Runners adapt the knees, ankles and hips to the pounding we often associate with this exercise.
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Running Form
Often, people contemplating lacing up their jogging shoes and starting a training regimen hesitate due to the fear this will increase their risk of arthritis in the hip, knees or ankles. Rest assured, aspiring runners. You’re safe to hit the pavement.
In fact, medical and rehabilitation research shows that those who have been running for several years are actually less likely to see arthritis in these areas. Runners who are predisposed to developing this condition are those with a history of joint trauma, such as a fracture, or a ligament or cartilage injury. These usually arise from sports like basketball, soccer, football or even work-related exertion.
When a joint structure like cartilage or a ligament is damaged, the proper function of the joint is altered. The normally smooth structures inside the joint are no longer this way, or the pressure changes causing excessive wear in unusual areas. But when the joint pressures and surfaces are normal, the body can adapt and strengthen itself to resist excessive wear and tear.
Through gradual increases in distance and speed, runners adapt the knees, ankles and hips to the pounding we often associate with this exercise. When stresses are placed on a joint in a gradually increasing manner (about 10 percent or less per week), then the body can acclimate to the demand it will encounter again later. As the body becomes more and more tolerant to running, it breeds healthy bones, cartilage and ligaments, more resilient to factors that cause arthritis.
Steps to reach running form:
- Be patient. Start slowly, walking if needed. Gradually incorporate running, with walking breaks. Begin with no more than 1 minute of running at a time.
- Gradual is good. Increase your running time by no more than 10 percent per week. If you are running a total of 20-1 minute intervals, then go to 22 the next week. Remember, the body needs time to adapt.
- The right moves. Have an experienced runner or a physical therapist who specializes in running assess your gait. Improper alignment or form can cause pain and overuse injuries.
- Consistency. Begin running no more than every other day. Once a week won’t cut it either. It takes repeated workouts to get the body to improve, yet, it needs time to recover. Give it both, and you’re on your way to a lifelong routine.
Running Faster
Increasing running speed is not only a concern for athletes who participate in short-burst, sprint-dependent sports like baseball, football or soccer. Many recreational runners would like to decrease their 5K, 10K, half marathon or full marathon times. The common philosophy with distance running is that doing more miles will enable you to run longer distances faster. But this logic doesn't quite hold up. If you train your body to run at a 9-minute-per-mile pace for a 10K and race a 5K, how much faster would you expect to go since you trained at 9 minutes per mile? Could you count on 8-minute miles without training at that speed? You may see a mild improvement in pace based on VO2 max, but the demands of running faster exceed these limits. What is needed is improved leg strength and fast-twitch muscle training.
Strength needed for running faster encompasses a wide range of muscles throughout the upper body, trunk and legs. Unlike pure sprinting, gaining speed for distance running also requires endurance and an improved ability to handle lactic acid. This brings us to the effective methods for improving distance running speed: speed training, resistive exercise and plyometrics. Keep in mind the purpose of these is to augment your running to make you faster. If you overdo these concepts, you increase your risk of injury. If you are unable to run due to injury, your performance automatically suffers.
Speed training does not mean sprints. Ideally, you want to train your entire system to go faster. This means making sure you are running efficiently and with sufficient speed to reach your goals. In the most basic sense, to run faster you need to run faster. The purpose is to train your body to tolerate increased speeds for your desired distance. Multiple body systems will need to adapt for this to happen. Your heart, lungs, kidneys and muscles all have to work together to receive and deliver oxygen, handle lactic acid and use electrolytes to keep you moving forward. The guiding principle is to run faster (at or near your goal pace) for a tolerable distance, rest for a bit, then repeat the effort. During rest periods, you should jog, or walk if needed, not come to a complete stop. The distance you run at the increased pace can vary depending on where you run and how close you already are to your goal. Intervals can be as simple as running faster between two telephone poles or a city block, then jogging 2-3 intervals. Your total time should be approximately your normal duration of exercise (30-60 minutes) and spent increasing your faster intervals slightly and decreasing your resting intervals slightly. With gradual progression you will increase your speed.
To further improve your ability to go faster longer, you need to be stronger. Strength in the legs is important, but so are the core muscles and upper body muscles. Both are highly involved in assisting in forceful breathing (which you will likely be doing as you run faster). They are also both involved in maintaining good form and efficiency while running, especially as you get tired. If your form and mechanics fall apart as you fatigue, your running efficiency is reduced. Decreased efficiency not only slows you down, but it also forces you to use more energy in an attempt to maintain your increased speed. Push-ups, planks and other core strengthening exercises can be done nearly anywhere and be used as a dynamic warm up before your workout.
One would assume that just running faster would make the legs stronger. To some degree, that's true. But muscle imbalances are quite common in runners and need to be addressed in order to prevent injury and improve running efficiency. The key muscles are the hamstrings, outer glutes, calves and quadriceps. The most ideal way to train these muscles is by using body weight on one foot if possible. This position approximates the demands the muscles face while running. If you are not able to do them on one foot, do them on both until you improve enough to progress to one foot. The exercises suggested include squatting, lunging, bridging and leg lifts. For specifics, see the article Running Strong.
Adding plyometrics is key to faster running. For some, the term plyometrics conjures images of jumping on and off a large box. There are many safer ways to incorporate plyometrics into your program. In fact, a perfect way to start is to do a basic jumping program (see Jump to It article on PureHealthMD.com). The whole purpose of plyometrics is to teach the body to use the strength you are building in a way that is specific to running fast (controlled, fast contractions after a quick stretch of the muscle). Plyometrics should be done no more than three days per week with two days being sufficient if you are also doing speed intervals.
Training for increased speed takes time. Give yourself at least 4-6 weeks before your goal race even if you are close to your goal. Obviously, the farther you are away from your goal when you start, the longer it will take to reach it. Remember that progression of your improvements will come in waves. You will improve some, then taper off, then improve again and so on. The bottom line to training for increased speed in distance running is to be gradual, patient, persistent and smart.
Running Strength
For a showcase of the muscle build of top-notch speed runners, just watch the Olympic Games. The gold medalists typically have massively toned arms, legs and trunk. This is not a coincidence. Running fast requires strong muscles. While few of us realistically strive to win a gold medal at the Olympics, many of us do desire the ability to run faster. Our goals might be ignited by a road race or a specific sport. No matter what the activity, the importance of strength becomes a factor for all runners wanting to pick up the pace.
Leg strength is important for increased running speed because it is the legs that push the body forward. However, the upper body is also extremely important. The muscles of the biceps, shoulders, chest and back are all crucial for generating momentum that assists in propelling the body forward through forceful arm swinging. Training these muscles for improved strength and power will assist in developing increased speed. The purpose of the powerful arm swing is to generate momentum that can be transferred to the lower body and used for increased forward speed. However, if the trunk (core) is weak and unable to maintain stability during this transfer of momentum, the force generated by the arms will be lost.
Core strength becomes an important element of speed development as it provides a stable link between the upper body and lower body. In order to train the core muscles to do this job of stability, you should perfom exercises that require this job like the plank or resistance movements.
The power needed from the legs comes from an interaction between muscles that cross all of the joints of the lower body. Fast and forceful contractions are required throughout the gait cycle, especially during the middle of the cycle to the point the foot pushes off the ground. Speed is generated and maintained during this part of the cycle. To maximize the power produced by the lower body, the hip, thigh and calf muscles all have to work together. Again, training the muscles in a manner similar to the way in which they will be used is the most efficient method of exercise. Great exercises include squats, lunges, bridges and combination lifts like power cleans.
One especially great exercise that combines the need for strength in the lower body and core is the single leg squat. In order to maintain standing balance during the squat, the core muscles have to provide stability. Likewise, push-ups provide the same kind of demand on the core as the body must be held stiff during the movement. To get you started, we have included some basic exercises. To increase difficulty, add dumbbells, increase speed or switch to one foot for standing exercises. For best results, do 2-3 sets, 2-3 times per week. Your last couple of repetitions of the last set should be difficult to finish.
Keep in mind that to run faster, you have to practice running faster. This means that you have to practice and train yourself by sprinting or faster running depending on your goals.