I recently purchased a copy of Ken Mierke's book The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training, (Velo Press, 2005). Although I am not a triathlete, I have recently started to race in a few local sprint duathlons. Triathlons are swim-bike-run, whereas duathlons are run-bike-run. I have been cycling for a number of years, but only running for about 1 year.
The two running portions of the duathlons are a bit of a challenge for me, especially the second run, after getting off the bike. I'm always looking for ways to improve my run speed, so when I saw this book at my local Barnes & Noble I decided to purchase a copy.
Chapter 1: Evolve Your Running Technique to Improve "Miles Per Gallon" is the most interesting part of the book. Mierke discusses that the running technique done by most runners, either a heel strike, or mid foot strike with heel strike, is not the most efficient way to run. Mierke says: "Correcting the placement of your foot-strike will change your body position, balance, and the basic rhythm of your running. Theses changes are improvements that will eventually help you run further, faster, and more injury free than ever before, but they will not feel natural initially."
The main elements of Mierke's running technique
- Put the foot down sooner
- Land on the ball of the foot
- Keep the weight off the heel of the foot
- Shorten stride length
- Increase cadence
- Lean forward slightly
- Correct arm placement
I tried Mierke's new style of running last night on a 6 mile run. I normally do this run in about 1 hour and 5 minutes. It only took me 58 minutes 49 seconds to complete this run. That is a huge improvement in speed. I thought I was going much slower, as landing on the ball of my feet, and not putting any weight on my heels, really maxed out my calve muscles. And the higher cadence pace really maxed out my lungs - I have exercise induced asthma, so breathing can be a bit challenging at times.
So I ended up taking a lot more walk breaks than I normally would. Prior to trying this new technique, I was doing 1 mile to 1 minute run to walk ratios. Last night I started at a 1 mile to 2 minute ratio for the first 2 miles, then switched to a 1/2 mile to 2 minute ratio for the rest of the run. But I still ended up doing the 6 mile run over 6 minutes faster than my PR.
I spent a lot of time stretching out last night. My calves still feel a bit tight today. I am going to try to go for a short run later in the day to see how I feel. I'm still a very slow runner, but I am hoping this new running technique will greatly improve my running time at my next duathlon. I'm hoping once I build up my calve strength and lung capacity, that I will be a smoking fast runner using this new technique.
Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Run Diva
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