1 Head
Keep your head up, look forward at the ground in front of you 10 to 20 feet ahead, and ignore the impulse to look down at your feet. Your jaw and neck should be relaxed.
2 Shoulders
Keep them relaxed and square. Don’t hunch over as this restricts breathing, allowing less oxygen to get to the muscles.
3 Hands
Your hands should be relaxed, not clenched. Cup your hands loosely and place your thumbs gently on your index fingers. Imagine you’re holding a couple of butterflies and trying not to crush them. Tight hands can cause tension all the way up the back and shoulders.
4 Arms
Arms should be held low, bent at a 90-degree angle and relaxed. As you run, swing your arms up and down from the shoulder. The arm movement should minimise the rotation of the torso, so try to swing your arms straight forward and back, not across your body. The natural instinct is to pump your arms forward, but the backwards swing is more important for forward propulsion. Push back with your elbows and allow your arms to drift back forwards again.
5 Torso
Your core should be engaged, your chest should be open (not hunched) and there should be a straight line down from your torso through your hips and legs. Bending forwards or backwards from the waist places stress on the hips and also upsets your rhythm and balance.
6 Hips
Hips should be facing forward at all times, in line with the head and shoulders and held high. Imagine you are being pulled up by a piece of string from the top of your head.
7 Knees
Keep your knees very slightly bent. That will encourage a smooth, fluid and easy stride that will minimise stress, cut out the braking effect that landing on a straight leg brings about, and take full advantage of your forward momentum.
8 Feet
Landing on the middle of your foot, or “midfoot striking” is considered the optimal way to land. Many running shoes today contain heavy cushioning in the heel section, encouraging runners to land on the heel. This can cause them to overstretch beyond the centre of gravity, leading to various injuries over time up the back of the legs. Conversely, landing on your toes tightens the calves and achilles tendon and can make your legs tire easily. Aim to land with your foot directly under your body – not out in front – before rolling through to push off from your toes.
9 Breathing
Trying to breathe through your nose in the early stages of a run will only make your heart work harder and tire you quicker, so breathe through your mouth right from the start of your run. If you’re breathing comfortably you should barely be able to hear yourself. Breathe steadily and rhythmically. Try to match your breathing to your footfall. On a steady run, an appropriate rhythm is one breath in for three steps, one breath out for three steps. If you’re working hard the ratio should be 2:1 and if you’re flat out (ie almost sprinting) then one breath per step will be needed. If you find yourself taking more than one breath per step then slow down to a jog and recover.
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