Ankle Advice
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Here is an ideal way to transition down in your shoes. Big leaps from one extreme to the other isn't great
Here is a rant i previously wrote on another tread
Tips for running:
You have heaps of time before your run so I would try and completely change your running technique. I have worked with 100's of runners and this always leads to decreased overuse injuries, more running efficiency and even increased enjoyment with running.Biggest change is work on changing your cadence (steps per minute) most recreational runners have 140-160 steps per minute. This leads to heel striking, increased stress through your joints, increased force through anterior aspect of the leg (aka shins), increased demand on your glute med to control more movement (from heel strike to toe coming off) usually as that fail/fatigue you will get a valgus strain on your knee.(knee going in and 'arches collapsing') causing knee injuries. The majority of people don't need anti pronating shoes they need to improve their running technique.
Step 1: Get a metronome on your phone. Your aim should be build towards running at 180 steps per minute at the same pace. This means more smaller steps ideally landing on your mid foot rather than your heel. Use the metronome while you run. This will feel weird and also make your calves burn....thats normal until they get use to it.
Step 2: Keep running how you normally do to keep your K's under the belt....I want you to transition to this new way of running over 3-6 months until its your new technique.
Start over the next four weeks doing either as a warm up or a session during your week doing 1km in this technique. I recommend week 1) 10x100m at your normal pace week 2) 5x200 3)3x400 4) 2x500 next week start running your first 1km (or what you can tolerate) in your new style and slowly increase 500m-k each week. I usually find when you can hit 5km you are onto a winner. No need to rush it.
Tip 2:
Work on glute stability and control:
Do as many as possible of these a day: Single knee bends: Line your foot up on a line so its dead straight (will feel weird). Keep upper body upright and bend your knee. Dont worry about depth worry about keeping your hips square and try and get your knee over the line of your middle toes. Best in barefeet but try and do 1x10 all throughout the day you will improve quickly.
3x8 daily: Single leg glute bridge. Start with your hands/arms on the ground for support as you improve put one hand over your shoulder then both hands. Squeeze from your butt to lift up dont swing up from your leg. Once you can do that hit me up and I will progress.Tip 3:
Start foam rolling:
This sucks to start off with. Only start this program if you can do it for 21 days straight. If you can you will see progress if not you will just keep being sore.
1 roll = up and down
3 sets each day. Add one roll to just one of the sets each day. Start with 3x3 work up to 3x10.
Eg
Day 1: 3x3 rolls on each leg
Day 2: 2x3 and 1x4
Day 3: 1x3 2x4
Day 4: 3x4
If that doesn't make sense let me know.
The rolls at 3,4,5 will hurt way more than 8/9/10. Once you get to 3x10 it should just be mildly uncomfortable and just continue to do 1x10 either before or after your run.Tip 4:
Start progressing to slightly more minimlist shoes. This site is amazing. https://therunningclinic.com/en/minimalist-index/
Find a similar type of shoe and figure out your % when you need a new pair of shoes (probably every 3-6 months depending on K's. Try and progress 10-20% down the minimilist scale (less heel support). These shoes will be lighter and make running easier. If you have improved your running technique heel support is irrelevant. Every 100g is something like a 1% more oxygen efficency so lose weight both inside and out.Tip 5:
Load management. People blow out by increasing stuff too fast. Don't go and catch up on some K's by doing extra long runs or more long runs in a week. Stick to your program progress no more than 10% in either increase in distance or decrease in time. Its hard but worth it to avoid tendon overload.Tip 6:
Read a book called born to run its great. Also read you can't hurt me but take inspiration not training techniques from that crazy fucker. Also Unbreakable RUnner has a great training program in it (book)Tip 7:
Read all the above again and throw in the towel haha no just kidding get amoungst it, future you will thank yourself. -
@Magpie_in_aus awesome post mate. I read Born To Run a few years back. While I didn't buy a pair of the leather sandals, I definitely subscribed to their thinking around step length, which also ties into your point around cadence. Paraphrasing, but one guy from the tribe said of mountain running, "if you're not sure whether to take 2 steps or 3 before the boulder, take 4". Wisdom.
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@Magpie_in_aus said in Ankle Advice:
Get a metronome on your phone. Your aim should be build towards running at 180 steps per minute at the same pace.
just d/l and listened to it at 180 bpm...jeepers!!
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went for a run last night, well walk up the stairs, run on flat and down...my ave cadence over the run is 69 (looking back over my last half dozen runs it is about that too - although these have largely been trail runs with steep incline/decline) 180 seems impossible!
I'll wait until the shorter evenings when I am forced to run on roads/paths before I look at this cadence thing a bit closer.
I have however had PBs on segments of my runs the last few times too, not sure what to attribute that to.
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@taniwharugby
I just checked my most recent run a few days ago. Ave cadence 163, max 176, ave stride length 1.27m (I'm about 6'2 if that's revelant). That was over 8km of pretty flat tarmacNot too far off @Magpie_in_aus !
Max heart rate was 182 though 😨
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@taniwharugby That looks horribly hilly!!! Probably not the best route for trying to measure ave cadence?
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@voodoo haha yeah thats what I said above!
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@taniwharugby sorry, not paying attention!
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@Kirwan it definitely feels good when you pick up the cadence and shorten stride. My physio also told me to focus on keeping my upper body straighter, down from the shoulders, like your shoulders were on a coat hanger. Feels less like you're lumbering along and more like you're running at pace - and damn the stats that say otherwise!!!
Minimalist index
