I don’t like talking about instant fixes but…
The thing that grinds my gears most about fitness advice on Instagram is this:
it seems like everything and anything is achievable right now.
While I say nothing is off limits, we don’t see the years of hard work that went into that 10 seconds of pretty video.
I do think it’s a great space to pick up tips, but only if you are willing to be patient, persistent and consistent with whatever you pick up.
For example, “run slower” is a brilliant tip but will take years of doing it to realise the benefit of doing it.
It did make me think though – are there any tips that had an instant impact when I implemented them?
It goes against my ethos of slow progression but if I can unblock the road for just one person reading this, that will be enough.
I resembled a brick wall trying to jog
I’ve been running for just over 3 years now and after coming into it with bodybuilder-tinted glasses, there’s plenty I have had to learn and unlearn.
During my first year of running, I really did resemble a brick wall trying to jog…
I was inefficient, far from elegant, didn’t go very far and didn’t go very swiftly.
Without meaning to gloat, I’ve got a lot better at this running thing (while still maintaining my ability to pick heavy things up and put them down again) but it’s mostly been very slow through a lot of persistency and consistency.
However, I want to share with you some of the tips that were instant unblocks in my progression.
These tips weren’t just lucky picks, these were either pointed out to me by someone or something went catastrophically wrong that needed fixing – learn from my mistakes 🙂
Stand tall, relax and lean forward
This was continually pointed out to me by my mate Charlie. I used to run in the most rigid looking way. I was leaning back, with my head and chest pointed to the sky, my elbows were tight and way out to the sides (to make room for my massive lats, lol jk) and it just looked more like speed walking…
Stand Tall
First fix is to stand as tall as you can, imagining that a piece of string is lifting your head up (facing forward) and your feet like they’re floating.
Relax
Imagine there are lasers connecting your ears and shoulders. You want to make sure that laser distance is as big as possible. Every time you detect your shoulders getting closer to your ears, take a big exhale to relax your shoulders back where they should be.
Your arm motion should be pulled back from your elbows only, with your shoulders relaxed, just allowing your arms to naturally swing to balance out every stride.
Lean Forward
Instead of leaning backwards like a bodybuilder, you want to be leaning forwards from your ankles to the point where you start feeling like you’re going to fall forward. Use that momentum.
Warming up before hard runs and races
There’s no hard evidence to prove that warming up will reduce your risk of injury but there is evidence to show that warming up will improve your performance.
I used to think warming up was just something that sapped the energy I needed going into a hard workout or race but I was kind of right but wrong.
Think of it like this:
If you’re racing a 5K, you don’t want to feel like you’re in the groove 3K in, you want to be in the groove from the start – that’s what warming up properly does.
Here is a simple protocol to follow before your hard runs or races:
- Dynamic stretching. This gets our muscles into their full working range of motion.
- 10-15 mins of easy running to get our muscles up to working temperature and so that our heart and lungs are primed for activity.
- Strides and drills: 10-15s relaxed bursts to unlock the full range of motion from your legs. Optional drills like skipping.
It’s such a simple fix but you’ll be wondering why you haven’t performed like this before.
Breathing deeper and slower to dictate heart rate
Going into a 5K race, I thought I was in shape to smash my PB. The race started off well but at about 3K in, I lost control of my breath, started hyperventilating and had an almighty stitch. I still have no idea how I managed to drag my arse over the line but I knew I had to fix my breathing somehow.
I thought it was going to be a long, tough fix to get my breathing right but to my surprise, it was almost an instant fix…
Running is a breathing sport. If you can control your breath, you can control your heart rate, pace and race.
Here’s the fix that slashed by 5K time by over 2 minutes from that fateful race in just 6 months:
Breathe deeper and slower on every run.
Wait, thats it?!
Yes, that is literally it.
Even though my sessions still had a focus, the number 1 priority was to keep control of my breathing.
On easy runs – nice slow and deep inhales through the nose into the belly then chest, and relaxed sharp exhales through the mouth, like you’re letting go of all of your problems (not sorry for going all meditationy haha).
On faster runs – still deep inhales and exhales, just to a faster rhythm and through your mouth so that enough oxygen is coming in.
My fixes might not be your fixes
These are just three of the things I’ve implemented that have dramatically improved my running performance.
However, your roadblocks to improved performance might be different to mine.
The key thing is understanding what things are holding you back. And the only way you can do that is by pushing your limits – in terms of pace, time and distance.
For example, you might decide to push your 400m reps a bit faster, where you find that you lose control of your upper body at the top end. This means you need to strengthen your core, upper back and shoulders to reduce any excessive upper body movement.
Once you’ve got into the habit of knowing what you need to improve on, the solutions may not always be quick fixes, and you need to be ready to commit to consistency and persistency to improve.
Final thoughts
To recap, here are the three things that instantly boosted my running performance:
- Stand tall, relax and lean forward
- Warm up before hard runs and races
- Breathing deeper and slower to dictate heart rate
As I said, these are just the quickest solutions to the problems I identified. They won’t solve everything – that’s for the really long term strategies for me to implement consistently and persistently:
- Run slower 80% of the time
- At least 90 min slow long run every week
- In speed/tempo sessions: progressively increase pace, increase time/distance and reduce rest between reps
- Including enough elevation change each week
- Recover as hard as you perform
- Taper weekly mileage every 4 weeks
- Including drills every week to un-lazy my legs
The list goes on…
If you found this blog useful or think you or a mate could benefit from one of these quick fixes, please do share it around 🙂
Lawrence
