RUNNING 5KM FOR NHS?
Top 5 running tips to help you prevent injuries and improve your run
TIP 1: USE YOUR ARMS
– Helps you drive forward
– Supports strong core
– Assists the legs: whole body works together
– Takes focus off tired legs
– More efficient and prevents injuries
TECHNIQUE
– Tuck thumbs in to closed fists
– Bend elbows
– Swing from a relaxed shoulder
TIP 2: TRAIN YOUR BREATHING
It can be hard to regulate breathing when exercising and not doing so efficiently can lead to
early fatigue. Common issues include shortness of breath, holding your breath, and
shallow breathing. A deep in-breathe will help improve oxygen uptake to the working
muscles, and a large exhale will remove the carbon dioxide from the body.
How can you train your breathing technique? Each individual is different so it is important
to practice and see what works for you. This may also vary for the type of activity you are
doing.
I personally practice a rhythm of 2 seconds when running to help regulate my breathing.
Breathe in for 2, breath out for 2. This helps me breathe deeply and prevents short, shallow
breathes which limit your oxygen.
Use both your nose and mouth to inhale and exhale which with practice will both increase
the amount of oxygen you can uptake and the amount of carbon dioxide you can exhale.
Exaggerate when you practice to ensure you are getting both a deep inhale and enough
exhale. The exhale may come out as a louder puff of air than your usual breathing. (Keep a
safe distance from others! Practice alone. Practice until you find a rhythm that works for
you.
When running gets harder focus on your breathing to help get you through. Along with TIP
1…your arms! I can tell you are running better already.
TIP 3: FOOT LANDING POSITION
An important one to prevent knee injuries, shin niggles and other unwanted pains of the
lower limb when running. It is tempting to OVERSTRIDE when running as we are thinking about reaching forward as we move forward.
Today I want you to change your thinking, from reaching to FLYING. Meaning, your
distance is achieved through your push back on to the ground and your flight phase. By
overstriding I mean stepping ahead of your centre of gravity, on a photo this would look like
your foot was in front of the knee (and sometimes your head) when landing. This puts
greater force on the knee when the foot lands. Instead try to land under your knee so you
can push off straight away sending you forward.
Overstriding is like a car braking, as you land you slow yourself down whilst your centre of
gravity (your body) catches up with you…loosing time, efficiency and adding extra loading
to the lower limb.
So today, try landing underneath and staying in line with your knee and body. This will feel
strange when you attempt it and a new skill takes a while to get used to. Please use these
tips with caution and go with your own body. The idea is that we are in flow with the body’s
natural biomechanics.
READ THE SECOND PART WITH TIPS 4 & 5 HERE
Note from Laura:
If you feel pain or need some additional advice contact Flexology
(info@flexologystudio.com) and I can further assess your run or provide any online
mobility/injury preventing advice. If you send me some videos I would be happy to analyse
with a running assessment.
Join Laura’s Runner’s Stretch and Strength sessions every Sunday at 10am.
BOOK OUR VIRTUAL CLASSES:
Follow @flexologystudio to keep up-to-date with our live Q&As, live classes and workshops.
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