The 'sons of Runarchy

Introduction to Running

So you’ve decided to get on board the biggest bandwagon going around and become a part of what’s being described as the second running boom.  Great decision!  Now we need to make sure that your transition into running a little further is as risk-free and enjoyable as possible.  There are some key considerations to be had when you’re starting a running program, which we will go through now.

The Big Picture

Starting a 22km trail run.  thanks to brad spalding for the photo

1. You need to budget for a minimum of 2 runs per week (with a preference for 3) and a maximum of 5 (although many people don’t build up to 5 runs, even if they don’t have work and family commitments dragging them in nine other directions)
2. Your weekly runs should be different to each other - if you’re only managing two runs, you should consider one of your runs as your “long” run (it may not be much further than the other run, but you can work on that) and the other run as your “intensity” run.  If you can fit a third run in, consider that your “tempo” run.  We’ll get to what these three types of run mean in a second.  Just remember that it is vital that you don't just run at one pace!  On race day you will inevitably run faster than the pace you've trained at.  It's human nature, just the rules of how we respond to exciting situations, so if you've never exposed yourself to running quickly, you will immediately be outside of your comfort zone and will be much more likely to blow up and have a poor race.  So get used to running faster than you anticipate you'll need to!
3. You need to take a day off between runs to begin with - spread the runs that you do through your week, rather than jamming them all together in a row
4. If you have a race in mind, you need to plan your training to work up to the race that you’re doing.  For example, if you’re doing the Blackmore’s Half Marathon on September 17th, then you will want to have run at least two runs further than 16km prior to that (preferably one in late August, one in early Sept).  As a super basic rule of thumb, a marathon needs a minimum of 2x 30km+ runs, and preferably 3x 30km+, with one of them being 33-35km.  Half needs a 16km and an 18km.

More specific issues

Starting chute on a trail run at raffertys resort, lake macquarie

1. Pacing - as mentioned above, you need to get used to running at different paces.  A good way to work out your pace zones is to do a time trial - parkrun is awesome for this - click the link and register if you haven’t already!  From there you can put in the times you should be training at for a variety of distances using a cool little online tool https://runsmartproject.com/calculator/ - this works on the premise that you train to the shape you are currently in, not the pace you want to get to.  Once you’ve entered your time for the distance you timetrialled, the calculator will tell you the approximate pace you should be looking to do your “long” run (Easy pace per km on the table); “intensity” pace (the Repetition pace from the table) and your “tempo” run (at or slightly slower than the Threshold pace from the table).  Do a retest every 4-6wks to ensure that you’re still training at the right paces as you get fitter.  And it’ll help your parkrun stats progress as well!
2. Progression - the mileage that you build up by each week has a direct relationship with your risk of injury, so it’s important to know how much running you are doing each week to stay in the “safe” zone as much as possible.  However, the old rule of thumb of progressing your total distance by 10% each week is unnecessarily conservative when it comes to upping your mileage.  It turns out that 30% is closer to the safety threshold of what we can get away with.  This link here is a super basic version of a load calculator, and also has a great description of the science behind it.  Use that to work out how much you should be running each week.
3. Technique - there isn’t one right answer to this.  Technique will definitely affect the efficiency with which you run, and also your risk of getting injured, but as yet there is no data as to what particular element of technique is the most important to ensure you run both well, and safely.  We think that key indicators include how the angles of your knee and shin look as your foot hits the ground (the more bent the knee and upright the angle of the shin, the better), as well as the movement of your pelvis through your gait cycle (less vertical oscillation through the stride and less braking when your foot hits the ground is better), but right now these are as yet unproven hypotheses.  The things you can do yourself include checking your cadence - most of us take a slightly slower stride than we should, which means we need to take a longer stride to make up for the extra time it takes to turn our legs over.  This overstriding is going to cause basically the opposite of all of the above measures.  So if you can spin your feet over more quickly, you’ll limit your risk of overstriding.  An easy way to measure this is to count how many times one foot hits the ground in a minute, and doubling that number.  If you’re up around the 160-180 steps per minute, you’re likely in the ballpark of where you need to be.  The other easy consideration is to try and be quiet as you run over the ground.  If you can’t hear your footfalls that easily, you’re probably running relatively safely.  Your best bet is to talk to a technique coach and get some objective, external feedback (preferably with videos and cue suggestions) to improve this.  http://runbetter.com.au/ is a great place to start for this if you live in Newcastle!
4. Body Maintenance - the final consideration in getting started with a running program is what to do in between runs, and how to minimise your risk of getting injured due to simple muscle weakness, asymmetry or tightness.  Stretching is not the answer here.  I repeat: stretching is NOT the answer!!  “What is the answer then?” I hear you say…  This is where your local Good Physio comes into the picture (hint hint!!)  Common running injuries that we look to get in front of include shin splints, ITB friction syndrome, patellofemoral pain syndrome and trochanteric bursitis (which turns out to be a gluteal tendinopathy, but the name hasn’t caught on yet).  Measurements that we take to aid with identifying key potential areas of heightened risk are all objective, and the exercises prescribed are directly targeted at correcting any weaknesses or limitation that we’ve exposed.