Today while running I thought about some running tips and how I should make a post about them. There are a ton of blogs or articles about tips but here are the ones I think about. If I concentrate on them, my times actually improve. I have data for all my runs so I know how well I do at each run.
Some of these tips were tips from Mr. Tray but I didn't realize how good they were back in 11th and 12th grade.
1. Run through the hill. Don't just run to the peak but run PAST the peak then the level or the downhill seem easier and you pick up speed.
2. Open your stride. This is usually easier at the beginning and as you get tired, it gets worse. Mr. Tray mentioned tightening your abs and your stride naturally getting larger. It seems like a bunch of crap but it works.
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| Like this |
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| Somewhat like this. |
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| Not Like This |
3. Don't let your arms cross your body. Everyone knows crossing your arms wastes more energy but there are also many different degrees of crossing your arms. I didn't even realize my arms were going toward the center of my body until some recent pictures during a 5k.
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| A little bad |
4. Hydrate before, during, and after your workouts. I am awful at doing this. I know runs that I drink the least, my runs are the worst or I feel that they were the hardest.
5. To improve time, you need to get the miles in. Other forms of exercise just don't cut it. You can do those too but you need to get in 3 or 4 runs a week at least. Preferably 4 or 5 though.
6. Weight train in addition to just doing cardio. This is big. I do strength training via an hour long Body Pump class twice a week. I feel like it has done wonders for my running. I also lift at home if I miss a Body Pump class or if I have time on the weekend.
Well I forgot I was writing this early so that is all for now.
Does anyone else have any tips they think are good?
I like these. They should make kids read them right when they start learning running, so they don't have to re-learn form when they're grown-ups.
ReplyDeleteI remember Mr. Tray telling us to tighten our abs to open our stride but he never called me out for not doing it. I learned just last year that my stride was bad. My dad said he noticed in track meets. I don't know why nobody told me. I would like to be called out so I knew how to improve.
ReplyDeleteJust like at Body Pump sometimes I wonder if my form is right and I wish if it wasn't the instructors would call me out but they don't call anyone out, they just make general form statements and I don't know if they mean me or not.