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Have you been running a long time and just can’t seem to get past that goal time that you want? Have you just started running, or have you been going for a whiie now and seem to find that it is ‘just so hard’. Or have you been running and keep getting injured? Today, Will Wragg from RIF REV {Running Injury Free Revolution} is here to tell us how running can be easy and not cause us injuries. Myself and a few other mums from RMA have been privileged to be part of RIF REV’s amazing workshops where he indeed worked his magic and had us running more efficiently and with correct technique. I, for one was amazed at the difference in my running utilising the things I learned in the workshop and they made a huge impact to my times and my overall running. If you have a chance, you must participate in one of these workshops. They will change your how you view running forever……

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People who think about the topic of running, often follow it up with thoughts of injury. I mean after all over 70% of runners each year are sidelined through injury at some time or other, but by putting a stop to my own injuries FOR GOOD, and really getting to the forefront of explaining the premise of injury-free and effortless running, i must declare that it’s closer to 99% of runners who run in a way that puts them at risk of injury!

The good news is, becoming a injury-free and effortless runner is truly easy and doesn’t have to take weeks, I’ve seen it first hand take ten minutes or less! And I myself, after 5 years of chronic shin splints, ITB syndrome and other running-related injuries, went from running for only 20 minutes before the onset of pain to almost three hours a day WITHIN A SINGLE DAY and WITHIN A SINGLE YEAR RAN 50 MARATHONS IN 50 DAYS and over the past couple of years have run close to 20000 kilometres..

I can tell you, in explicitly that I am NOT A FREAK, I am not a FITNESS GOD, but I learned how to run smart and with intelligence and here are some basic points on how you too can gain the same control over your running:

1) PEOPLE GET INJURED BECAUSE THEY USE POWER. Similar to those swimmers who pull themselves through the water without moving particularly fast and using twice the energy, runners do the same. The difference is, in running you can’t see the physical forces we’re moving in unison with. Imagine yourself standing straight – you’re anchored down by gravity and your hips are your centre of mass! And when you’re stood up straight, of course you do not move SOOOOO IF YOU MAINTAIN A SIMILAR UPRIGHT STRAIGHT POSITION AS YOU RUN, THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN MOVE FORWARDS IS USING POWER AND OVER-STRIDING, BOTH OF WHICH ARE DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR RUNNING.

African runners move at incredible speeds for such extensive periods not because of power. I mean they’re so lightweight, yet so fast! They move using their body position (initiating movement using gravitational force) But what do I mean and how can you replicate it!!??????

Standing straight through your hips and chest, with your body acting as a lever, lean FROM YOUR ANKLES (remaining straight through the hips and chest) and after a few degrees you’ll feel yourself moving forwards (that’s gravity….an efficient runners’ best friend). Practice creating movement by leaning through the ankles because that’s how the best runners create movement, NOT USING MUSCULAR FORCE AND EXPLOSIVE POWER! And when you see an elite runner, they’re always leaning slightly forwards, by as little as a few degrees, but that’s all it takes.

2) Once you become accustomed to finding this tipping point, when you feel the initiation of movement, practice the below drill:

Between two points practice running a) at that small angle (leaning from the ankles, whilst remaining straight from head-to-toe), whilst b) relaxing the lower body (so without pushing or pulling) and c) planting your feet/contacting the ground directly below the hips.

It’s crucial to stay relaxed to run fluidly and in the same way cats completely relax their body to allow themselves to fall from great heights without injury; being relaxed maximises absorption and completely eradicates the impact forces of running.

Planting directly below the hips is SO CRUCIAL because any contact in front of the hips acts as a brake. It makes the knees bend and hips sink. It makes a runner move closer to the ground and waste energy without moving forwards and forces them use way too much power (pushing off using the calves and over working and the quads, glutes and hamstrings to initiate movement)…… “HELLO ALL COMMON RUNNING INJURIES”.

3) once you feel comfortable doing those three things really practice lengthening through the body – through the abdominals from the base of the rib cage and lifting the chest by about one centimetre in one single movement.

Creating movement from a high point means you have a longer movement lever. In the same way opening a door with a longer door handle is easier, running with a great movement lever reduces impact forces on the lower body, it reduces our time in contact with the body, and it makes us fast and wayyyyy more efficient.

4) A final point to start you off is reducing those achey arms and shoulders!!

Too many runners get achey arms and it comes from swinging them up, forwards and across their body; lifting their shoulders in the process. Only sprinters need to pump their arms for acceleration and it’s a mistake all other runners make by replicating that technique. It’s more crucial to keep the shoulders down, back and relaxed in a neutral position.

This can be achieved in a couple of simple points:

Simply, lifting the chest instantly moves the shoulders backwards slightly and prevent hyper-rotation. MY FAVOURITE ARM TIP is simply instead of pumping the arms forwards to backwards, I move my arms BACKWARDS TO FORWARDS and this, along with keeping the length through the chest means my shoulders stay backwards and relaxed at all times, whilst allowing me to maintain good tempo and rhythm.

HOW TO MAINTAIN RUNNING TIPS DURING AN EXTENDED RUN OR WHEN TIMES GET TOUGH?!!!!!:

SIMPLE! All you need to do is keep a mantra, a tool kit. So, instead of thinking “oh no, I’m tired, lets dig in” or “oh no, I’m injured, better just finish the race” stop capitulating technically and the onset of all injuries and maintain an effortless running style by maintaining a simple toolkit.

For me, the toolkit I use is LRLS:
LENGTHEN – through the abdominals and chest
RELAX – from the waist down, particularly the feet, calves and quads
LEAN – from the ankles, by only a few degrees (enough to create forward movement)
SHOULDERS – relax the shoulders ; moving the arms from back-to-front.

Here are some tips to get you started but, for more information, please check out our videos at www.rifrev.com.au or drop me an email at will@rifrev.com.au and see you at a city near you soon!

Cheers

Will