Run drills - technique work

[AndyS]

It'll be interesting to have this conversation here to see what's said.

I had a lot of issues with my running and ended up at the physio. He inspected me, put me through the usual tests then asked how I run. Very proudly I said I'm a forefoot runner. He shook his head and said that's not how we're supposed to run, it messes with your biomechanics and causes you a lot of problems. Problems like Achilles injuries, calf problems as well as huge calf muscles that have build up to take the stress put into them that they're not supposed to take. Huge calf muscles, which I had at the time, were actually slowing me down as they were so bloody huge, acting like pendulums at the end of my feet.

Anyway, he advised me to just run. Don't think about running and use a podcast or some other distraction to not concentrate on running. He said just go out and run. He said by landing heel first (and I don't mean heel first with your leg miles out in front) your foot rolls and this rolling takes the majority of the impact of landing. By landing on your forefoot you deny your bodies natural ability to absorb the impact by the foot rolling back to front as it lands. The rest of the impact goes up through the bones, increasing their strength and what's left is absorbed by the sacrilliac joint up in the hip.

That is my interpretation of what was said, it may or may not be what was actually said as it was a while ago and the old noggin isn't as sharp as it was. But the underlying message to me, based on my frame, age, weight, style etc etc, was to run without thinking about running. Just do what my body wants to do and not to correct it. If that meant landing on my heel then fine, do that. That is what I do, I land on my heel.

Since changing (or rather not thinking about it) I've not had a run injury.

[AndyS]

There's more. Had to go for my evening run but I'm back so will finish what I was saying.

We debated this, the physio and me, and I put the usual arguments to him:

Me: Paula runs on her forefoot
Physio: She's a 5 min/mile 50kg woman, you're a 9 min/mile 90+kg man, your styles will be different.

Me: If you run barefoot you run on your forefoot
Physio: You don't run barefoot and you wouldn't keep that up for a marathon if you did

Me: Landing on your heel acts as a brake
Physio: The braking action prevents your body crashing to the ground, it happens however you run and can't be avoided.

Me: Gebrselassie runs on his forfoot
Physio: He's a light weight African, you're not

Me: Your calf muscle is better at absorbing impact
Physio: No it's not.

It went on and on like this. The basic message was not to look at the way others run to learn how to run yourself. You should run in accordance with whatever you have been dealt.

[Paulo]

Hard to sell a dvd with "run forrest run" (except the original movie)

Now if you come up with a "method" and give it a name, you can sell the dvd, the book and the video game. This is the origin of the Pose Method and many other methods. It's not about making you faster, it's about making them richer.

[lee]

Set a watch timer to beep every 30 seconds. Alternate running fast for 30 seconds with running slow for 30 seconds. Count your steps during the fast segment, making sure you're over 90, and run until you're tired. 

[doc]

the physio ,
nailed it .
and you like many other athletes that come to mee broken get fixed .
by running
oh its a miracle !

[Matthieu O’Halloran - "M@"]

Hey, another drill that is practiced by some of us, is souper douper slow running. Its harder than it sounds...

[AndyS]

There's a great set of photos at Triathlon Shots: http://www.triathlonshots.com/2008runfinishIronmanKona.html

Shows a huge mix of styles, plenty of heel runners.

[Hellriegal-Deluxe]

Same thing on your bike, if you try and close your hip angle too much and ride lower or steeper than your body can handle, then your gonna go slow, and get injured (knees, back, whatever)...and you won't be able to train day in day out and make progress.

[brit_tri]

Great link Andy for this discussion, I had no idea about the whole heel/fore foot striking arguement, the closest I've ever come to a running drill is trying to get my cadence up to the 90's. I reckon from the shot's over 80% of the guys/girls where heel striking, and if it got Craig a 2:45 and 1st at Kona then clearly there is nothing wrong with it.

[JDB]

Craig is mid flight in his shot and also wearing Newton’s… I would suggest due to fore foot striking!

Some of the guys are very obviously heel striking (very hard to look at technique through photo’s) and it may work for them… did they win?  Could they go faster if they got their stretch shortening cycle working effectively in their muscles and tendons?  Have they been coached on technique or thought about it?

I like the thoughts and feedback on this post guys, but I feel as in a lot of areas where technique is concerned if you are not coached well, if you have only been a on weekend course/ read about it somewhere and are not working week in week out with a decent coach who is taking your through the progressions correctly (strength included), you will get injured, this whole thing is not just about landing on your fore-foot there are many facets that go with technique… swim, bike and run.

Yes mileage has to be done, but as age groupers who can sometimes only get in 2 – 3 of each discipline per week, I can assure you your technique better be good.  This goes back to the other post on Ice baths, the pro’s and Doc may say just do more this or don't do that… We are talking about to different universes, Pro’s and age grouper.  We can’t do more, unless you become one of the “age groupers” who quit work for 6 months (not a good idea right now!) to train for this and that race… this is real life and what “true” age groupers do to get under 10 – 9.30 at IM is far harder than the pro’s 

[doc]

enuff enuff ,
let me tell you , you are all barking up the wrong tree , and the technique worshippers keep me in business .
i watched craig 11yrs ago pumpout a track set at the sunshine coast , going around 2m40 for 1 kms .
yes 11yrs ago ,
i watched macca smack out 14 min and change 5kms when he wa 17 i think oh lets be conservative
18  , i think he is 34 now .
fellas , you believe in how important it is for copying these guys techniques , then sweet do it to your crews ,
but here , lets put it to sleep , as at team tbb , we dont advocate any one style .
just whats best for the individual .

[Paulo]

It's the Slowtwitchization of this Forum...

[doc]

hahaha ,
no that wont be the case ,
we keep it simple here , so i am sure only the intelligent will pop in
for the educated ,we are way too low brow

[rowland]

Doc

So do you advocate; that while running more volume an athlete(absent your direct eye) pays attention to
how their body feels at a moderate pace? Then thru  adaption that pace will be come faster over time?
I've been doing great with rpm's on bike 78-80 but having to really focus to bring stride rate higher than 84/min for long periods.  I get everyone's a snowflake but to get my runnig stride to 90-92 I'm melting  

[doc]

mate,
you just do what comes natural , then
you use "sneaky " horse training , to lift the cadence
1/i pod ,
i love it but you set the music not to what you like on it , but songs that carry the run tempo
then a watch , with a beeper
that you can set , and just run with either , your cadence will change ,if you use my favourite tool
time
you can bet on that 1