The High Cost of Good Form
I came across this article a year or so ago and thought it posed an interesting dilemma on the relationship between good form and the strength required to achieve good form:
http://www.slowtwitch.com/Training/General_Training/The_High_cost_of_good_form_947.html
It reads that "it’s hard to swim or run slow with a technique necessary to swim or run fast. This is why developing swimmers and runners don’t easily adapt to using proper form because proper form isn’t yet proper for the speed at which slower athletes travel. 'Proper' form is only proper for the speed to which they aspire, not for the speed they’re currently at."
For me, I see this dilemma in my running: when running at 6:50/mi pace my technique feels smooth and I exhibit "good technique" (good knee drive, higher cadence, both feet in the air, etc). However, I cannot hold this pace for more than a few miles (5k PB is 20:30). Conversely, when running at 9:30/mi pace, I feel like Im using a similar amount of effort to go MUCH slower (also, in some cases, requiring more energy because of the increased duration).
My question is for the experienced runners out there and what they felt were the keys for "getting over the hump"; from struggling to just maintain a 9:00min/mi pace "jog" for longer runs to being able to "run" ~7:00min/mi pace for long runs.
Comments
I will need to read the article but I would disagree that there is only proper form at the speed at which you want to run...there is proper form at both speeds. Typically slow means more upright, shorter stride, lower knee drive etc....
As a reference: I am a 19:xx 5k runner, 2:40 marathoner, and have run 52 miles in a ultra...I don't disagree that running slower seems "harder" but it is not physically more demanding and there is an appropriate form which makes you the most efficient at your different paces..
I also believe that getting form right can have as much impact on your running as speedwork.
It was was only a few years ago that I made the leap from something like a 22 min 5K to 20, and then this year to 19. So I'm not superfast, but, I'm pretty fast for a guy our age. (I *wish in my DREAMS* I were a 2:40 marathoner!)
What I found during that time is that the EP/Long Run Pace is too slow for someone that doesn't know how to run fast/well. As I have gotten closer to my ultimate potential and have developed better form, I have found that the whole Daniels-type approach (whether it was the exact EN approach recently, or analogous ones before) just worked better.
I routinely advise slower (much slower than you, usually!) runners that are new to this way of doing things that the point of the easy pace is to be easy, but it shouldn't be extra work and bad form just to go slower than you've ever gone before....what that may indicate is that you want to keep the slow pace where it naturally is for a while and see if there's room to keep moving your fast paces up so that they "catch up" to your EP...if that makes sense.
The danger in what I advocate is that you might be working harder than you think on those slow runs and then everything tends to be a middle speed because you can't work as hard as you should on the fast stuff. But if you're pushing the envelope on the fast stuff and new to the ideas we are using, I wouldn't worry too much about slowing down all the way to the EP/LRP your current VDOT indicates. Just keep it relaxed, easy, and in decent form.
Just my $0.02
Reminds me of a ski lesson on moguls I took over 25 yrs ago - the instructor said "in order to do moguls properly you must be able and willing to ski at a certain speed, if you can't, then take a different lesson"....
I definitely can't swim slow and maintain any form (so I guess thats good). I like doing alot of sets of 150s / 200s hard, then throw in as many 50s as I can at the end. They seem to work best for me for increasing my overall speed.
I'm not a fast runner by no means - but I do know that I see speed increases when I do multiple tempo runs per week. I just PR'd a flat 7 mile race (7:25 pace) by doing alot of 2mi /2mi /1mi or 3mi / 1mi / 1mi sets where I'm running 5-10 seconds per mile faster and not less than 5-10 seconds shy of what I think will be my goal pace for that race.
I'm too am interested to see what the faster peeps in the house have to say....
@ Joseph: The article does respond to your point regarding good form at low speeds:
"the truly accomplished swimmer or runner is one who can ply his or her avocation with finely developed technique at any speed. In other words, you don’t see a good swimmer reverting to “slow swim” form when swimming slowly. Once you learn form associated with fast swimming, and complete the necessary physical adaptations, you’ll always use that form. Likewise, you’ll notice accomplished runners using their good form even when warming up and down."
Please understand as well that I was not being argumentative; I do believe that form matters more than many believe and what we do is revert to some poor form when we think of Jogging or Easy Pace...and that is not optimal- therefor inefficient and the feeling of working harder...does that make sense...
I just did IMLouisville and it took me alot of time & effort to find a "form" for running at the E pace...I think I'm getting better at it now...but I'm not quite there either...
I never paid attention to form until that last 2 years...as I got back into running and improved from 22min to 19min and 4:00 hrs to 3:20...while "work" had alot to do with it...focus on "Form" and especially alignment & footstrike have played a big part of this progress...not least of which was injury prevention.....
Just a note/caveat (I'm a 19min 5k & 3:20 marathoner today @ 50- I was a 16min & 2:40 marathoner @ 30)....youth is a wonderful thing.
If u are not having any joint pain or back pain when running, then your technique is
Likely ok. Try not to land on heel cuz that will catch up with you when u get older though.
Now simply work on sustaining your smooth pace for longer. Overtime, you not only can hold your smooth pace longer,
but your technique adapts as well and your pace becomes faster.
Part of the reason your slow pace seems awkward, is because you don't
run slow very often.
This follows that you either run short with that smooth technique and gradually build that to
Long or start long with slower speed and gradually get that speed faster.
As usual, just my advice.
Gh
My point of reference: 14:50 5K and 2:29 marathon...and like Joseph that was many eons ago.
I ran into this issue when I first started on those long Thursday runs in the IM plans. After doing the first couple of long runs I was sore from bad slow running technique and not the distance/time of the session. The problem was that I was trying to run on my forefoot (aka POSE) while trying to run slow. My feeling is that it's not really possible to run slow with a forefoot technique especially after 112 miles of biking. Only really fast people may be able to get away with it.
Therefore, every long Thursday run was 100% focused on improving my IM run technique at EP or slower. My time, distance, and pace were irrelevant to me on these longer runs as my goal was to become an efficient slow runner for an extended period of time. This meant that I transitioned to a mid foot strike, didn't lean forward too much, and search for a high comfortable cadence. For me it was learning a new way to run. Probably took me about 8 weeks of slow running before I got comfortable running slow for extended periods of time.
Hope this helps. Go Spartans!
I give very little thought to my running form at any speed. I know for a fact that it is easier to run slower than faster. That is always true. Walking is even easier but not as easy as sitting down. I think the focus on running form is generally over stated and driven by those selling sneakers, gimmicks and books. The basic running form drills we did as little kids playing football seem as good or better than all the scientific stuff. Elbows in, as little side to side movement as possible, one foot in front of the other and don't tense your hands. Go watch an IM this weekend. Those drills/skill would come in handy. While I know a whole lot of people that have "transformed" their running with chi, from heel to mid, mid to toe, whatever, none of them are the people I know that tend to run fast. The vast majority of the people I know that are very concerned about running in a different manner than they do would be best served by losing weight and running more. I have heard of people with certain specific type of knee injuries using the chi running technique to work around the injury. That might work.
At the end of an IM when it gets really hard I do everything I can to unhinge my brain from reality and think about nothing at all. Thinking is the enemy in long course racing. I want just enough brain power left to keep me from getting lost. As always YMMV.
Take this all w/ a grain of salt, my form isn't exactly pretty once I hit mile 18...my wife calls me the baby giraffe.
@Chris/Dan/Bill: Great points, and I agree for the most part. Unfortunately for me, I came into IM Canada at 148lbs and was about as lean as I could be without my coworkers organizing an intervention. So the "lose weight" option would have minimal impact. My poor run at Canada was not really "form related" and my question regarding "good form" is more to try and improve my VDot this outseason.
1) run at 90 rpm, especially when you're running slow. This is difficult to do for most slower runners, but will help a lot.
2) consistenly running (throughout the year) with lots of varying intensities. No magic bullet, other than consistency. With consistency, you'll see non-linear rises in performance, which makes you want to attribute it to the most recent cycle/workout, but it's got a lot more to do with running, often.
And the body weight factor Chris mentions has a ton to do with it. Remember, VO2max is expressed per kg of body weight. Lose 10 pounds, and our VO2max just went up a bunch!
@Brendan, I don't know anybody that had a "good" run at IM Canada. Many things came into play that day in August my friend.
@ ;Chris: I agree. I ride with a group of fast guys and swim masters and have learned to suffer on the bike and in the pool. However, I do most of my run training solo and I think that has limited my ability to push myself. This fall, Im going to look for some running partners to run against and sign-up for the local track workout. I am also going to work on cadence a bit (on both cycling and running).
...and in the end, to paraphrase Once A Runner, there are no secrets: just miles.