3 Things every Runner should do

By Caitlin Chock, Competitor Magazine

Got five minutes a day? Try these methods to gain strength and improve your running form.

Core And Flexibility

Running form and a strong core are interdependent. The ability to maintain proper form as you tire is a direct result of a strong core. Running more efficiently makes you run faster. The same goes for increased flexibility; the looser, more supple your muscles are, the greater range of motion you’ll have, allowing your legs to open up into that full and powerful stride instead of being limited because of tightness. Finally, core strength and increased flexibility will make you more resistant to injury.

Try these exercises to build core strength.

Planks

Four positions, hold each for 30 seconds. Start in standard plank: balancing on your forearms and toes, abs engaged, torso and legs parallel with the ground. Reverse plank: balancing on forearms and heels, facing the ceiling. Side planks: hips stacked, balancing on left forearm and outer left foot. Switch to right side.

Back Bridge

Lay on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor roughly 18-inches from your glutes. Lift butt off the ground until hips and thighs are parallel, then lower. Set of 15, then lift right foot off the ground, balancing on your left and do 10 single-lifts. Repeat with 10 lifts on right foot.

Alternate Toe-Touches

Lay on your back, bend at the hips, and lift your legs straight up into an L-shape; spread your feet apart into the shape of a V. Reach with arms and torso to your left foot, down, up and reach to right foot. Do 20 lifts, alternating sides.

Leg Swings

Do each 10 times. Lateral: Swing left leg front-to-back, repeat with right leg. Horizontal: Face a wall, swinging left leg side-to-side, repeat right leg.

Donkey Kicks

Get on your hands and knees and into a table position. Keep the right leg bent at the knee and lift your right foot into the air, kicking until that thigh is parallel with the floor. Lower and repeat, 10 reps for each side.

Form Implication

Improved form starts with getting stronger, and then you need to put that strength into practice. The most important thing to remember is to only adjust one element of your form at once — and do it gradually. Changing too much at once, or too quickly, will lead to injury. The good news is you can do this while running, so it should be easy to fit into your schedule.

• Pick one form flaw to focus on and stick to that one until it’s fixed before moving to the next adjustment. • Consciously focus on adjusting that flaw for the last half mile during three of your runs the first week. Increase the number of runs each week, and then increase the distance you’re consciously running to fix that flaw. Only increase the distance by a quarter to a half mile each week.

Self Massage

Work out those kinks and sore spots to decrease the chances they will turn into injuries. Self-massage needs to be thought of as regular upkeep, not just when you’re injured.

It’s imperative that runners know what they’re doing; massage therapy is an art. Do it incorrectly and you can cause major damage.“If pressure is forced and applied too quickly, surrounding tissue tightens up and the body doesn’t fully let you in,” said massage therapist Al Kupczak, who works with Olympians, other elite athletes. “A good gauge is breath. Can you comfortably breathe through this process, or are you clenching your jaw and tightening up other areas in order to get through the session?”

If you’re tightening, you’re not getting the tissue release you’re looking for.

Foam Roller

For runners, the key spots to target are the quads, hamstrings, and IT Band. Do controlled passes up and down the roller; for sore spots, pause and hold for 20 seconds until you feel the release. Spend a minute on each of these three areas.

Plantar

A common runner malady, roll the sole of your foot over a tennis ball. Do frontto-back and side-to-side passes on each foot.

To run at your best, you must first be healthy enough to run. And to further improve, it’s required you do more than just run. When you’re able to gain that flexibility, improved efficiency, strength, and resiliency, your running life can happily co-exist with your real life. •••