I often hear people say "I'm not running well, eh"? I often have the same answer: do you often hurt yourself? If the answer is no, I generally tend to suggest as little change as possible to the person.
If it's not broken, don't fix it.
I love this adage which means in French: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Basically that's exactly my philosophy when it comes to offering advice on running technique.
What advice could we give to someone who is injured often or who is new to running? Obviously the most important thing is tobe progressive. This is certainly the most important point. Then, if you want to improve the way you run, here are 5 tips:
- Relax. If you feel your heart start to beat faster BEFORE you go for a run, it's time to take a deep breath ;-). A piece of advice that I often give during the initiation to running courses that we give as part of the Corporate Challengeis to relax your toes. If your toes aren't tight when your foot is in the air, that's a great sign!
- Run often. The running technique is refined with time and repetition. Like a pianist who improves with every rehearsal of a piece, your stride needs to be used on a regular basis to become fluid. Also, running less, but more often will allow you to decrease your risk of injury.
- Look far ahead. If you look at your feet, you are very likely to have a forward leaning posture and most importantly, you may not see cars, other pedestrians and cyclists heading towards you.
- Instead of trying to control your breathing, try to regulate your speed. I am often asked how to be less breathless and the answer is very simple, but often very difficult to implement: you have to slow down.
- Run on a multitude of surfaces. Surface variations are great for avoiding repeating the same movement over thousands of resumes and stimulating your body to adapt.
And you, what advice would you give to someone who wants to improve their running technique, what advice has helped you reduce injuries?
Thanks for your tips, coach! 🙂 For my part, I have noticed that I run better, more often and longer when I take the time to listen to the signs that I need to take a 30 sec- 1 min walk, sometimes after 5 mins of running, sometimes after 20 mins… I listen to myself! Having the right shoes also really helps, and above all, a smile on the face… because the goal is to run for fun too! No injury from my side! I touch wood ! Pace tortoise, but constant… Have a good race! 🙂
Good advice that! Listen to yourself and smile 🙂
I believe a lot in what you just wrote, I've been running regularly for 2 years now, 3 times a week now more or less 1 hour per session. Unfortunately, I currently have a problem probably related to the way I run I have developed Achiles tendonitis and I do not know how to get rid of it. I did not stop my race but decreased my pace. Can you refer me to someone who can help me?
Hello,
The running experts at La Clinique du Coureur are certainly the best qualified people: https://lacliniqueducoureur.com/trouver-un-expert-en-course-a-pied/?Search=&IsClinics=true&IsBusinesses=false&IsProfessionals=true&UserTypes=3420
At first, I often injured my calf. I discovered that my playlist was making me run too fast. I changed playlists, I run slower and I have more fun running !! I even just did my first half-marathon in Isle-aux-Coudres !! Listening to yourself is really the first piece of advice for me !!
Hello,
Wow, super good advice with the playlist being too fast, that's indeed a point to check. Listening to yourself is the key, that's for sure!
Can running give back words to the neck?
Hello,
Consultation with a physiotherapist may be appropriate. Yes, it is possible to have neck pain from running.
For ~ 12 years of racing ...
13 half marathon… no injuries! 🤞🏼
Run well or not ??
In any case …
"If it's not broken, don't fix it" 😉
And voilà!
I did my first 5 km in life this year. Me who would never run but who for 10 years was doing Zumba. It took me 5 months to achieve this goal, starting with breathing better, which was essential in my case. With beautiful readings and advice from my Zumba teacher, I got there. However, for a short time now I have had pain at the top of my right hip at a very specific point. These symptoms only appear after 20 minutes, but I take two weeks to recover. Do you suggest persevering or…?
Have you seen a physiotherapist? This would be the first step in your case, in my opinion.
Daniel, I fully agree with these recommendations. I could also add my two cents: having started to really run (on a regular basis and to be able to do half-marathons and more) for a little over 15 years, I have experienced over the years great difficulty in staying healthy (articularly speaking). Chronic inflammation especially in the Achilles tendons but also other inflammations in the feet. For a year, nothing, no pain or inflammation, nada! Two stages: rehabilitation by forcing me to shorten my runs and by doing one minute of walking every two minutes of running for several weeks, gradually extending my running periods between one-minute walks; During this time, I was also doing exercises to strengthen my tendons with very slow (eccentric) calf bends, with the foot raised off the ground. Then I respect the pain. I started my summer by running slowly and agreeing to walk periodically, and gradually I was able to speed up and extend my running periods. Now I can feel my tendons as strong as a rock !! Thanks to you Daniel and to all the racing experts for your good advice!
Very good advice. Quantifying mechanical stress (slowly increasing our training speed and volume) is the basic tool in injury prevention, indeed.