. I'd rather see a list of what folks here follow to improve. I personally:
anyone else?
-I know that I could use some more help on my running, I liked this article!
- pelvic tilt
- leg extension behind me (what the artivel calls pulling the road)
So much to think about but it all helps.
On a recent cross counrty race I concenrated on having a relaxed foot and it helped me immensely I hadn't realised how much I was was tensing it.
My 2 best are: (glad he has both in his article)
1. Lean forward
2. Drive knees forward on swing phase (set my PB by thinking of this whole 5K)
Many of you know my loooooong story so I won't repeat it here. But my sole focus in the first few runs will be on posture & pelvic tilt. I've been working on this a lot just walking around the house or sitting at work and my "queue" to myself is just the word "Tailbone". As in- where is your tailbone pointing? And if it's not pointing downwards- I use my core to get it there.
That butt squeeze technique seems very interesting to me (as someone who needs to work on stabalization), but I wonder if that would just tire you out in the long run.
All great things to keep in mind. Lately, I've been really focused on:
Regarding shortened stride/increased cadence...Leigh had commented in my Returning to Running after Pelvic Stress Reaction post that too many triathletes that adopt this get into trouble with "cumulative fatigue". Leigh - if you're out there could you expand on that?
Also, I've recently found myself with a lot of vertical movement while running on the treadmill. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the slow paces I'm running right now but there seems to be a lot of bounce in my stride. Any tips to get rid of this beyond the one that the article calls out ("scooting")?
Nemo -- I'm also all about the posture now. My neck was extra crunchy at last week's visit to the chiro, so she took x-rays. My head! It is about an inch and half too forward! And my spine seems to have migrated a bit. She challenged to me maintain good posture while exercising.
For running, this seems to be
- head up and chin back
-super strong core -- especially the upper core muscles
-keeping shoulder blades "flat" again ribs instead of crunched up around my neck
I think this all translates into the common running sensory cue of "running proud."
My theory is that if I work on getting my head where it belongs, it should be easier to make everything else fall in place. Thoughts?
Personally, I've found the "forward lean" imagery one of the most damaging I've used. I finally ran on a treadmill with a mirror to the side for the first time in years this October after buying a treadmill, and realized that what I thought was "leaning from the ankles" was actually bending from the hips. I looked like an old grandma.
This isn't to say not to use the forward lean thought, but to make sure that you check if you're actually doing it, or just think you are. Turns out, I only seem to do it right when I'm not thinking about leaning at all.
Now, I focus on running tall, head on top of my neck. When I do this, I feel my run 'snap' coming from the hip flexors.
In addition, I focus on swinging my legs from the knees.
I used to spend a bunch of time thinking about my footstrike, but I only seem to land harder when I do that now.
When I want to speed up, I also think about the swing in my elbows, which creates that nice torque across the torso. That's when running fast doesn't feel so hard.
Mike
I concur. I used "forward lean" to my own detriment. Yes, I was leaning forward from the ankles, but my hips/pelvis were still tilted way back creating part of that lean too. It's a good example of what Coach P is saying- each person needs to figure out what the right queue is for them.
What I've felt more lately, with improved results (including my sprint duathlon last weekend) is that I run faster and more comfortably if my hips are rotating slightly, almost like i'm pushing my hips forward more with each leg move. Clear as mud?
Yes, since all of our bodies are different sized, shaped, and proportioned, (ever notice that?
), getting to the "perfect" or "best" posture will be an individual endevour. But I think the inner feeling will always be the same - not jerky, more flowing, less effort, minimal joint stress, etc.
The specific cues that get us there are unique to each of us. For me, the best one is forward pelvic ("hip") tilt. And when I get going fast (5-10-21K race), I add chest up, shoulders back, and head erect.
Don't forget breathing, as well, linking it to footfalls, like every third left step, every second left step, etc.)