Running Technique Tips

A few weeks ago I continued my coaching education by attending the Level 3 Athletics Australia course for Middle and Long Distance running coaches. In amongst some great learning was an informative presentation and demonstration by one of the leading strength and conditioning coaches of elite athletes in the country. Ross Smith works at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and personally supervises the strength training of many senior athletes within a range of sports, including track & field.

The professional approach of Smith and the AIS conditioning experts has added to my knowledge in this area and it was reassuring to find a lot of consistent practice between what I’ve been writing on this blog and using in practice with runners.

In this article I’ll explain my take on the AIS strength and conditioning methodology and overlay some of Ross Smith’s excellent advice given on the day and add in my thinking around this important, but often overlooked aspect of training for middle and long distance runners.

Planning and analysis – where it all begins and ends

Needs and gap analysis

It starts with the athlete and the requirements of their event – simple but perhaps sometimes forgotten, what qualities and attributes does the runner need to develop in order to achieve their goals?

Once you’ve established this, then what follows is a gap analysis between where the runner is today and how they need to evolve to be the athlete they need to be tomorrow. Easy right? Well not really, on first analysis limiting factors might be hard to identify, this is where consideration of the all the contributing factors leading to previous success or failure need to be considered.

Injury history and observation of current movement patterns

Taking on board the runner’s injury history is vital: are they currently injured or is there a chronic problem that keeps arising despite rest and treatment? Both factors will influence the composition and trajectory of the strength training to be contemplated. Rehabilitation and prevention strategies should be considered.

The injury history gives you clues and a source of corroborating evidence for what comes next – running technique analysis and assessment. Ross was emphatic on this point, he will not begin working with a runner until the running technique (movement patterns) have been observed and analyzed. Weaknesses need to be noted and appropriate strength training considered to help correct any issues identified. I’d also add that observation of competitive performances and hard training will help fill out all pieces of the puzzle.

Timeline and periodization – what strength training to do when?

Finally, a time horizon and long term plan is designed around the future goals of the runner. This is likely to be longer than you think – months and years actually. If you were thinking a few weeks or months was going to do the trick you will be in for disappointment. Like running, strength training is a long term proposition that works best with consistent application.

The goals of the athlete and the time available to prepare for them drives how you will organise the composition and progression of strength training to be undertaken. As with general running training, the longer you have the better the results will be.

My experience with this is most runners are in a hurry and you need to be practical about what you throw at them with looming races and a heavy running training load. Also it’s important to explain that additional strength work is likely to have equal or more benefit that completing another less important running session in the longer term. It’s best to consider the strength component well out from any important competitions to allow adequate time to see the performance gains begin to flow.

In essence this is further planning, where the program is broken down into:

• yearly
• training phase (off season, pre-season and competition)
• training blocks (three – six weeks)
• weekly program
• daily activities

This is a great way to map out the long term progression of the runner and how different types and intensities of strength work will be used at various stages to complement training and competitions. As I’ve mentioned previously good strength training will vary considerably and this variety is stimulus for improvement in itself. Changing the mix throughout the year and season is vital, strength work volume and intensity can be higher during base-building running phases, but you’ll need to adjust the composition, intensity and volume as heavier running training commences and especially approaching key competitions. If you consider a four year plan, each year provides an opportunity to build on previous foundations, with the composition of the program changing to match the progression of the athlete.

Exercise selection – how to choose the right exercises

So which exercises did Ross choose to demonstrate? The selection was all based on simple running movement patterns, so old favorites of mine such as bridging and squats of various flavors were on the menu. After these movement patterns are mastered using body weight, various stimulus and overloads were discussed involving speed, weight and adding more challenging exercises such as dead lifts and explosive plyometric movements. Here’s the AIS guidance on the subject.

• Exercises and training protocols should be selected with the specific sport development of the athlete in mind.
• Understand the exercise and training protocol and the effect it will have on the athlete: increases in strength, power, endurance, general fitness or hypertrophy
• Use multi-joint free weight exercises where possible (and where safe) as they are more effective for the development of sporting specific qualities.
• Lifting weights can be beneficial for all athletes (including endurance athletes and female athletes) and if done correctly will not increase muscle mass at all.
• Athletes should first develop good technique before attempting to increase load. Athletes should also learn the basic lifts before progressing to more complex lifts.
• Failure in lifting weights is not when a weight is dropped but when technique breaks down (lifting an extra 10kg but sacrificing technique will not benefit training results and will increase the potential for injury).
• All training programs should make small variations in load, volume or intensity to continually challenge the athlete and progress their development.

If in doubt don’t get too far away from running like postures and movement patterns. For more information on this please refer to chapters 7 and 9 of Running Technique.

Other items of interest discussed

Some other teachings that stuck with me from the day included:

• the Ross ratio of 2 glute and hamstring exercises for every 1 quad based exercise
• a 60/40 split between conditioning work inside the gym versus outside
• the importance of working with running coaches (must be on same page)
• plyometric exercises done on grass and sand as additional overload
• continued observation of running technique (movement patterns) during conditioning work
• technique must be mastered first before speed, weight and other overloads are introduced

Conclusions

The key with all of this is simplicity, but look for perfection inside simple movement patterns, don’t stray far from running postures and functional movement, and do any exercises with total focus on technical mastery before progressing to the next level.

As ever the importance of planning and strategy can’t be underestimated, and it underscores just how difficult it can be finding the right balance between strength training and running training. It can’t be haphazardly approached, nor should it be treated as an optional extra. Peter Coe puts it right out there in his excellent book Winning Running which faithfully documents the methods used to coach his son Sebastian Coe to numerous world records and Olympic medals. He argues that the counter to those that say strength training is unnecessary for runners because they have been successful without is this:

If in doubt err on the side of caution when devising your plan and executing the training, especially when important training sessions are scheduled or competition is approaching. When I spoke to Jerry Schumacher coach of Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher (two marathoners headed to London on the US Olympic Team) in Melbourne a couple of years ago, he acknowledged the fine line that elite runners tread, they need the strength work, but on occasion it can be overcooked such that important running sessions are occasionally compromised. This isn’t desirable so it needs to be kept in perspective.

Certainly as a recreational runner or someone competing at lower levels of competition there’s no need to put yourself in that situation, careful scheduling of strength work away from tough training sessions and planning harder phases of strength work in the base building phase of running training are both good approaches.

Words and diagrams by Brian Martin

A running coach can help you on many levels to reach your running goals.  Depending on your personality, needs, running objectives and talents, different types of coaching and coaching relationships could be appropriate. Anything goes: from a guy with a whistle yelling at you to run harder or a girl who methodically plans your running life, to a critical friend or adviser who you bounce ideas off to help guide your training. Whichever model you think will work for you, one thing a running coach should be able to do is save you from yourself.

Almost every runner of any ability level has been in a position where they have over-trained or made a mistake in their training that has led to an injury, staleness or just plain exhaustion and burnout. A coach can help you avoid these types of errors and remove your worst running nemesis from the equation … you! It’s very hard to be objective when you’re dealing with yourself, all sorts of rationalizations and crazy talk over power the logical part of your brain that would be quite capable of picking the mistakes in a third person’s approach.

The conversation that prevents a running injury

This might be as simple as a conversation that goes like this:

Runner: “My schedule tonight is 6 × 400m, but I’m still a bit sore from my Sunday long run – I reckon I’ll be ok to do the session.”

Coach: “You’d be better off to do an easier run tonight – save the session for tomorrow when you’re feeling fully recovered.”

I left out the bit were the runner tries to convince the coach that everything will be ok. You know that part of the story. So for all the value, this could have been a one minute conversation, a phone call or an email, but whatever the medium, the value of the message is immeasurable to the athlete. Rather than push through a hard session with reduced benefits and increased risk of injury, a more sensible course has been agreed.

Creativity and stimulation

On the other hand, the running coach is there to motivate, challenge, stimulate and support a runner. A creative, resourceful and thinking coach will be constantly on the lookout for new ideas, developing interesting training sessions and striving to find every possible means of improvement available. They’ll also be on the lookout for safe and inspiring places to run and be able to shape balanced training sessions based on the environment available to the runner. But they shouldn’t be a crazy person who rides your successes or failures as if they are their own.

One coach or multiple sources of knowledge and support?

It’s interesting that most runners with a coach have a coach. While there’s great benefit in a productive coach and athlete partnership, this shouldn’t be developed into a closed relationship where new ideas are ignored and other voices cut off from the athlete. I don’t know of any professions where you’d only listen to one person to provide all of the information you need to be successful.

Smart people, coaches and runners cast their net wide and sift through a lot of different information sources and ideas. The real skill and art is then to distill a whole bunch of worthwhile ideas into a coherent approach. This is where an overriding philosophy can help the coach and athlete keep things on track, but still remain open to different ways of doing things.

So when I talk about coaching, this can come from multiple sources and individuals. It’s a good idea to have one person who’s steering the ship, but they shouldn’t have their fingers in their ears and eyes tightly closed when the rest of a smart crew is trying to shout out warnings about the iceberg dead ahead. A coach who allows discussion with outsiders and encourages questions shows better signs of being a balanced human who is secure in their own skin. This is the kind of teacher you want to run with. I don’t subscribe to the it’s my way or bust approach, especially when dealing with adults.

Keep the relationship in perspective

Running is an intense kind of sport filled with highly focused and dedicated individuals. And the higher the level, the more obsessive, driven and demanding the sport and people seem to become. I’m always a bit disappointed when I read about coaches that badmouth athletes when they make a change to another coach or indeed when a runner sticks the knife into the coach when they move on. This is pretty ordinary behavior when you break it down. From the runner’s perspective life is full of great teachers and restricting yourself to one is depriving you of learning opportunities.

If you’re a coach you need to be prepared to give of yourself very freely and not take it personally if someone decided to move on. If you start thinking in terms of your athletes owing you something, you’re starting to drift into dangerous waters. Be happy that you’ve got knowledge to share, do so as best you can, and be prepared to wish people well if and when they decide to make a change. You never know, if you part on good terms you might see them again, or be able to contribute to them as another objective voice as they embark on the next stage of their development as a runner.

Honesty

You don’t need to be some kind of saintly figure as an athlete or coach, but a general disposition towards plain speaking is an absolute must. Training loads, performance expectations need to be built around realistic assumptions and expectations. Telling someone they can be a champion before they have the runs on the board isn’t a very good idea. On the athlete side of things, being honest about the training you have and have not done is key. And it’s not just about pumping up your numbers, you wouldn’t believe the stories I hear about athletes undertaking secret or extra training to their own detriment.

Creative program

Runners should reasonably expect a coach to be able to provide new and fresh approaches to running, this helps avoid staleness, enables the development of different aspects of running and also avoids plateaus. If the coach isn’t naturally an ideas person then they should seek out people who are. There are plenty of people who are good at ideas but lack the dedication, drive and people skills of a good coach who is managing a group. It’s all about playing to your strengths and finding people who compliment the skills or attributes that you have. Don’t try and be all things to all people. If those type of people are not to hand, then you need to start reading – there’s many useful books and running blogs now that are filled with great ideas.

Planning

I’m not the greatest planner in the world, but I can definitely see its benefit – you need a big picture. Long term direction and medium term goals, the short terms stuff is easier to get your head around. If you have a big picture in mind with your coach, then short term setbacks or slower progress than you’d like are easier to accept. You cannot hurry love or running apparently.

Motivation

I have to be honest; I tend to think coaches of adult athletes probably don’t need to be massive chest-beating motivators. The kind of runners who seek out a coach as adults are generally pretty self-motivated and driven, so the emphasis is more towards support, encouragement, instilling self-belief and to take care of the aforementioned tendency of runners to self-sabotage. Things are probably different when coaching children, but that’s outside my experience.

Supervision of training

If you’ve got the luxury of having or being a coach that can attend key training sessions you are onto a good thing. Having an outside observer presents all kinds of opportunities. Aside from the obvious encouragement benefit of having someone there, the coach can monitor running form and especially help the runner hit the off button at the right time. Generally this is when the runner can’t maintain the pace and purpose of the training session without technically disintegrating. You don’t need to be a running technique nerd to pick this up; most coaches that have been around running for a while can spot when the wheels are starting to fall off.

More than just running

The coach should be able to provide some direction in terms of cross training and especially strength training that will be of benefit to help improve running form, build resilience against injury and improve performance. If you’re a coach and you’ve not got a good handle on this, it should be something you do some reading and research on. Alternatively, you might have a conditioning expert that you can work with to help your runners. Just don’t make the assumption that the crew at your local gymnasium has the knowledge to construct and supervise a good strength program for runners. You need to ask questions to ensure sure their approach has merit and makes sense.

The injury doom cycle

A final but vital element is that coaches should help runners avoid getting injured and be there to help manage the recovery process if disaster strikes. Sensible training progression, strength work and a focus on proper running technique will all help as avoidance strategies. However, even with the best will in the world injuries do happen in running. When they occur the coach needs to take an interest in the advice, treatment and rehabilitation that might be suggested to the runner by various physical therapists and experts. Again give it the once over, does it make sense? Ring the people concerned and ask them to explain why they have suggested a certain approach or intervention. If it does not make sense and they are not interested in explaining the why to you then seek a second or third opinion. Remember your runner might not have the confidence to question the person in the white coat – if that’s the case you may need to step up and ask the hard questions. Don’t let your runner spiral into a doom cycle where they are shunted between experts without a coherent diagnosis or sensible rehabilitation plan. Quick fixes such as prescription of orthotics or surgery should be given the once over.

Conclusion

There’s just a few thoughts on coaching and coaching relationships. As a final word you probably want to enjoy the coaching relationship as an athlete or coach – if it’s too much like hard work it’s going to detract from your running or coaching.

Written by Brian Martin