Future-proof your running – relax and use your whole body

The average non-runner must think we are a strange breed. Watch the finish line of any road race and a vast selection of grimacing faces will entertain you as runners strive for personal bests or finishing places. Runners often look like they are in pain as they pound the pavements, yet rave to anyone who will listen about how fabulous running makes them feel. Sometimes it’s good to push the body in this way and test our limits but it’s important to balance this with smart training in the build-up and recovery.

It’s too easy to become a running injury statistic. The best runners listen to their bodies. Some runners pound their feet and look tired and uncomfortable even when they are running at a comfortable pace.

Have you considered what you look like when you are running? Do you have pain or tension when running at a leisurely pace?

Many runners look down when they run – they bend at the waist and put unnecessary pressure on their lower legs, making those muscles work harder than the bigger and stronger ones of the body.

There are so many elements in our control that can help us avoid injury, yet many runners choose to ignore the simple steps and, instead, literally run their body into the ground.

Ever since I started running I have been cautious of injury, all too aware of the rumours of the close relationship between running and dodgy knees. Years of research and practise has led me to realise, in the words of Danny Dreyer: "It's not running that damages your body, it's how you run."

I want to avoid becoming a bitter “retired” runner forced out from wear and tear, plodding and pounding, miles and miles. In my running future, I aspire to be a sprightly elderly lady who glides along effortlessly, smiling, light on her feet and enjoying the fresh air. She may not be fast, but she is happy and free. That image is not going to become a reality unless I work at it.

Technique

Running technique is not going to improve magically. It needs practise and focus, but it can be kept very simple.

Those of you following our Get Running (irishtimes.com/getrunning) training programmes will know how much focus I put on technique, even for beginners. In our programmes we follow Danny Dreyer’s Chirunning technique for effortless running.

Many runners never think of technique and instead they just focus on getting to the end of the run using so much unnecessary effort to power their body. They often ignore niggles which become injuries and wonder why they find running such hard work.

Start with a simple change. Stop looking down. Pull yourself up out of your hips and imagine you are taller and slimmer than you are, being suspended like a puppet from a string from the top of your head.

Relax your arms and legs and notice how you now feel tall, confident and strong. Immediately this change will create more space in your lungs, allowing you to take in more air.

Not only that, you have started using your core, your spinal muscles and your upper body to take the load off your legs. Use your whole body to run, not just your lower legs.

Try it on your next run and notice how much lighter you feel and how much less effort it takes to run.

Our weekly training runs should not take the same level of effort and energy from us as an occasional road race. Instead, these weekday runs should train us to use our bodies efficiently and smartly so we avoid injury and become better runners.

Unfortunately, closing our ears to our bodies and listening instead to music and ignoring the warning signs direct us down the road to becoming a running injury statistic.

If every run you do is associated with tension and effort, it’s worth considering what is causing your discomfort before it’s too late.

Hydration

Many of the changes you can make to improve your running don’t involve running at all. Think about warm-up, flexibility, core strength, nutrition, hydration, sleep, posture and rest. Most runners know they should be taking the time to spend a few minutes each day on these elements, but would rather run an extra five minutes than future-proof their running bodies.

Decide this month to pick one element of injury prevention and focus on it ahead of the extra minutes of running. Be disciplined enough to listen to your body and notice what it is telling you to do. Catch a niggle before it becomes an injury and notice how your running becomes stronger by focusing on these elements.

If you know you won’t make the time yourself, consider a Pilates or yoga class or join forces with a running buddy to do exercises in a group. Work together to make running less effort on the body. Consider getting off-road and try a softer surface such as grass, trail or sand, or spend the extra five minutes on warm-up and cool-down either side of your run.

Do you still want to be running in 10 or 20 years’ time? Don’t risk becoming a runner forced into retirement. Take a few minutes each day from now on to invest in your running future.

It’s a small price to pay for having the honour of being able to call yourself a happy lifelong runner.

Mary Jennings is founder and running coach with ForgetTheGym.ie. Mary trains beginners and marathoners and everyone in between. Mary is also the creator of all our Irish Times Get Running programmes.