Form vs engine: What can make you a faster runner?

What do you do to go faster?

When I was running last weekend’s Day before Mother’s Day Half Marathon, I had a lot of time to think about a few things. It’s one of the fringe benefits of being a slower runner…

Looking around at some the different running styles, it got me thinking about how people try to go fast. The 5k, 10k and half all started at the same time so I got to see a lot of folks “powering”their way down the parkway.

I’m a bit biased with my ChiRunning as I find form is key to being efficient in the long run but I saw so many folks running at my speed but working so much harder at it. I really hoped the lady that I could hear breathing from 10 feet away wasn’t running the half as I would have had to flag the paramedics (she wasn’t). That being said, I’ve been holding back way too much since I started moving up in distances.

A great illustration of the form vs engine is swimming. When I first started, I could go fairly fast but my range was very limited as I was winded after a few lengths. I haven’t gotten much faster but now I can keep that speed for much longer due to a more energy-efficient stroke. A lot of people think of swimming as technical but they don’t realize that running is quite similar.

To be world class, you definitely need both. If you look at top runners, they all have similar form and training schedules. What sets them apart are the little things which are usually lost to the average runner. So what gets you at the top of local races?

Race report: Day before Mother’s Day Half Marathon

So I ran the Day before Mother’s Day Half Marathon on the weekend. Maybe I should have stayed home. It wasn’t really my day…

What went well:

1. Hydration: Most people tend to overdrink during running events and I kept that in mind. I had two cups of sports drink and a cup of water during the half and I was fine, even on a fairly hot day.
2. No post race soreness: I did concentrate on form during the race so I wasn’t sore after. That’s one of my favourite things about ChiRunning!
3. Worked on my tan: It was a nice morning, bright and sunny. So I worked on my tan at least. And it always helps to have pretty ladies to look at when things aren’t going your way…

What didn’t:

1. I felt heavy: That is probably due to the fact that I am heavy (er) these days, probably 15-20 pounds heavier than my last Ironman racing weight. As research shows, body weight makes a big difference, especially in the long run. Pun intended!
2. Pacing: Even after the races I’ve done, I’m still not a master pace. It doesn’t help that I haven’t raced in over six months (and that there were no markers) but my pacing was off. No negative split like I’m used to…
3. Setting realistic goals: I was trying to set a personal best in the half. The last time I ran a half was three years ago so I thought I could do it with my eyes closed. Not quite, especially with minimal training.

In retrospect, I’m glad I did it as it provided a snapshot of my running fitness. It will definitely motivate me to train a bit more, especially if I want to get better results.

I should be grateful that I can just go out and run a half. And trust me, I am. I just need a bit of time to let it sink in…

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Stay tuned this week for some great thoughts that came through my mind during the run! It’s a busy space these days…

Do you run for the high?

It seems runners are addicts, as a lot of them run for the endorphins.

New research by University of Arizona anthropologist David Raichlen suggests those chemicals may have helped turn humans, as well as other animals, into long-distance runners.

A great new blog post (and podcast) by NPR looks at the research and asks folks why they do it. Is it to chase antelopes or just to be able to eat a Big Mac guilt-free?

Why do you run?

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I’m all about helping folks find that natural high and enjoy the journey. And I know it’s not easy to get there, especially if you’re always injured or just starting out.

The more I teach, the more I realize it takes a while and a lot of work for folks to really pick up ChiRunning. I truly believe the technique works since it’s worked for me and countless clients but some folks don’t have the time or patience.

For those reasons, I’m now offering any folks that have taken one of my workshops an opportunity to take it again as a refresher at a discounted rate ($75). If you’re in that situation and want to take advantage of the opportunity, simply drop me an email at info@ecinc.ca.

I’ve now had a few folks take my workshops a few times and they say that they get a whole new understanding the second time, even if I’m using the same drills and very similar language. You might be stuck with the same old jokes though…

Tidbits about running that you might find useful…

What a wonderful weekend for training! I got some good runs and a great bike after a few good swims this week. It really helps to have amazing training weather, especially in the spring. Tremblant 70.3 here I come!

I’ve come across some great stuff on the inter-web recently so I thought I would share.

It seems jogging and running is good for you and can even add a few years to your life expectancy. A new Danish study suggests running regularly could add six years to your life.  See here for the link to an article on the study.

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Fellow ChiRunning instructor Mike Stashin recently authored a blog entry on how ChiRunning can help you with hills. See the link for a great post on his IRun blog that might actually make you enjoy various terrain!

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Last but not least, I’m heading back to Windsor at the end of May. I will be doing a free talk on my top 5 tips to stay injury free while running after the Running Miles registration and an Intro to ChiRunning workshop on the Saturday.

See the poster for all the details!

Lessons from the Health and Fitness TweetUp

The opening act...

We had our second edition of the Ottawa Health and Fitness TweetUp last week at Rama Lotus. Another great event, and this time we had the lovely and talented Kathy Smart as our guest speaker.

1. There are a lot of cool and engaging folks in Ottawa: And most of them are into health and fitness from what we could gather from our gathering. It’s nice to see a

2. Connections were made: To me, that’s the real value of a TweetUp; connecting with folks in real-time. Business cards were flying everywhere! That was one of the intentions when we came up with this idea last year, for some like-minded folks to come together and share. Now we just need a few more cool folks to come out…

3. People are funny: If I had a dime for everyone that told me that would be there, I could have made a small fortune. I was worried that the room was too small. We still had a decent turn out but (you know me and my crazy ambition) I was hoping for twice or thrice that!

4. If you give people a relaxing place and some interesting folks, they might stay forever: After the formal part (us speaking), we had some great prizes to draw. Then it was the mingle part. And mingling they did! I almost had to throw people out since we some folks stuck around to chat for two hours…

Kathy shared with us the top super foods. See below for the document that inspired her great talk.

Top 15 Super Foods

Special thanks to Kathy, Darren Potvin, Tania Fréchette and Rama Lotus. You rock!

Stay tuned for our next one, most likely in late June! And click here to connect to the LinkedIn group to get all the latest and help us shape it.

#ChiRunning101: Arm swing

In this week’s segment of the ChiRunning101 series, I’m waxing poetic about the arm swing. It’s not hard to condense into two minutes but I tried. Check it out:

One thing you want to thing about in swinging the arm is relaxation. It really helps in the long run (pun intended)!

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Here is a recent entry in the Runner’s World blog about the growing scientific evidence promoting a shorter stride length. A few recent studies have been fairly conclusive on it.

Great stuff but I particularly like the debate below!

Tips from a professional running shoe fitter…

I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out and picking the brain of Luke MacDonald of the renowned Aerobics First in Halifax so I thought I would share some of his wisdom with you.

Here are his top four tips when you’re looking for a shoe:

1) Fit: You want to make sure the shoe fits the shape and size of your foot. Sound simple? Luke mentions that most people have shoes that are too small and runners are some of the worse!

2) Personality: He mentions that your running shoes should match your personality. Are you curious? Risk averse? Train differently? How you answer those questions should be reflected in the shoe you pick (and yes, colour matters!).

3) Goals: Goals should come into the equation when looking for shoes. Are you a casual runner? Looking for a marathon PB? Speed and distance make a difference to a proper shoe fitter.

4) Ability: How is your ability to run well, or with a high skill level? Luke uses the treadmill test at Aerobics First so he can see your running form and cadence. And then recommends an appropriate shoe for your current running skill level.

And one of the many things we agree on is the gradual progress. One of the many reasons I send all my Atlantic Canada clients to him is that he wants the same thing as me: to enhance the joy of running!

Thank you Luke!

Luke has been running around Halifax since 1974 and selling shoes since 1980. Currently, Luke is a partner in Aerobics First on Quinpool Road, which turned 32 this past May. Luke is the CSF, Chief Shoe Fitter and community out reach guy. He is also the President of the Independent Running Retailers of Canada.