As mentioned elsewhere, I run every now and again and when I do, I'm running 2-4 times a week roundabout 4km. I'm not a regular runner, more of an on again/off again sort of a guy. I've done this for about 25yrs. Yet too often I've read running "quotes" from online fitness sites that sound pretty much the same as every other quote I've read from every other fitness site regarding running. It's like they're all in it together, saying the same shit. If you're going to get into running or wish to seek running advice, the best online resources are those blogs run by actual runners themselves. Which is what this piece is.
WHY SHOULD I RUN?
Dumb question because you don't have to. I'm not here to point out why people should run, I'm here to discuss how they should, and I'm the first to say I don't know everything about running. What I do know is that next to walking, running is the second most natural movement for us bipeds (I'd probably say swimming was third, but that's just me). But believe it or not running -- like so many other movements -- can improve with improved movement itself.
Go figure but it's true.
Plenty of people claim that running for older individuals is unhealthy, affects ligaments and tendons negatively, wastes musculature, causes inflammation and various other charming outcomes. They could even be correct. What I'm discussing here is what I've found for myself, so keep that in mind. If running wrecks you and is not your thing then don't bloody do it. There's plenty of other exercise options out there but here's what I found, kemosabe...
Heel strike
I had an obvious heel strike that caused me all sorts of grief in the early days. Heel strike means when I landed on my foot, I landed heel first, taking my entire body-weight through that one, small impact point. Not good. Heel strike occurs when your leg lands ahead of you, practically straight, so you naturally plant your foot heel-first as a direct result of being in this position. In other words, you need to shorten your stride because you're extending your heel ahead of the knee.
Bad, bad wrong.
To reduce stride means to actively focus on not fully extending the leg. It took me awhile to grasp the concept -- I had to really work at shorter strides which, after years of running, wasn't easy. I'd been a runner from childhood but to be honest, almost all my running in those early days was on grass, so I naturally transferred my running style onto the pavement. Even with running shoes I was jarring the bejusus out of my heel, foot and legs due to stride-length.
What you need to develop is the skill of landing mid-foot. If you already do this you're already hitting the sweet spot, but that wasn't me: I was hanging out in the sour spot hurting myself on a daily basis. Good times. By learning to land mid-foot (middle of the foot for the dumb shits) you absorb the impact properly and allow the arch of your foot to "spring" and do its job. You're basically making contact with the ground whilst your foot is closer to -- or better yet, under -- you.
Most people land with their feet ahead of their pelvis, not under their torso. No, you don't have to land your foot directly under your pelvis, but the closer the better because the further it is ahead, the more likely you are to engage in heel-strike. When you land your foot below your pelvis you automatically land correctly. Feel what works best for you though, because everyone's style is different, but you'll see what I mean if you give it a go.
Lastly, I had to learn to run over my foot as well i.e. not lift the foot too soon but allow my body to pass over the foot before pressing off from it. Again, this is something you'll have to feel for yourself and may end up incorporating more on hills than flats, but I find you definitely have to focus on this to make it normal. So. Smaller strides where you try to land your foot beneath you then move forward over it before pressing off the front of the foot and landing the other.
Running hills
When I'm running up-hill I reduce my stride further. Not only is this more natural but it conserves energy. I personally feel it allows for a more constant pace up challenging inclines, to which I'd add breathe. Sometimes, for some weird arse reason unbeknown to myself, I'd find myself holding my breath when I'm running a challenging incline when in fact I should be doing the opposite, regulating my breathing to ensure oxygen supply.
Hills will automatically move you towards landing on your front foot; just don't over-compensate by leaning too far forward and over-stressing the quads. It's a balancing act but focus makes perfect. Small, quick (or slow) steps make hills more manageable and I employ this on the downward slope as well so as not to over-exert myself, allowing momentum to propel me rather than expounding kilo joules. It's a good way to catch your breath and restore your breathing patterns for the next leg.
A BREATHING IMBALANCE IS ONE WHERE YOU'RE EITHER BREATHING IN TOO MUCH OXYGEN AND NOT EXPELLING ENOUGH CARBON DIOXIDE, OR VICE VERSA. THESE TWO NEED TO BE PRESENT IN EQUAL AMOUNTS FOR MAXIMUM ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND USE. WHERE NEEDED, SLOW DOWN TO REGAIN EQUILIBRIUM HERE
As an aside, HIT proponents (High Intensity Training) usually advocate hill sprints or just sprints full-stop and yep, I tried these for a while. But. What I found was I need a shit-load of warming up prior and, because I only have mornings to exercise, I'm about as flexible as a steel pole that early in the day. So I stopped sprints and opted for jump rope and/or the rowing machine as my HIT movement but to be honest, I chop and change all the time in terms of what exercise-slash-machine-slash-equipment I'll use for HIT purposes.
When I actually feel like doing HIT that is (which is rarely).
...I'll do a sprint article when I actually start sprinting again which, if I get my way, will be never.
Arms & body positioning
When running, a ninety-degree angle for the arms seems about right for most of us but some long distance runners hold them lower or higher. Up to you. Run how you're comfortable, feel free to change arm position where needed. For example, when I run uphill I naturally raise my arms higher by bending the elbows further, lowering them when descending. Just don't tense your arms but rather, "hold" them in place, keeping movement minimal.
You want as less arm swing across the body as possible; this diverts energy and can cause you to swing side-to-side. You want to keep energy expenditure as much as possible to a minimum. So, keep them moving at your sides and the torso upright. When sprinting, the arms are actively pumped up and down, elbows tucked, to generate force and propel one's self further. This is not the case with jogging (aka middle-distance/long-distance running).
As I jog I tend to lean forward slightly and again, you'll need to find your natural position -- just focus on keeping the torso balanced and erect above the hips. Yes, I will purposely "sit back" when descending hills to reduce momentum; likewise I will sometimes sit back on the flats when wishing to regain breath. Everyone has their own quirks and habits. You don't have to follow my advice if you're happy, healthy, comfortable and achieving your own way.
When I get into the zone I often find myself staring at the ground some 20ft ahead of me or so, not thinking of anything much, just focused on running. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. I wouldn't recommend that for a female jogger running alone in the wee hours: be aware of your surroundings and keep your keys poking out through your fingers ready for an eye-gouge. There's a lot of male losers out there. Shame you can't run with a pistol, really.
Some of the benefits of running
There are obvious benefits to running so, in no particular order, here's a few: running can increase good cholesterol. It strengthens and increases your cardiovascular system -- remember, running is an endurance sport, and it's this ability to utilise and cycle oxygen through-out your body for energy expenditure that defines our fitness levels. Running is also believed to not only increase heart health but reduce chances of stroke and heart attack. I'd say too much running probably does the opposite.
Just saying is all.
Another obvious take-home here is yep, you'll lose weight, but from what I've researched that's only until your body adapts to the exercise and essentially "settles in", at which point you no longer do. Apparently. Have I personally noticed this? No. Maybe I don't run regularly enough but to be honest, the one time I really noticed myself losing weight was when I use to hit the cross-trainer most days, doing anywhere from 30-60min. I'd just get into the zone and go for it. Anyway, running also increases bone density, and that's great for us older people.
Running strengthens and boosts the immune system and like most exercises, is great for clearing the head, destressing, and increasing those feel-good endorphins (for a more extensive list of the myriads of benefits running provides, click here). I often forget the mental benefits of exercise or the immediate connection between mind-body-soul, i.e. effecting one has an immediate ripple effect on the other two. Something as simple as a short run round the block outside in the fresh air can impact your attitude just as much as your musculature and breathing capacity.
:: CONCLUSION
Steady-state cardio (of which running is a key example) gets a lot of negative stick from weight trainers, the most obvious being the claim that jogging reduces muscle mass. I've actually read some legitimate research that supports this BUT I'd need to see how often and how far said person is running along with what their work-out program looks like before entering the debate. If you're running short distances you don't have to worry about anything. I still work out weekly when I run.
Do I notice a drop-off in squat strength when I get back into running? Absolutely, both in volume and poundage. But. As my legs adapt I can slowly work back up to my usual poundage (I doubt this would happen if I ran regularly but I don't). What I do want to say is I don't notice any muscle-loss from running in fact, my calves always look better for it -- have you though? I mean, have you personally noticed any muscle loss from running? I don't know anyone who has.
Rugby players run round the paddock for 80min week in, week out, and lose zero size. What do you think that means? Call me crazy, but I think it means that if these elite athletes are weight-training, running, performing sprints -- along with other cardio activities -- as well as rugby skills workshops weekly and regular game-time yet still retain their size and musculature, then little 'ol you and me who don't even do a third of that will be okay running and strength-training.
Look, the fact is that whilst running is great cardio, it's best to do the cardio you enjoy best (read that again). At the end of the day if you hate running, walk. If you hate walking, cycle or just find some other exercise you enjoy but for your own quality-of-life-sake, get out there and move and move regularly. Take ahold of this gift of life. Make time. Just know that running is one of the few, free exercises you can do any time and anywhere with immense health benefits. Kia ora whanau.
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