By: Rick Hellard

There has been a lot, and I mean a lot, of chatter about running form in recent years. Most of it has centered on “to be shod or not to be shod,” with off-shoot topics discussing foot plant and proper cadence. However important these topics may be, I would like to discuss another aspect of running form: the arm swing.

The arm action counter-balances the leg action. According to Newton’s Law of Physics (the original guy, not the running shoe company) for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, when we run or walk, the force of the arms swing creates an equal and opposite reaction in the opposing leg. As a result, the more forcefully we swing the arm backwards, the more forcefully the opposite leg drives forward, and therefore the more ground is covered in each stride. If you want your right leg to drive forward to increase both speed and stride length, drive the left elbow and arm backwards slightly more forcefully. The right leg will move forward more quickly to counterbalance the left arm action and the momentum will carry the leg further forward. It will work every time.

I’ve participated in running clinics where the instructors tried to simplify the arm swing topic with an analogy. Unfortunately, due to individual perceptions, those analogies often are not quite interpreted the way they were intended, and the result can be an even more awkward and less efficient arm swing. Phrases like “imagine pulling yourself up the hill,” or “your hands and arms should go straight forward and backward like the rails on train wheels,” or even, “focus on swinging your hands forward to reach up the road or hill” can be misinterpreted. These analogies are not wrong, they are just not quite right either.

Instead of using analogies to describe proper running form, I have always believed that in watching the best in the world run, we can be directed towards running the best way.

If you watch the best runners in the world, you will notice their arms are bent between 70 and 80 degrees when in front, hands just above sternum height, 15 cm away from the chest plate, and close to—but not crossing—the centre line of the body. The faster they run, the harder the backward arm swinging motion is. At the back end of the arm swing, the arm angle opens to 80-90 degrees.

Keep in mind Archimedes’ wisdom (he’s the guy who said “with a big enough lever, I could move the world”): a long lever has lot of strength. Conversely, a shorter lever must travel more quickly and further to do the same work in the same time frame. In the case of the arm, the hand on the arm bent at 70 degrees is closer to the body than the hand on the arm bent at 80 degrees. Effectively, the lever is shorter at the beginning and lengthens through the arm swing, even if just slightly. The arm can therefore accelerate and move more quickly at the beginning of the arm swing and then halfway through when the arm angle opens up a bit. And this built up momentum adds more force to the longer arm. The opposite leg must, in turn, respond to this force by moving quickly and forcefully forward.

Additionally, though it is subtle, as running pace increases, the height of the hands in front of the body increases. At a light run, the hands are at the sternum. At race pace hands rise about 2 cm higher, and in the final sprint, the hands can be higher still. A slightly higher hand position gives more travel distance to crank the arms backward and gain even more speed and momentum.

You should also notice that the fastest runners keep their shoulders fairly steady (not perfectly steady, just fairly steady) and swing the elbow backwards more than the arm.

A very simple running drill for arm swing mechanics is to sit on the ground with legs straight out in front and swing your bent arms as if you were running. Your hands should travel from about 5 cm outside the centre line of the body and just above sternum height in front to about the hips on the back swing (not behind the body).

Do this for a few minutes to get a feel for it, coming close to your legs without touching them or without rocking your shoulders very much. A mirror helps tremendously with this drill.

So what’s the Oops Factor here?

When it comes to running form, the Oops is believing that there is only one way to run and that that way will work for everyone. There are far too many physical and mental variables between humans to say that one arm position will work for everyone. In watching the best runners, you will notice that none of them has exactly the same form. To that end, my points are only guidelines. Don’t aim for perfection; aim to just get close to doing things within the parameters outlined.

And to reinforce my point about the importance of form, you may also have noticed in watching the lead runners that while the race leaders all have GOOD form, the winner does not always have the BEST form.

The following is a guest post by Wes Harding.

______________________________

BOSTON MARATHON

TEAM HOYT 2012

www.teamhoyt.com

TEAM MEMBER: Wes Harding

Team Hoyt’s message of “Yes You Can!” knows no boundaries and crosses all international borders and nationalities.  Wes Harding, from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, was one of those individuals who heard and saw the message through a video on Team Hoyt during a Church service that inspired Wes to live out his dreams.   Three years ago, at the age of 40, Wes struggled with his weight and unfilled dreams.    As a father of four teenage girls he knew the power of a father’s love for his children.  Wes wanted to make a difference but the obstacles of life seemed too great to overcome and conquer.

Wes was not a runner but one of his dreams was to run a marathon, not just any marathon, the Boston Marathon.  Due to his weight problem and the “negative” advice of others, the dream was left unfilled.  That was until he heard the message of “Yes, You Can”!  Wes took Rick and Dick’s Message of “Yes you can!” and starting running.   Having never run before Wes went out to run each day with the empowering message of “Yes you can”! Over the past three years Wes has lost over 70 pounds, run 5 marathons, and now has his sights set upon running the Boston Marathon as a qualified runner with Team Hoyt in April 2012.  Over the past six months Wes has run a 5km run in 17:48; 10km in 38:26; half-marathon in 1:24:29 and a qualifying marathon run in a time of 3:11:02.

As a principal and teacher in an elementary school setting Wes tells his students to “Dream Big”!  “The message is simple; I tell my students that: 1. You are special, 2. Make A Difference, and 3. Yes You Can!  With hard work, determination and perseverance you can achieve your dreams!”   Wes shares that God has made each person special and has given them special gifts and talents to be used to make a difference.  “God wants you to make a difference wherever you go and that you can do anything you want.”  Wes speaks this message of Team Hoyt at numerous motivational events and is a living example of the message “Yes you can!”   Wes’ direction in life is working with children with “exceptionalities” and giving them the opportunity to experience life to the fullest.   Wes has overcome numerous obstacles in the past three years, including collapsing in a 10km race, that lead to him being diagnosed with heart /value disease, but this only inspires Wes to keep running.

Today Wes is living out his dreams. His wife and four girls travel to all his races to cheer him on and to challenge him to continue to make a difference in the lives of others.  Wes says that “sometimes when we are surrounded by what appears to be many difficulties, we may in fact be surrounded by many opportunities”.  Wes is looking forward, with great anticipation, the opportunity to meet and run with his heroes in life, Rick and Dick Hoyt.  “Team Hoyt” is all about second chances and empowering individuals to Dream Big because “Yes You Can!”

Friends, fans and supporters of Wes Harding can help his achieve his fundraising goal by visiting his Team Hoyt Crowdrise page by visiting: http://www.crowdrise.com/WesHarding

By: Karen Karnis

Mark Bomba has been a Mizuno athlete since 2005 and is the Endurance Director at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC.  He enjoys this role as he helps younger collegiate athletes learn about and build their running, and also provides some options for non-collegiate athletes to have a training group.  For example, top athletes such as Steve Osaduik can be found at some workouts.  “I do not coach Steve, but he comes out when his training works with what we’re doing,” says Bomba.  “In this case it’s a win-win situation as he gets some training partners, and having someone of his calibre acting as a mentor really adds to the atmosphere of the group.”

He understands the impact a few solid role models can have on an athlete. “When I first began running, Sue Lee, Art Boileau and Rob Lonergan actually knew my name and would ask me about some race and that was a big deal,” says Bomba.  While he never considered himself to be of the same calibre as these runners, he saw how “a simple gesture on their part left a lasting impression,” definitely a benefit to any younger developing athlete.

While Bomba is modest about his running résumé, he’s no slouch.  Some of his more recent achievements include being Canada’s top-ranked masters 10K runner in 2009 and 2010, with times of 30:39 and 30:57 respectively, and this past fall he became the masters XC Champion.

While he enjoys racing everything from the 3000m to 15K, Bomba likes the 10K because it is the “glamour event of road racing,” meaning a wide variety of people with different abilities and expectations turn out to run. For him, personally, the race is about strategy.  “It’s really all about knowing what you can do and putting that in the confines of trying to be competitive with others,” he explains, adding, “It means using your competitors to help you become a better runner.”

As a coach and one of the best 10K masters runners in Canada, we asked Bomba for some tips and advice on running the 10k.

Mark Bomba’s top 5 tips for a great 10K:

5. Set goals well in advance. This will help you to focus, and gives you time to get into a routine and overcome the desire to skip a run if you’re tired, or it’s raining or snowing.

4. Do your long runs. “The long run of at least 80 minutes is key to any 10km training as that’s the point where certain adaptations change in the body,” says Bomba.

3. Consider adding some or all of these workouts:

Tempo runs.  Any 10K runner can benefit from tempo runs of around 20 to 30 minutes at a pace you can maintain for up to one hour.

Fartleks.  These workouts involve interspersing harder running with easy running. “You can make these as simple or as complex as you want,” advises Bomba.  “I generally advocate one called a ‘monofartlek’ or do simple things like alternating 15-25 minutes of 60 seconds hard running with 60 seconds medium paced running  – or even 30 seconds of each.”

Longer intervals.  “Once again, sometimes simpler is better.  The one I often tell people to use is from a good friend of mine, and former New Zealand Olympian, Jonathan Wyatt. He does 3 minutes at around 10km pace with 2 minutes of easier running. I’ll often go up to 40mins of this, but for most people I advocate 20-25 minutes,” he says.

2. Plan your race strategy. “Some people go into races with exact plans. Many people try to be too rigid in pacing and forget that it’s an athletic competition. In a nutshell, you need to find a pace or effort that seems reasonable, as many people tend to go out too fast the first few minutes.  After that you settle in and treat it as a race. It’s amazing how people can push themselves if they are racing, as opposed to chasing a time. Focus on process and the present time as opposed to focussing on the end goal. Race and the end goal will take care of itself.”

And Bomba’s #1 tip: Be consistent. “Honestly, the most important advice I would say to anyone is simply:  get out the door and train. Consistency over time is really the key to any successful athlete. It can be easy to go for a short period of time, but to really learn about yourself and the sport it takes a lot of time of perseverance.”

By: Karen Karnis

We asked you, the members of the Mizuno Run Club, to tell us who your favourite specialty running store staff person is – and the results are in.  The winner, with 16 nominations on our Facebook wall, was Conny McLean of Kintec in Maple Ridge, BC!

McLean has been running for about 12 years now, and having taken up the sport at age 40, she is a firm believer that “it’s never too late to become a runner.”  While she does run road races from the 5K to the marathon, she much prefers to race and train on beautiful BC trails.

McLean, who has worked at Kintec for five years, loves educating customers on their biomechanics and how the right shoes will work with them. “I am proud to work for a company that places such a great importance on customer service and training their staff,” says McLean.

So what can you expect when you ask McLean for help in selecting just the right shoe?

First of all, expect a lot of questions.  She’ll ask you about your training, goals, preferred terrain, current shoes, and injury history, and says any good specialty running store staff would do the same. This information helps her to better understand your needs.

Then she will do a gait assessment, watching you walk or run on the treadmill.  Don’t worry, she’ll show you what she’s looking at on a video playback so you can better understand your own biomechanics.  She’ll bring out a few shoes for you to try, and since she’s included you in the process, you’ll know exactly why she’s recommending any given model.

If you live a little too far away from Maple Ridge to visit McLean, don’t worry, she offers advice on how to get the help you’re looking for:  “I would say foremost to go to a specialty running store where the staff knows their stuff. They should ask you questions, listen to your needs, understand gait assessment and be able to select shoes for your consideration based on that information.  You should feel comfortable enough to ask any questions you have and the staff member should be able to answer them to your satisfaction.”

Thanks to your nominations selecting McLean as the favourite running specialty store staff person on our Facebook wall, she won a pair of Mizuno running shoes.  She chose the Wave Creation, and here’s why:  “I have been a big fan of the Wave Creation since it first came out. I am even more of a fan since the strong front rocker was added. On my long road runs (over 2 hours) I have forefoot pain. The stiff sole/front rocker has eliminated that issue. It is my ‘go to’ shoe for customers with forefoot issues such as Morton’s Neuroma and arthritis.”

I have heard of “Christmas in July,” but I had never believed in “spring in winter” before.  It seems that way around here, lately.  For the last week, my geographic area has felt some very unseasonal temperatures, (I have worn 3/4 length running tights three times!) and it has been quite a great reason to get out there and run.  Really, I have no choice.  When I see fair-weather runners out logging some miles, I know I have to show my face around the ‘hood, as a ‘hard-core, run-in-any-temperature-even-if-it-kills-me‘ type runner.

That, and the fact that I am following a training plan that sees me running 6 out of 7 days each week.  The usual long run, interval run, and a smattering of other runs, usually in the 45-50 minute range have me out the door almost every day.  I love the challenge of the intervals.  I love psyching myself up for many hill repeats, or the burn I am going to feel in the last of 4 or 5 intervals at “hard” pace.  “Hard” pace is what Nicole Stevenson has written in the schedule.  Hmm.  Some days “Hard” is getting myself out the door without a 3-year-old attached to my leg!

I have to hand it to Nicole.  She is making me challenge myself big time. But, it seems like every time I survive finish a workout, I am eager to try even harder next time.  I am eager to get out there to see just what I am really made of.  I want to toe the line in Boston (ok, toe the ‘corral space’) knowing that I am ready for the ups and downs (literally) of the course.  Until that day comes, (65 days from now, but who’s counting?!) I will run and run, cross-train and visualize, and even partake in a couple of practice races (at her suggestion) to remind my body that it is fun to run in a crowd!

So I just finished up the sixth week of my weight training program, which means I’m half way finished!

The program is split into three phases (months), each phase becoming a little more intense. Phase one is basic weights, phase two is basic weights with some super sets and moderate cardio, phase three is weights, plyometric training, super sets and interval training.

As I mentioned earlier, I have modified it slightly to fit my life. First of all, I stuck with my regular running and hiking routine through the first month and added in core exercises. Secondly, I changed around leg day because I don’t want to get bigger legs and don’t see a lot of benefit from leg extensions and curls, to be honest. I’d rather do jump lunges and squats.

The biggest difference I’ve noticed in phase two (besides the addition of cardio, since that hasn’t changed for me), is that there are six days of weights. I don’t…. I can’t get to the gym six days a week. It’s just not going to happen. My goal is four days a week and I do my leg exercises at home. The sixth day is a second leg day and I skip it entirely. I figure between my long runs with Team in Training on the weekends and my long hikes with 30lbs in my backpack and any other run or hike I throw in, I’ve got legs covered.

So basically, so far, so good.

As far as differences in my body goes, I started noticing that my arms looked firmer after about two weeks. Although my husband agreed, I’m not convinced that he wasn’t just telling me what I wanted to hear (which, to clarify, is fine). Now, I actually can see a legitimate difference. My arms are bigger and more defined, I see more abs at the top of my stomach just around my ribs and I can even see a little bit of muscle along my chest which makes me excited. As far as poundage goes, I am exactly the same weight as when I started. I haven’t noticed a difference around my waist, though my husband says he has. I suspect that I’ve lost some fat, simply because I’ve quite obviously gained muscle and in order for the scale to stay the same, something’s got to be balancing that out.

The real fun part though, is that I’m actually stronger! I know, right? But seriously, for the first month of tricep exercises, one of the exercises was bench dips. I hold on to the bench with my hands and prop my feet on a second bench. The first time, three sets of ten was a struggle. Last week, I did two sets of 15 and one set of 8 (it was supposed to be 3 sets of 15 but I couldn’t do it) and then today I did three sets of 15!

It’s the same novelty as starting a new running program. If you look too far ahead, it can seem really intimidating and actually turn your off the program. But if you just take it one week, one run, one workout at a time, you make progress.

My husband and I are heading to Sugarloaf in eight days with some friends for some time away. I’m not sure if it’s realistic to plan on working out while there. First of all, I don’t know what the workout facilities will be like. Secondly, I’m a (very) amateur snowboarder and I might just be too tired to exercise. I figure since my sneakers and shorts take up such little space in my suitcase, I’ll bring them along, but I also decided that I won’t put any pressure on myself to get in serious gym time while I’m on vacation.

So basically, I’m happy to report that my New Year’s Resolution is still going strong. What about you? Are you managing to stay active or keep up with your goals through the dreariest part of the winter?