I have been increasing my runs per week in preparation for a half marathon in the fall. Although I am super-excited about my first ever half marathon, I am also very weary of over-excursion or injury. Great fitting running shoes are the foundation for a good run, those are covered, but what about the stride, warm-up, and cool down?
Warm-Up
A five minute warm-up with dynamic stretches before your run will go a long way. Our joints get put through the ringer when we run, warming up ahead of time will reduce joint pain, ligament and muscle pain, and risk of injury.
It is important to break into our jogging pace slowly once our dynamic stretches are complete. Start by walking, then increase your speed until your desired pace is accomplished. If, for some reason you do not complete dynamic stretches ahead of a run (which I so do not recommend), make sure to walk for about five minutes before you get into your jog. This will warm up your muscles and increase your heart rate, reducing the risk of cramps, fatigue, and injury.
A Runner's Stance
A runner's stride can make or break a run. Sore lower back muscles, cramps, shin splints, neck pain, and tense shoulders are all signs of improper strides. Like so many novice runners, when I started running a few year back, I felt all these pains. The good news is that the issues that cause these pains can be fixed, and in a pretty short amount of time.
An important, and sometimes overlooked, part of of a stride is the position of one's head. When we run, our chins should be parallel to the floor and our eye should be looking at the horizon. By looking ahead, we are able to see future obstacles (I feel like there is a life lesson there) and reduce tension in our neck and shoulders.
Looking down during a run can cause neck pain and migraines over time. By looking straight ahead, we are also starting good posture from the head down. When running, shoulders should be down and loose. We do not want our chests sticking out and shoulder-blades touching. If you start to feel your shoulders rising up towards your ears or curving inwards, reduce your pace and get back to your starting posture.
Lower back pain can come from pushing the pelvis too far forward and putting strain on the lower back. Our hips should be perpendicular to the floor with our bodies tilted forward slightly. The slight tilt will keep a forward momentum and the straight hips will take strain off the lower back. Arms should be held to our sides and only swing slightly with elbows held at a ninety degree angle throughout the entire run. Runner's World makes a great visualization for the hands; hands should be in loose fists like your are holding potato chips in each fist and do not want to break them.
Legs and feet are a super important part of any run. There is a lot of debate about how a person should land when running; ball vs. mid foot. I was taught the important of rolling the foot upwards when running by landing on the mid-foot (not the heal) and pushing off with the ball. This is also what Runner's World, Good Form Running, and a whole bunch of doctors agree is best. When jogging, be sure that you are not stomping or slapping your foot against the ground.
One of the greatest lessons I have learned about a stride is to keep the feet landing directly under the body at a cadence of 180 steps per minute. Unless you are sprinting, there is no reason to have a wide stride with high knees. Knees can be kept low and strides should be short. Be sure the the feet do not extend out farther than the knees when landing. Too broad a stride can cause landing on your heels instead of your mid-foot and lead to knee pain, back pain, shin splints, and micro fractures.
Cool-Down
It is important to have a cool down walk once your run is over. A five minute cools down will help your heart rate get back to normal and cool down muscles. After your run, complete about five minutes of post-run stretches. Static stretches after a workout will increase muscle flexibility and mobility. This will increase athletic performance and mobility over time and keep muscle long and lean.