Would you like free running coaching for a whole year? Each year I offer two sponsorships to runners. The sponsorships are for a full year of online running coaching and I invite you to apply.

In 2019 I helped athletes complete a diverse range of goals. Here is a snapshot of a few successes from the year:

• UTA 50k 2nd place.
• Age group champion Spartan Ultra Beast - Bright, Vic.
• Age group champion Australian Mountain Running Championships
• Honolulu Marathon finisher and 2:50 debut marathon
• Outback Marathon finisher

Why do I need a running coach? This is actually a very important question to ask yourself. As Simon Sinek says - start with WHY!
I think there are a number of reasons why a running coach is a good idea and why a running coach can be a valuable resource for any runner - regardless of their level of experience.

• Accountability. How often do we set ourselves goals and targets but after a few days or weeks of earnest adherence to our new program, we fall off the wagon. This is because we are only accountable to ourselves and when you are trying to get out of bed at 5am to complete your long run or resist that second slice of chocolate brownie, your lazy, hedonistic side usually trumps your motivated, disciplined side. Having someone to be accountable to gives you an extra layer of protection from the late night cake and early morning lie-in demons.
• Knowledge. Your coach (should) know what they are talking about. They should walk the walk and have experience actually doing the things you are training to do yourself. They should also be qualified and educated so that they can share this knowledge with you. A coach is a teacher not a dictator and you should be learning your craft guided by the experience and knowledge of an experienced and knowledgeable coach.
• Programming. Let's face it, sometimes it's nice to just be told what to do! Rather than having to deliberate about where to run, how far, how fast, a coach can lay out your week for you in advance. In a world of decision fatigue, don't make your training more of a stress than it needs to be.

• Feedback and communication. Having someone to bounce ideas off, to discuss your training with in great detail, and who is genuinely concerned about your training is priceless. Do your family's eyes glaze over when you start talking about your latest shoe purchase, or whether you hit your target pace  in your morning tempo run? Mine do! But having a coach who you can talk to and brainstorm your way through your training means that you don't have to bore your partner and friends with training talk. Feedback on your own training is also invaluable as you can track the progress you are making with your training rather just wondering if the training you are doing is right.
• Effectiveness of training. You spend a lot of time training and running and it is an important part of your life. You want to make sure that the training you are doing is actually going to help you achieve your goals, whatever they be - this could be anything from running 2km for the first time, all the way up to competing at a high level in international competition. It doesn't matter who you are, the principle is the same - you want your training to give you results.
• Injuries. A good coach (should) be keeping a close eye on your recovery and making sure that you aren't running yourself towards an injury. They should also be aware of  injuries you  have had in the past and tailor your training around your injuries. It can be very difficult to track this yourself, so having someone in your corner to help you, can make navigating this tricky aspect of training much less painful.

Running coaching is my passion, and if you are looking for a running coach, or have any questions please get in touch.

For more information about my coaching services please click this link.

One of the most common technique errors I encounter when assessing running technique is the lazy heel lift. Essentially what happens is that the swinging leg (as it leaves the ground at the point of push off), remains extended behind the body for too long.  This then leads to (or is caused by) over striding and results in a scissoring running style, where the legs resemble a pair of scissors swinging through the air.

Scissoring is a problem because it is inefficient, particularly at higher running speeds.  To understand why, you need to consider some basic physics.  When you swing something through the air (in this case your legs, with the pivot point at your hip joint), you create a lever arm.  The longer the lever and the faster you try to swing the lever, the harder you are going to have to work.  To make it easier, or more efficient, you either have to swing the lever more slowly (this is what happens when you run at slow speeds) or shorten the lever (seen more at quicker speeds).  To demonstrate, try this simple test:  

• Stand with a long stick in your hand, held away from your body.  
• Keeping your arm straight, move the stick up and down quickly.
• Now repeat the test, with the same stick, held at right angles to your arm.  

Which is easier to swing? The second one of course.  The weight of the stick is exactly the same, the only thing that has changed is the length of the lever.  Short lever = less work from your muscles.

So how does this apply to running in the real world?  Well, it is hard to measure how much energy is required to swing your leg during running but it is estimated to be in the region of 20% of the total energy cost, in other words, a really high percentage.  Anything you can do to optimise your energy expenditure when running will improve your running economy and allow you to run further and faster for the same effort and reduce your risk of an injury.  Lets see what this looks like at different running speeds:

Notice in the above pictures how the principal difference is in the degree of knee bend of the swinging leg.  The rest of the body looks remarkably similar, given the difference in pace.  Knee bend of stance foot, foot position, torso angle, even arm position all look virtually the same at the different speeds.  However, in the 18km/h technique, the runner has shortened the lever between the hip and the end of the limb (foot), by bending the knee to a much more acute angle. The 10km/h technique still demonstrates a knee bend, but to a much lesser extent.  Finding the sweet spot of just the right amount of knee bend at your different running paces is one of the keys to developing a good running technique.

How do you know if you have a Lazy Heel Lift?
Some of the things you might be experiencing if you have a lazy heel lift are:

• Plateau in running performance. You just can't seem to get faster.
• Difficulty running at quicker paces but fine at slower paces
• Quad fatigue during running or quad soreness after running
• Calf pain when running or recurrent calf injuries.
• Knee pain or injury when running.

Ok, I have a Lazy Heel Lift.  What should I do to correct it?
The first and most important thing is to assess your running technique. The Lazy Heel Lift can be a sign that something else is going on with your technique or biomechanics, and running injuries should always be assessed before handing out blanket advice. Once you have ascertained the reason behind the Lazy Heel Lift, then there are exercises, drills and technique cues you can implement to have you shortening your levers and boosting your performance in no time!

To learn more about your running technique then please join one of our group workshops or read more about a 1:1 technique assessment.

Happy Running :)