I hope you all enjoyed Week Five. This week we’ll take some time to think about how we are actually running, and to focus on our arms. It’s up to you now to experiment with the technique. There is no point trying to attempt this on a race day if you have not practised in training. Using your arms can make a huge difference on the flat, and especially on hills.
When you are out this week, pay special attention to the hill technique and you will be pleasantly surprised how quickly the hill will disappear behind you.
Using your arms: Check out this week’s video for the secrets on how the use of your arms can help your running. Ideally we would like your arms, your wrists and your shoulders to stay nice and relaxed. Imagine you are elbowing someone behind you at waist height. Focus on pushing the arm behind you, and it will come back naturally. Notice how using your arms give your more strength and speed.
How to run up hills: Lots of runners approach hills with dread. Even the sight of the hill looming ahead makes them feel out of breath. If you can learn to enjoy hills, and get comfortable with them, it is superb for your fitness. Using the arms on the flat is beneficial, but there is one time when we really rely on our arms and that is in running uphill. It’s the only time during our run where we cannot use gravity to help us move forward. If we can really use our arms to help us up the hills, it reduces the effort the legs need to put in. In this week’s video and the attached article, you can see all the techniques explained in detail.
Exercises on the run: When we go for a run, most of us attempt to run nonstop until we get back home. This week, we are going to play around with that approach and stop along the route to do some exercises, as well as experiment with different speeds. The addition of the exercises to this week’s run really makes it a very different type of workout. Give it a go and I look forward to hearing what you think of it.
Warmup and cooldown: Be sure to warmup with a brisk five-minute walk before you start to run. At the end of your run, I would like you also to walk for five minutes to cool down. After your run, please do the stretches from Week Two: you can get to them from here.
Homework: We will have three runs every week. Spread them out across the week to allow your body to recover.
Week Six Training Plan
Homework 1
- Warmup A brisk five-minute walk
- Run/walk session Fartlek run for 30 minutes. Experiment with stopping along the route to do your step-ups and wall-sits. You get bonus points for stopping to do a plank along the way! Vary your speed and experiment during the session. Don’t be worried about the distance you travel, it’s more about the variety.
- Cooldown and stretch A five-minute walk, and stretches
Homework 2 (a day or two after Homework 1)
- Warmup A brisk five-minute walk
- Run/walk session A 30-minute run on a hilly route. Run slowly and experiment with the hill technique tips. Finish with three new exercises
- Cooldown and stretch A five-minute walk, and stretches
Homework 3 (a day or two after Homework 2)
- Warmup A brisk five-minute walk
- Run/walk session A 5k run: if you want, you can attempt to beat your time from Week 4. Try using your arms to help you when you are feeling tired. Good luck with that.
- Cooldown and stretch: A five-minute walk and stretches
Best of luck.
I’ll be back with you next week to see how you are getting on.
