Proper running technique

Check out Chi Running. I think that you can get it at any book store for around $18.00 or so. It is the premier technique for running injury-free.

Here are a couple of quick tips:
Take your shoes off and run on a hardwood or tiled floor - this is running on your toes - or forefoot. This is called the Pose Method of running. I don't think there is one catch-all for everyone - some people will do well with it, and others won't.

Landing on your heels with your feet out in front of you will cause shin splints and for you, back pain. So try to get your feet to land under your body. This may mean quicker, shorter steps, but this is ok, as you want to have a run cadence of around 85-95 steps per minute.

My opinion is to try landing mid-fore foot - it's a compromise and I think it might be safer than a radical change for you to go from rear foot landing to front foot landing. The other point to think about when you are running is to roll off your big toes. This is where you can really push off and lengthen your stride. Try it out, and see if it makes a difference. Without seeing you run, I can't really do a thorough job of helping you, but hopefully a few of these changes will get you started in the right direction.

Thank you for your advice, everyone. It's helpful, and I'm going to try some of your suggestions. I actually saw that Chi Running book last night at Borders...but didn't buy it!
I don't know what stopped me...I bought another book about Triathlon training, but I should buy that Chi Running the next time I go. I read a brief article about Chi Running, that gave some examples, and I tried last week, but my shins starting hurting. I should read the entire book to get the full benefits, though...I realize that.

Thanks again--and I hope that tomorrow's walk/run will go well!

PS: I read also last night, that a combo of running and walking is good for even the BEST runner....so, it made me feel better because I run about 60-90 seconds, then walk for 60 and so on....to build up my endurance.

if your shins are bothering you, make sure to stretch your calves thoroughly before and after running, but not immediately after. wait 20 minutes or so. many times (if not most) the pain comes from your calves being very tight. when that happens, they begin to pull at the muscles on the front of your leg too much and you get inflammation and pain at the shin bone. that is a layman's explanation of shin splints. the pain may be from a number of other things as well.

another thing you may try is to spend some time during your workouts running and/or walking backwards for 5 minutes or so (cool down would be a good time for this). also icing your shins after running is advised because it reduces the inflammation.

And if you decide to try something radical (not really, just another piece of equipment), I got the TP massage ball, footballer and baller block that TRIBMAC is always promoting over on the injury page, because I have suffered with severe (run stopping) shin splints my whole life. It has made a real and significant improvement in this problem for me. Basically used to deeply massage the soleus muscle and stop the pulling that worthp was referring to.
I have also been trying to "lean" into my run more, which accomplishes me landing on my forefoot instead of heel, and gets my feet under me instead of out front. Also working with a quicker foot tunover and shorter stride. I have been having some really good running lately, so the combination of all these things is working very well for me. I just have to stay constantly aware of my form when running, can't let my mind wander to how exhausted I am!

Thanks, Tania....I know that I'm going to sound like a pessimist, and I'm really not that, but it just seems every time I get into a good groove with running...biking...whatever...I either start feeling run down, or like I'm getting sick--or I start developing shin pain, etc... Mind you, I never get really sick....I take good supps, and I always seem to lick it before it grows into the flu or something, but still. I'll feel achy and sore throatish and then I just don't have the energy to work out. This isn't all the time, but it just tends to happen after several great days of working out.... then poof. I have to take a day off that's really not a recovery day off, and that just gets frustrating.

It just gets to me sometimes that I can't seem to keep a flow going for more than a week. Last night, for e.g., was to be a jogging night, and I started feeling like I was coming down with a sore throat. It just makes me feel like I'll NEVER be ready for ANY races at this rate. It just makes me discouraged sometimes....I'm going to keep going, but like today...I still feel a bit tired and run down, and today is supposed to be a spinning day. And I really need all of my energy for that!! I don't want to sound like a whiner, but I just don't understand why the flow seems to last a week, and then I have something or other, phyiscally, that thwarts my groove. *sigh*

Oh well--It's actually been one of those weeks. Work struggles and the like, so maybe this is just par for the course with my thinking this week. Thanks for your help, Tania.

And, again--thanks everyone for your advice. I think it'll just take time and tweaking to "get it right" for me.



Edited by sharonnagy5 2005-04-20 10:32 AM

Sharon,

I PM'd you.....Tania

Do you train with a HRM? Do you know your resting HR when you get up each day? There are ways to monitor your fitness/recovery before you get out of bed. it sounds to me like you are training too hard - I see this all the time with people.

Renee--haha. I cannot figure out that training log!! I've tried to log my activities, nutrition and so forth, and I cannot "get it." I start entering things in, and then I don't know how to save it....and then, I think Ron said that these are private? Is that right, that I could be overtraining? Huh. I had not at all thought of that, however, last night I was browsing through some books at Borders, and one of Lance Armstrong's training books mentioned that if you're biking between 30-60 minutes in "lactate threshold" or something like this, that you should consider taking 24-36 hours of rest? I read about this last night and I'm not 100% certian if I'm in that threshold, except to say that my legs burn throughout the workout, but I guess it's a comfortable burn.
Okay--I'll start logging--but I need someone to help me on that. haha I cannot figure out how to save my info.

I don't know who asked about my resting HR, but yes, I know what it is...and my max HR is 185. I try to hover around 80% of that to stay in my "target/training HR." I have sometimes soared to 218...which scares me, and doesn't make sense at times because I tend to do the same spinning workout 3x a week, so I don't know why sometimes, it's "perfect," and other times it's way out of my normal range. *EYE ROLL*

I have to "run," (pun intended) but I'll check back in tomorrow....thanks for all of your help, and I'll check my pm, Tania. Thank you!