Every week we’re sharing running tips on our Instagram account called #ARIONtips, all kinds of running tips ranging from technique, to performance, to injury prevention. Here’s an overview of the tips we’ve shared over the past couple of weeks.
Footstrike influences load on your body
Have you ever thought about how your feet land? Whilst it seems to be less important for overall performance, landing on your heels or on your toes can influence the loading on your body and the types of injuries you experience. Have a think about the last injury you’ve had. Chances are if you’re landing on your heels you’ve felt pain in your knees or hips at some stage. On your forefoot you’ll more likely experience foot or achilles pain.
Lift your heel slightly higher
If you’re finding it hard to raise your cadence, many people start to drag their feet to keep the stride length shorter. Instead try lifting your heel up a little higher, make your leg smaller so it can swing through faster, helping you to naturally increase your cadence.
How to maintain speed and reduce loading
Many top runners have a long stride length, which comes from the high speed at which they run. Unless you are holding a speed near or above 20 km/h a long stride length is more likely to bring heavy loading and potential breaking forces that could be making running much more work than it should be.
Try shortening your stride a little and upping your cadence to keep your speed but reduce your loading. These changes can make running a little bit easier on your body.
Keep your posture tall and core tight
No matter whether you are a high performer or a beginner, keeping a tall posture and a tight core can bring a lot of benefits. It helps protect you from injury, it brings better performance and plenty of muscle tone for those days on the beach.
Warm up before your running training
Many people run to warm up before starting their sport’s training. If running is your sport, don’t forget to take the same respect for your body and prepare properly. Do some light exercises to activate the muscles, raise your body temperature and increase your heart rate before you jump fully into your running training.
Increase your fitness level through HIIT
Have you been trying to push up your running performance or run those extra k’s and you seem to have hit a ceiling you’re unable to push past? If you haven’t tried it before, it might be time to experiment with high intensity interval training. Research has shown that this type of training can increase your fitness level and help you build muscle. You might also find your base pace increasing as you practice at higher speeds.
Let us know in the comments below if you’d like us to cover a certain topic in one of these tips! Make sure to subscribe to our blog or follow us (@arion.run) for more: