Learn the Basics of How To Run in 5 Easy Steps (Power Speed Endurance)

 

I developed the CrossFit Endurance system with two things in mind:

1.  Increase the sport longevity of the endurance athlete.

2. Improve performance while improving mechanics.

After a lot of personal experimentation and with the help of world-class coaches and athletes, I developed a system that allowed me to achieve these goals. It was simple. To improve strength and mobility, I incorporated a strength and conditioning program that utilizes full-range functional movements (squat, dead lift, overhead press, etc.). It’s important to realize that endurance activities force athletes to work within limited ranges of motion. The result: muscles get tight and weak, performance suffers, and then injuries follow as a result of a poor positioning.

To reduce training time, accelerate recovery, and improve performance, I replaced the long, and steady state efforts with high intensity sport specific intervals focus on skill. Note: I didn’t hack stamina efforts out of the program. This is a common misconception.  Rather, I encouraged athletes to infuse high intensity training in the form of CrossFit and sport specific interval and stamina efforts to increase their anaerobic and aerobic capacity. This allowed me to reduce training time by more than 80-percent without affecting an athlete’s ability to go long distances. This does not mean the athlete will not eventually progress to more mileage. It means to change we will need to back the athlete off a bit, and actually spend more time working on weaknesses.    

Above all, I prioritized skill training. Focusing on the skill of movement is the tree trunk of the CrossFit Endurance system and the primary focus of my book, Power, Speed, Endurance.

What’s interesting is endurance athletes spend very little time working on drills aimed at improving technique, especially when it comes to running or cycling. Think back to sports played in groups, like water polo (as it was something I did). We rarely got to actually scrimmage. In fact, we typically only played the game when we actually had a game. We drilled, drilled, drilled at practice, and it would either start or end with some conditioning. Yet, in endurance sports we see "conditioning" as the only means to the end. 

Running As A Skill

Running is a skill. This is a mantra that people have been chanting for a long, long time.  Yet, it is not something that is formally taught to most athletes. It’s odd that the skill of running, a movement that is interwoven into most sports and physical activities, is not given more serious consideration.  To this end, I’ve developed a system for running using the concepts gleamed from my mentor Dr. Nicholas Romanov—creator of the POSE Method of Running™.    

If you run for fitness the steps that I outline below will help you run faster while decreasing your susceptibility to injury.  If you’re an endurance athlete or someone that does a lot of running, learning proper mechanics is the difference between injury and performance sustainability. 

To shorten your learning curve, I’ve broken down running into a series of defined positions (or phases):

1.     Running Stance

2.     Arm Swing

3.     Forward Motion (Fall)

4.     Foot Pull

5.     Shift Supports & Land

1) Running Stance:

The key to running efficiently is to setup in a strong position before you put your body into motion.  Put another way, if you don’t stabilize your spine in a neutral position (back flat, head straight), you compromise the efficiency of your movement:

Running is merely your ability to fall forward under a stable body while shifting supports, or falling from one position to the next. If your midline is not stabilized when you fall forward and shift your weight from one foot to the other, the shock wave that is sent up your body will make your spine compress and flex. This compromise in posture places additional leverage on your extremities, which causes you to overload or misuse the muscles and joints that are in action. The result: You move slower, fatigue sooner, and invite injury.

To setup in a running stance, position your feet underneath your hips—keeping your feet straight—and squeeze your glutes. This sets your pelvis into a neutral position.  Next, brace your abs and align your ribcage over your pelvis.  Keep your head neutral, positioned directly over your shoulders and centered over your midline. This is your running stance. 

  

2) Arm Swing:

Once you’re set in a good stance, the next step is to master the arm swing:e your arms will move only slightly to keep up with the faster cadence.

Regardless of the running intensity, your arms should be held close to your body—no flaring elbows. If you bow your elbows out or flail your arms from side to side as you run, not only is energy dissipated, but additional torque is also applied to your spine, which compromises the structural integrity of your posture. Another common fault related to arm positioning is an alternating forward and backward movement of the shoulder

         The key is to stay as relaxed as possible. Your arms are not there to work, but to provide balance and stability as your run. For example, if you lift your right foot off the ground, your left arm moves forward to compensate for the weight shift—contralateral motion. The distance the arms move depends on the rate at which you’re traveling: if you’re sprinting a short distance, your arms need to move more to generate momentum and compensate for the higher foot pull than if you’re running a marathon, in which cas

s. Ideally, the shoulders should remain square and fixed.

3) Forward Motion (Fall):

The key to running efficiently is to harness the power of gravity by falling forward.  To accomplish this, shift your general center of mass (GCM), over your base of support (ankles).  The moment your hips pass your ankles, gravity will start pulling you forward.  The idea is to use this energy to your advantage and maintain forward momentum by alternating your feet underneath your GCM. 

 

Above: Assume your running stance.  To initiate forward motion, fall forward from your ankles and maneuver your hips over your feet.  Don’t bend forward from your hips or lead with your chest.  From here, you will initiate the foot pull and start altering your feet underneath your GCM to maintain forward momentum—otherwise referred to as shifting supports.

4) Foot Pull:

As you fall forward over your base of support, you will transition into the next phase, which is the foot pull.  To properly execute this step, pull your heel toward your butt using the strength of your hamstrings.  This not only conserves energy, but also makes it easier to land under your GCM as you alternate your feet:    

Below you’ll notice that my foot is directly in line with the opposite leg and centered directly under my hips (GCM). Tendencies to avoid are dorsiflexion of the foot (Figure B), lifting the knee up (Figure C), and extending your leg behind your body (Figure D). Flexing your foot creates tension through the support system as well as impedes your ability to land on the ball of your foot. Pulling your knee toward your chest engages the hip flexor and quadriceps and shuts off the glutes and hamstrings, which can not only irritate the knee and hip, but can also cause your foot to end up out in front of your GCM. And swinging your leg out from behind your body indicates a push, which makes it difficult to pull your leg back under your GCM. All of these faults cause you to exert more energy than necessary and dramatically increase your susceptibility to injury.

5) Shift Supports and Land:

In order to create and maintain forward motion, you have to shift supports as you fall.  The idea is to maintain the same foot pull pattern with both feet.  Put another way, your feet should cross paths and your legs should remain underneath your GCM as you alternate your feet.  The next step is to land:

To maximize the muscle, tendon, and ligament elasticity in your foot, you want to land on the pad of your foot on the ground—otherwise referred to as a ball-of-the-foot landing—so that your arch can absorb the shock of your body hitting the ground. However, just because you land on the ball of your foot, it doesn’t mean that you take the rest of your foot out of the equation. Athletes implementing proper running mechanics will often make the mistake of keeping their heel off the ground with a rigid ankle as they run, regardless of speed. If you’re running a mile or longer, this can literally destroy your calves, ankles, and feet. Staying on the balls of your feet is necessary only when sprinting a short distance or running up a steep hill. In all other circumstances, your foot should be relaxed and your heel should touch the ground for a fraction of a second before you transition back on to the ball of your foot to shift supports. This “heel kiss” reduces the eccentric load placed on your calf muscles, Achilles tendons, and ankles during the striking phase of the run, which minimizes the injuries associated with a ball-of-the-foot landing. If you have faulty mechanics or your body is not strong enough to handle the new technique, you’re asking for trouble. So give your feet time to get stronger, and give your body time to adapt to the new movement patterns before you enter them in a race.

 

The bottom line is most athletes don’t spend enough time working on the skill of running (or swimming, cycling, or lifting for that matter). Although it is an innate movement, it’s something you have to learn and practice. Don’t wait until body starts falling apart to do something about.  Master how to run.