How to Run Faster and Longer: 8 Steps

 

Happy New Year 2021 ! With the onset of a new year, we have fresh vigour with which we may want to build healthy habits, which are good for our well-being.

The Corona Virus has shown us why it’s so important for us to prioritize our health over every thing else. On the day of penning this article, there’s widespread fear in people due to Corona Virus. Research has shown that running can be the best way by which you can strengthen your body to fight Corona Virus.

Apart from improving cardiovascular health, running comes with many other benefits, such as : helps in fat loss, alleviates depression and anxiety, improves brain performance, reduces the risk of several forms of cancer and helps your performance in bed.

 

 

Many of us pick up a healthy habit knowing it’s good for our well-being, but we lose motivation in between and drop it altogether. This is because, we get demotivated by lack of progress.

The habit of running, if approached properly can be an addiction, which few other activities can match. Few years back, I used to struggle during my runs. I used to think that my body isn’t built for the long runs. This perception changed, when I started tackling the problem of running, systematically.

After having run a marathon and a number of half-marathons, I share with you some key-points using which you can become a faster and longer runner.

 

1) Warm Up :

A good warm-up can be the difference between you breezing through the run and you having to fight body aches and breathlessness through the run.

A good warm-up raises your muscles’ temperature for optimal flexibility and efficiency. By slowly raising your heart rate, the warm-up also helps minimize stress on your heart. It also widens your blood vessels, thus ensuring optimal supply of oxygen for an efficient workout.

“Warming up before any workout or sport is critical for preventing injury and prepping your body,” said Johnny Lee, M.D., director of the Asian Heart Initiative at the New York University Langone Medical Center.

A 5-10 minutes warm up is necessary and sufficient before your run. You can start with walking with big strides followed by a few running drills such as high knees, butt kicks, etc.

Always remember to warm up with dynamic stretches and not static stretches, before your workout.

 

2) Divide and Conquer :

“One step at a time, one punch at a time, one round at a time” – Rocky Balboa

Once you have settled into your run, set small targets to yourself during the run. Once you achieve one, congratulate yourself. Dividing a big goal into small doable targets helps you to concentrate better on the task at hand, without frittering away the energies in overthinking .   The rejoicement of small victories before achieving the main victory is imperative, as the small  bursts of dopamine will help you to push for bigger goals.

Whenever you feel that your body is deep in pain during the run, you can use the Indian method of chanting some mantra in your mind, while you run. These mantras uplift the energies in your body and help to calm the mind.

 

3) Focus on Form :

Running is something we have been doing since childhood.  Which makes us assume that we must be doing it correctly.

Pete Magill, who holds three American age-group records and has coached runners for more than two decades, says, “Running is the one sport where people think, ‘I don’t have to worry about my technique. I’m not carrying a ball, I’m not swinging a bat, I’m not on skates, so my form doesn’t matter’. In contrast, I would say all top runners work to improve their form.”

When speaking about running form, it’s true that there’s no one benchmark, that we should aspire for. This is because, we have different gaits, depending on our varied body structures. However, we should all constantly strive to improve our running form on a daily basis.

A good running technique ensures that energy being supplied to the muscles is being used efficiently. reduces the risk of fatigue including overuse injuries – particularly with longer and more frequent running.

The three basic constituents of a good running form are: body posture , foot strike and cadence.

 

4) Track your progress :

“Whatever that gets measured gets managed.”- Peter Drucker

If there’s one advice that has benefitted me the most is this, “Always track the progress of your goals, not only in fitness but life in general.” Create a training journal. Firstly, after considering your current fitness levels, design a training plan that clearly states distance you aim to run on  various days. It should also allocate space for rest days and cross-training days. Enter your progress in that journal each day.

When you put your fitness regimen on paper, you have concretely stated your weekly goals. When you see yourself achieving them, you’ll know that you are on the right track. This will make you accountable when you falter from your training goals and will help you stay on track.

Also, it’s important that you time your runs. To do that you can buy yourself a good GPS watch of Garmin or Fitbit, When buying one, make sure it’s fairly accurate and has a good battery back up. If you are cash strapped or are a minimalist like me, you can go for distance tracking apps such as Nike Run Club, Strava Runnning and Cycling. I have tried various apps and I have found Strava Running and Cycling application to be the most accurate of them all.

 

5) Cross Train :

Cross-training is athletic training in sports other than the athlete’s usual sport. The goal is improving overall performance. It takes advantage of the particular effectiveness of one training method to negate the shortcomings of another. Often one particular activity works certain muscle groups, but not others; cross-training aims to eliminate this imbalance.

Running is a unilateral movement and involves more use of muscles like quads, hamstrings, glutes, hip-flexors, calves than others. Which makes them susceptible to injury. Complimenting running with other forms of work out such as strength training, yoga, cycling, walking helps strengthen the muscles neglected in running. Also, its a good way to relax the joints which get overused while running.

You may ask, if certain muscles aren’t required that much while running, why do you need to train them ? This is because our body is a kinetic chain. A kinetic chain is the notion that joints and segments have an effect on one another during movement. When one is in motion, it creates a chain of events that affects the movement of neighboring joints and segments. Which means that weakness in one muscle group, will reflect in your overall subpar performance

Thus, in order to be a good runner, you cannot afford to have weaknesses in your body.

 

6) Stretching :

In my personal experience, whenever I feel lazy and skip my warm-up routine, I often start feeling the stiffness in my body half way through the run. Needless to say, the remaining run becomes a drag. A smart running warmup gives your muscles, bones, and joints a chance to loosen up; it gradually and gently brings up your heart rate, and makes it easier to get into the rhythm you want to sustain so you can run—and finish—feeling exhilarated and energized enough to go longer. A good warm up helps in injury prevention, reduces muscle soreness, improves flexibility, joint pain.

Numerous researches have shown the benefits of dynamic stretching over static stretching before a workout. One such study showed the improved performance of  7 well-trained middle- or long-distance male runners after dynamic stretching before the run.

After you have finished your work out, you should spend 5-10 minutes to stretch your muscles. For post-run stretching, static stretching should be done This will help you in easing the muscle stiffness.

 

7) Fuel :

Our body is the most sophisticated machinery on planet. If you put the right fuel into it, you can make it do amazing things.

“Macros,” or macronutrients, are the building blocks of our diet. All foods are composed of three different types of macros: carbohydrates (carbs), protein, and fat.

Carbs are used primarily as fuel, especially in high-intensity training.. Carbs are of two types: Complex Carbs and Simple Carbs. Simple carbs should be eaten before and after scheduled exercise, as they are digested quickly and supply fast energy. Whereas, Complex Carbs provide smoother and longer-lasting energy and should be consumed in between workouts.

Protein builds muscles and other tissues, as well as aids in recovery. For a runner, while the goal is typically not to build muscle, it is important to include a protein source in each meal to feed the muscle mass you have, in order to prevent muscle loss and optimize recovery.

Fat is vital for hormonal balance, and consuming food with fat is important in order to meet the needs for essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and Omega 6), as well as for the body to be able to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Also, fat is vital for the functioning of our brain. There are two different types of fat: saturated and unsaturated fats. We should have more unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are bad for our cardiovascular health.

The safe ratio of macros for a runner in a daily diet can be  : 50-60 % Carbs, 15-20% Protein, 25-30% Fats.

 

8) 10 % Rule of pushing yourself :

The ancient tried and tested proverb says, “Slow and steady wins the race.” In this day and age where over work is glorified, we often forget the value of patience.

The 10-percent rule(10PR)  is one of the most important and time-proven principles in running. It states that you should never increase your weekly mileage by more than 10 percent over the previous week. The 10PR gains its importance from the fact that the vast majority of running injuries are overuse injuries.

10PR rule ensures that you are giving your body time to adapt to the increasing demands you are putting on it. The gradual adaptation principle is one of the many examples of the body’s genius. Without it, no one could ever climb Mount Everest, swim the English Channel, or run a marathon.

 

Incorporate the above points when you go for a run next. Note that you need not work on all these areas at once. You should take one of the above aspects and work on it, and then move on to some other aspect. The important aspect is to enjoy the run and not make it too complicated.

If you enjoyed this article please share it with others. Let me know your views in the comments below. Happy Running ! 🙂