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Running Tip
Hill-acious Running Tip
I can tout the benefits of running hills until I am blue in the face, but it won't make running those ascents any easier. One thing that does, though, is focusing on your arms. As you're trudging up a hill, don't focus on your feet, but on the steady rhythm of your arms.
Running Tip: Raise the Incline
If you run like a bounding deer on a treadmill, but as soon as you hit the road outside, you feel more like a stumbling, out of breath snail, here's a tip for building your strength and stamina. When you're running on a treadmill, raise the incline. Even a slight increase will make a huge difference.
Running Tip: Vary Your Steps
Many runners suffer from repetitive stress injuries, because they run the same way all the time. You can help prevent pain by varying your steps throughout your run. Here are some ways to change up your feet while running:
- Shorten your stride and take baby steps.
- Lengthen your stride and take giant steps.
- Lift your knees high up to your chest with each step.
- Run in a zigzag.
- Skip.
- Run sideways, alternating which side leads.
- Run backwards, but periodically look over your shoulder to see where you're going.
Running Tip: Keep Your Eyes on the Horizon
When your mom told you stand up straight, you probably had no idea that she was also helping your running technique. Running efficiently and pain free has a lot to do with your posture. Keep your head in line with your spine, your shoulders relaxed, and your torso over your hips.
Running Tip: Run With an Egg
From the title of this post, you might think I am asking you literally to run carrying delicate eggs, but that is not the case. I simply want you to pretend you're holding an egg in each hand, gently cupping your palm instead of clenching your fists. Rest your thumbs against your fingers and pretend you're protecting an egg, being careful not to crush it.
Running Tip: Progress by Minutes, Not Miles
Whether you're first starting out running, or have been doing it for years, we all want to be better runners. We gauge "better" as running longer, and we tend to have mileage on our minds. If you ran three miles yesterday, you think, "I'll run four miles tomorrow."
Running Tip: Maintain Your Posture on Uphills
I've slowly come to love running uphill. At first my booty and hamstrings would burn unbearably, and I'd have trouble breathing. It takes a while to train your body to conquer hills, and one trick I practice is to be mindful of my posture.
Running Tip: Strengthen Quads With Wall Squats
If you're a runner and you want to increase your speed, build your endurance, and have the ability to tackle hills with a breeze, you need to have strong quads. Strengthening your thighs can also prevent injuries such as runner's knee. This common injury, which often happens to new runners, is tied to a combination of weak quads and tight hamstrings and calves.
Running Debate: Where Your Foot Should Strike
Whether you're new to running or have been running for years, you want to do all you can to prevent foot pain, pulled muscles, shin splints, and runner's knee. Although running may seem like an innate skill we're born with, fine-tuning your technique is essential for avoiding injuries.
Experts may tell you that preventing pain and discomfort is as easy as running "correctly."
Running Tip: Walk for Your Cool Down
After sprinting for the last thirty seconds of my run, and envisioning myself crossing the finish line of the imaginary race that has propelled me forward through my long run, I like to walk to cool down. I jog for a few minutes then slowly decrease my speed to a walk. Not only does walking help to lower my heart rate, it also is an active stretch for my hip flexors, the muscles at the front of the pelvis that work hard when running.
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