How to hit the ground running faster, lighter, and more efficiently in the new year.

Why is too much time off from running not good? After six or seven days off, our running fitness (VO2max) begins to decline. Soon after that, our running soft tissues (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) begin to weaken, and eventually our bone density may even suffer. Research also shows that our fitness stabilizes at its lowest level in only two to three months. Cross-training will only slow the rate of decline up to fifty per cent in these running-specific tissues.
So how do we maintain and even improve our running while recovering in the off-season?

Just Keep Running … Slowly

Perhaps you have heard that injuries are caused by too much (running),

The key to gradually adding distance or time spent running before starting a program (typically consisting of ten to sixteen weeks of training in preparation for a running event), is to have completed a minimum of six weeks of easy running. Dr. Jack Daniels, a leading running physiologist, researcher, and elite coach, recommends staying at the same distance and time of running during the off-season for three weeks (for full adaptation), before adding ten to twenty per cent over the next three weeks.

Just Keep Running … on the Treadmill

The off-season is a great time to use the treadmill to work on your running biomechanics (form). Treadmill drills have a few advantages over outdoor running including their constant speed, a mirror in front of you to watch your form, a soft surface, and a break from poor weather conditions.

Below are three treadmill drills that may substantially improve your running speed and endurance:

Treadmill Drill #1: Turn OFF excessive muscle activity

Most people waste energy when they run, which slows them down and increases muscle soreness/damage. Besides simply trying to relax while running, self-analysis on the treadmill is an excellent way to smooth out your running stride and improve efficiency.
•    Set the treadmill on a speed at which you can maintain an easy pace for some time. Also increase the incline to one or two per cent to better simulate outdoor conditions.
•    Watch yourself in the mirror and look for any excessive body movements, i.e., head bobbing, excessive arm swing, excessive forward/backward lean, knees too high, overstriding, heavy landing, arms crossing the midline of the body, neck/shoulder tension, etc.
•    Try to minimize these movements to see if your heart rate (ideally monitored) or exertion level moves up or down.
•    Try this at your chosen speed until you find what changes in your form produce the lowest heart rate (exertion level). This represents the best biomechanics/form for you.

Treadmill Drill #2: Practice your leg turnover with no change in speed

Treadmill Drill #3: Toe off correctly

One thing I often see when doing gait analysis on a patient is the inability of long distance runners to toe off properly, especially once fatigue accumulates. Running, especially over longer distances, causes the muscles on the inside of the calf, shin, ankle, and arch of the foot to tighten, shorten, and adhere to one another. This tightening in combination with running fatigue accentuates rolling off the outside of our foot and reducing our stride length, power, and speed.
Running efficiency is created when the big toe extends during toe-off because this creates a stiffening in the arch of the foot (“windlass effect”), allowing the foot to become a rigid, locked level from which to push off. Conversely, improper toe-off (from outer foot or toes) leads to pushing off a floppy foot, resulting in a weakness, muscle strain, and potential injury.

As odd as it sounds, elite sprinters, and long distance runners to a lesser extent, often have large and hypertrophied big toe muscles and joints because any energy leak in this area would drastically slow them down.
•    Set the treadmill on a relatively easy pace at which you can maintain for some time. Also increase the incline to one or two per cent to better simulate outdoor conditions.
•    In the mirror (in front of the treadmill) watch and feel which toe(s) leaves the treadmill last. This occurs when your foot is behind you so you won’t see it properly without a mirror.
•    Try to make sure the last thing that leaves the ground is your big toe (or big and second toe). This is the goal.
•    If you don’t feel some pressure through the big toe as your foot leaves the treadmill, try to make any subtle change that redirects your toe-off to being from the big toe.
•    To make rolling off the big toe more natural, stretch your inner ankle by pressing your toes up against a wall or curb and bend you knee forward toward your toe. The key is to keep your weight on the inside of your heel and especially through your big toe. You should feel this stretch either in the big toe joints, inner arch of the foot, inner ankle or Achilles area or inner calf, wherever it happens to be the tightest. Hold for fifteen to thirty seconds one or two times a day. Lessen or stop the stretch if you feel discomfort.

Make sure you keep running frequently and slowly in the off-season to prevent running-specific weakness and de-conditioning. To work on your running biomechanics, try the above drills on the treadmill. These drills can eventually be performed outside, but I highly recommend tying them first on the treadmill where you have the advantage of constant speed and a mirror. A constant speed and a mirror help you toe off properly, reduce excessive muscle activity, adopt a quicker cadence and lower heart rate/exertion level in a controlled environment.

About the Author

Aaron Case is a sub-2:50 marathoner. Dr. Case is a chiropractor focusing heavily on soft-tissue treatments, gait analysis, and rehab to promote active recovery, whose practice is located in Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia, at Body & Soul Health and Fitness.