YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health Spring 2017 | Page 17

AMY GIANNOTTI, APD
Amy is a dietitian, sports dietitian, personal trainer, strength and conditioning
coach, running coach, athlete, author and dietitian and director of nutrition at
Wholesome Plates, Melbourne’s newest and healthiest meal delivery service.
Find out more about Amy at www.eatingfit.com.au
4 Strengthen your framework
CORRECT TECHNIQUE
Familiar Running Form
Good running form
Compact
arms
Balanced
forward
posture
Posture out
of balance
Knee & joint
pain
High cadence
Overstriding
Heel strike
Proper foot
strike
to long distance running, a high cadence of around 180 steps
per minute is optimal – although there may be some small
variations among runners of different heights. In contrast, taking
larger strides is more taxing and adds more load on your body,
which can lead to an increased risk of injury.
3  Program your training into specific goals
Many runners have a goal to run further or faster. If every
session is run like a race (i.e. either running as fast or as long
as you can), then your performance gains will be limited and
over time, more likely to be hindered with injury. Remember
that adaptations (changes) occur during recovery. Exercise is
the stress or ‘stimulus’ that during recovery our body aims to
‘adapt’ to the stress with numerous physiological mechanisms
that allow us to run faster and longer. Break up your training to
focus on goals (e.g. speed, strength, speed endurance (tempo)
and endurance). For example, Monday could have a focus on
speed; Wednesday can focus on strength including hill
repeats; Thursday could be a tempo-focused session where a
‘race pace’ is simulated (depends on running event/distance);
and Sunday could be a long and easy run, where it’s not about
running as far and as fast as you can, but more about building
your aerobic capacity, conditioning your whole body, and
focusing on ingraining good technique.
Many runners neglect their strength training due to time
constraints, or a fear of feeling too heavy or sore, and
affecting their run. But if you want longevity in your
running, you cannot neglect your framework or scaffolding,
because you can only get so far with weak framework.
Common weakness in runners includes muscles of the
hips and core. Strength training for runners doesn’t have to
include long sessions in the gym lifting heavy loads. If you
are training for a specific race or event, then a progressive
strength training program should be built around your race
season or event date, which addresses general strength,
strength endurance, maximum strength, and then a power
and competition phase. And each block or phase should
be designed to build on each other, so that you peak at the
right time for your race.
As a start, great benefits can be found from simple glute and
core activation exercises that may activate and isolate these
stabilising muscles. You can then progress into more
compound and functional movements, once these muscles
are awake and firing. Strengthening these stabilising muscles
will support your larger muscles, improve your running
technique, power, and economy, and reduce the risk of pain
and injury that often occurs due to muscle imbalances. If you
want to be running for a long time, then strength training
should be a priority!
5 Improve your mobility and open the gates
to greater performance
Tight muscles can limit your range of movement, inhibit the
right muscles from working at their optimum, and
consequently limit your running stride and performance, while
increasing your risk of injury.
Dynamic stretches before training and racing, static stretches
afterwards, and self-massage using foam rollers or other
trigger point instruments can be very effective when
performed correctly and regularly. Not only can they help
improve your range of movement and performance, but they
can also aid in your recovery.
SPRING 2017 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE
17