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Guest Post: Five Things To Run More Efficiently

April 7, 2014 By: Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC18 Comments

Hi y’all! I am off on a week long work conference in Seattle and am pretty much working around the clock so for the next week or so, you’ll get the chance to hear from some pretty amazing guest posters here at Eat Pray Run DC. I hope you’ll enjoy the change and pace and discover some new to you bloggers! I’ll be back next week and will be checking in as I am able on Twitter & Instagram.

First up this week, we have Michele sharing her five tips to help increase speed! Thanks Michele!

For a long time I ran the same 9:45-10:00 min/mile pace and never thought about speed. But whenever I increased my mileage, I’d get the same aches in my glutes and lower back. After my second child, I decided if I was going to run and stay with it for the long haul, I needed to do it right.  I researched how to run more efficiently and realized I wasn’t getting the most out of my running because I was doing many things wrong.  Here are a few things I’ve learned.  I am not a personal trainer or a coach, just sharing things that have helped me.  After implementing a few concepts, I’ve taken my pace down to an average of 8:00 min/mile.

1) Form:  The biggest change I made was with my stride.  I used take longer strides and have my heel land out in front of me.  This is like putting on the breaks every time you hit the ground – all that force goes right up your leg.  Instead, concentrate on your foot landing underneath or slightly in front of you.  Think land, grip, and pull:  pull the ground with your foot and kick your heels toward you butt.  Here are 3 videos which I found to be helpful:

Short version: proper running form explained in 30 seconds!

Medium Length: 3 minute tutorial

Long Version: 5.5 minutes showing a comparison between heel striker and midfoot striker.  This version gave me the best visual.

2) Cadence:  To help with taking shorter but quicker strides, I sometimes run to a metronome.  The ideal cadence is 180 bpm, which for me is pretty fast and not something I can keep up with for long distances.  I’m closer to the 160’s or 170’s.  The metronome forces me to think about my feet striking the ground at an even rhythm.  I visualize bringing my foot back down to the ground quicker, and rather than taking too long of a stride.  You can find many free metronome apps for your phone.  Start at whatever cadence feels comfortable, and practice increasing that cadence slowly.

3) Terrain:  I try to run on grass once in awhile.  It’s not only better for your joints, but it also works your muscles in a different way and increases the overall strength in your legs.   I tend to run lighter on grass and it’s a good way to wake up the muscles needed to land more on the forefoot.  Just try and find a relatively even area and watch for holes and rocks!

4) Pace:   One of the biggest mistakes I made was running the same pace all the time.  I believe this doesn’t challenge your muscles, causing you to use the same ones all the time, leading to muscle imbalance and eventually injury.  Running at a slower pace give your body a chance to recover and an opportunity to focus on form.  More than likely, as you move into shorter,quicker strides, this may slow you down some at first anyway.  By running with people a little faster than you, you are challenging your muscles and therefore strengthening them.

5) Strength Train:  Another mistake I made was thinking more was better.  I only focused on increasing the miles and thought that’s how I’d strengthen my legs.  But runners need to strengthen the core, glutes, and hamstrings as well.  Some favorite core exercises of mine are planks, plank ups, hollow rocks, and sprinter sit ups.  I incorporate squats and deadlifts to strengthen my butt and hamstrings.  Lastly, I can’t stress enough how important plyometrics are.  These exercises really strengthen the “pushing off” motion you need for running efficiently.  Plyometrics are jumping exercises like jump squats, 180 jumps, scissor jumps, or tuck jumps.  Here is a tutorial on a few of these exercises.

 blogger-image--188511655

Teaching your body to run efficiently will help you get the most out of the energy you put in, resulting in a faster speed.  For me, this also helped me push past the weight plateau I was hanging on to for years.  It’s important to consistently change your routine and change up the muscles you are working.  This prevents overworking certain areas, which usually results in injury.  Concentrate on your body as a whole.  Strengthen it and make it more efficient.  The rest will fall into place!

Michele is a married mother of two, runner, triathlete, aspiring yogi, Navy Veteran and blogger.  She writes about how fitness isn’t just about your dress size at her own blog own blog, A Pace of Balance.  Michele also contributes to the Family Fitness section of We Know Stuff, a parenting blog based on Long Island. Connect with Michele on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.


Comments

  1. Jennifer says

    April 7, 2014 at 6:33 am

    Thanks for the tips/advice Michele, particularly #1-3. I def could work on my stride and posturing. Have a good work trip Courtney!
    Jennifer recently posted…Weekly Workout/Training in Review 3/30-4/5My Profile

    Reply
    • Michele @apaceofbalance says

      April 7, 2014 at 7:00 am

      Thanks Jennifer! I hope you find the tips helpful. It’s a process I’m always working on!
      Michele @apaceofbalance recently posted…Cherry Pit 10 Miler Recap: Pace Not Race!My Profile

      Reply
  2. Christine @ We Run Disney says

    April 7, 2014 at 8:37 am

    Great tips! I recently made the transition from 9:45-10:30 pace to 8:30-9:15 and it’s essentially happened overnight. Partly I started accepting that I could run faster and there was a LOT of hard work too. I found that mixing up my surfaces and routes for my runs has really helped me. I try to balance roads, trails and treadmill runs to a) keep it interesting and b) keep it challenging too!

    Reply
    • Michele @apaceofbalance says

      April 7, 2014 at 8:59 pm

      So true Christine – we must believe we can be faster! We can’t accomplish anything unless we believe in it first.
      Michele @apaceofbalance recently posted…How To Run More EfficientlyMy Profile

      Reply
  3. Chaitali says

    April 7, 2014 at 8:57 am

    So many great tips! Thanks for sharing, especially the tutorial on the plyometric exercises.
    Chaitali recently posted…Friday five grab bagMy Profile

    Reply
    • Michele @apaceofbalance says

      April 7, 2014 at 9:00 pm

      Hi Chaitali, glad you enjoyed the tutorial. Did you see the ladies in the background? I felt a little silly doing the video at first, but then they told me they liked some of the exercises 🙂
      Michele @apaceofbalance recently posted…How To Run More EfficientlyMy Profile

      Reply
  4. Lacey@fairytalesandfitness says

    April 7, 2014 at 10:06 am

    All great tips! I like changing my runs from roads to dirt in my local state park. Not only is it a change of terrain but a change of scenery!

    Reply
    • Michele @apaceofbalance says

      April 7, 2014 at 9:01 pm

      Nice! It sounds like a great place to run!
      Michele @apaceofbalance recently posted…How To Run More EfficientlyMy Profile

      Reply
  5. Lauren says

    April 7, 2014 at 4:40 pm

    Great tips, Michele! Love the plyometric workout! I need to work more stuff like this into my training.
    Lauren recently posted…Remember that time my skin almost fell off and then was subsequently revived by some amazing new lotion? {AmLactin Giveaway}My Profile

    Reply
    • Michele @apaceofbalance says

      April 7, 2014 at 9:03 pm

      Lauren, glad you liked the plyo moves. I used to HATE plyo because it was so tiring. Now I love plyo for the same reason 😉
      Michele @apaceofbalance recently posted…How To Run More EfficientlyMy Profile

      Reply
  6. Maria @ The Good Life says

    April 7, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    Oh wow, I actually posted about this and my two favorite exercises to increase strength. Definitely something I am doing better training for my first half marathon this time around. 🙂
    Maria @ The Good Life recently posted…139 | BE FIT | Stronger Lower Body for Stronger RunsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Michele @apaceofbalance says

      April 7, 2014 at 9:03 pm

      Maria, I checked out your post. I like that barbell move on the stability ball! I also love the dead lift – great for runners!
      Michele @apaceofbalance recently posted…How To Run More EfficientlyMy Profile

      Reply
  7. Lindsey @ OneMotherofaDay says

    April 7, 2014 at 11:55 pm

    Great post Michele!!! I have been wanting to try to increase my speed. I feel like I have been at the 9:30 pace forever. I do incorporate some speed work during the week but, I think I need to work on it more. I pinned this to my running board in Pinterest!! Very informative!!
    Lindsey @ OneMotherofaDay recently posted…Run, like how you live your life, with no regrets.My Profile

    Reply
    • Michele @apaceofbalance says

      April 8, 2014 at 3:55 pm

      Thanks Lindsey! I’m glad you like it. I really need to get onboard with Pinterest. It seems so overwhelming!
      Michele @apaceofbalance recently posted…Tasty Tuesday: Dinner ConfessionsMy Profile

      Reply
  8. Michelle Hartgraves says

    April 8, 2014 at 9:54 am

    Found you via Lil Mys Ninja. Plyometrics are so important to runners. Look forward to following you.
    Michelle Hartgraves recently posted…A New Family Tradition: The Color RunMy Profile

    Reply
    • Michele @apaceofbalance says

      April 8, 2014 at 3:56 pm

      Hi Michelle! I’ve seen you on Facebook, thanks for liking my page 🙂 Yes, I wish I discovered plyo sooner. It does wonders!
      Michele @apaceofbalance recently posted…Tasty Tuesday: Dinner ConfessionsMy Profile

      Reply
  9. Bonnie S. says

    April 8, 2014 at 10:24 am

    Great post Michele. Love your tips and that you post photos and videos.

    Reply
    • Michele @apaceofbalance says

      April 8, 2014 at 3:57 pm

      Hi Bonnie! Thanks so much. I’m glad you like the videos. I feel a little self conscious doing them, but I think they are helpful.
      Michele @apaceofbalance recently posted…Tasty Tuesday: Dinner ConfessionsMy Profile

      Reply

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