USING GRAVITY TO AN ADVANTAGE
By Coach Pat Connelly
Let say that today is the start of your training for a race, any race. Your running partner consistently beats you time after time in a race. Your partner and you are the same in every respect as runners, then why are you always behind. The fact of the matter is simple, your partner used proper form and technique while training and racing and that is the difference for turning in a faster performance.
At my U.S.A.M.T. training session, the first thing I do is go through the proper elements of form and technique before we run a step. The important message I must get across is, "Using Gravity to an Advantage". Once that is learned then training and conditioning can take place.
If your race is six miles, you are required to take over 32,000 steps. Now consider that each time the foot strikes the ground you are forcing 5,000 pounds of pressure per square inch up into your ankles, knees, hips, lower back and that is if you are on a flat surface, you can imagine going down hill and the impact affect. Going up hill is another issue because you are lifting your entire body weight up off the ground when you push off the back foot. Here is how you can learn to run using gravity to an advantage and improve individual and team performance:
Posture: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, back straight while looking straight ahead. Feel the gravity pull under the feet. Your weight should be distributed evenly from the heel forward to the ball and toes of the foot. Bring your chin down, looking about four feet ahead of you at the ground. Using the hips as a hinge while keeping the back straight, bring your shoulders slightly forward of your hips. Now, go back to the feeling of gravity under your feet. The gravity pull should have shifted from the heel area to the toes and forward part of the foot. You are now in the position to run using gravity pull to an advantage. If you stay perpendicular or lean back your head and then shoulders, gravity pull to the rear and you use more strength and energy running from start to finish while losing momentum.
Your stride should remain very short with the foot striking the ground under the shoulders (under the center of gravity). When running up hill the stride should be even shorter with slightly more lean.
The arm movement is critical in power, balance and conserving energy. Place your fore arms about hip level turning your hands just slightly inside of the hips. Think of your upper arms as a short pendulums (shoulder to elbow) swinging forward and back. Allow the elbows to do the work by pulling the wrist just back of the hip and pushing forward until the elbow reaches the hip. The arm controls the opposite leg lift. Where the arm goes, goes the opposite knee. You must maintain proper arm control. If one arm comes higher then the other then the opposite leg will take a longer stride then the other. Remember I said it is 5,000 pounds of pressure per square inch not using proper form? Well, changing to the gravity assistance form will decrease that amount by as much as 2,000 pounds.
The last thing to consider is proper breathing and relaxation. You must breathe through the mouth, not just the nose. In addition you must stay totally relaxed (think Jell-O) so the blood flow can stay unrestricted to feed the muscles.
During down hill conditions this form needs to be considered when defining form and technique. Down hill, just relax and let the hill take you down. Foot strike should be on the heels and let the feet fall as gently as possible. I suggest that runners should wear a very supportive shoe running a down hill leg that absorbs a lot of shock resistance. A racing flat will not provide the support and some runners will cramp terribly. You are looking at 5,000-7,000 pounds of pressure per square inch driving up the legs running down hill.
Coach Connelly is the Director of Training for U.S.A. Marathon Training - www.usamarathontraining.com - He has coached over 40 years on the club and high school level, including at U.C.L.A. as the assistant cross country and track coach, and at U.S.C. as the head cross country coach. He has written a book, “Go The Distance” and coached over 30,000 runners who completed the L.A. Marathon.