Running 101

I took to running in 2018, from not being able to finish 500 mts. to running half-marathons and more long-runs, this was something, where I exceeded my own expectations. In hindsight it appears my goals were pretty conservative, and I should have pushed harder, but I am happy and content with what I did, there is always room for improvement, in my case maybe a mansion :)

I read through multiple blog-posts, talked to some amazing runners, ran with few cool folks, made new friends and did pick up few books to geek-out about the topic. Jotting down, few of the fundamentals, for self-reference.

Caution : these opinions are subject to change, pick at your own risk.

There are five major aspects to running :

1. Fundamental athletic skills
2. Running Posture
3. Diet
4. Rest and Recovery
5. Training

Fundamental athletic skills

Following constitute to the fundamentals of running skill

1. Strength — capacity to generate forceful muscle contraction.
2. Power — ability to generate forceful muscle contractions quickly.
3. Co-ordination — skill of sequencing and timing muscle contraction.
4. Flexibility — ability to move joints and muscles through a full range of motion.
5. Balance — joint and posture stability.
6. Agility — enable runners to change direction quickly.

The body needs to acquire the above 6 skills, to be able to run sustainably. The following workouts should be tried to develop the above skills.

• Strength & Power : Lunges, Squats, High-skips, and crunches.
• Co-ordination — cariocas
• Flexibility — Arm Scissors, Glute, Hamstring and Quad Stretches
• Balance & Agility — Tight-rope, Bean-bag race, Yoga.

Running Posture

Everyone comes with his own style of walking, running and writing, one must follow what comes naturally to him, said that there are some basics that need to be taken care of.

A smooth running posture contributes to an economical, productive and efficient run. Injury is a function of incorrect posture. The following contributes to a proper-form:

1. Running tall : spine straight, shoulders broad, chin up, don’t look up or down, lean slightly forward, avoid hip-rotation.
2. Stable torso : Avoid swaying your head or body, neither horizontal, nor vertical.
3. Arm movements : swing arms in sync with opposite leg, avoid swinging them across the body — they should always move backward and forward, swing arm from shoulder not elbow, swing arms through full range of motion — usually proportional to your running pace, keep the shoulders and hips relaxed.

High-knees, Carioca, Butt-kicks, and A,B, & high-skips help.

Check out this runner’s world article on running form.

Diet

This is an ocean in itself, will summarise. Please consult a dietician.

Before diet, it is important to understand the calorie intake.

The Harris-Benedict Equation for Basal Energy Expenditure (BEE) is commonly used to figure energy requirements based on sex, height, weight and age.

W = weight in kilograms, H = height in centimeters, A = age in years

Men: BEE = 66.5 + 13.8(W) + 5.0(H) — 6.8(A)

Women: BEE = 655.1 + 9.6(W) + 1.9(H) — 4.7(A)

Now multiply a factor of 1.2(mild physical activity) — 1.5(intense training) to the above number, depending upon the activity type to get your daily calorie requirement.

1. Calorie intake should be based on your base energy expenditure or base metabolic rate.
2. Proteins : 0.8–1.8 gms / kg of body weight, depending upon activity, if you live a sedentary life, 0.8, and if you workout heavily shift to 1.8.
3. Fat should be 30% of daily calories.
4. Carbs should be 45–65% of daily calories.
5. As a rule of thumb avoid packaged food, refined-sugar, eat what grows locally.
6. Eat only when hungry, consume less than your appetite.
7. Stay hydrated.

Rest & Recovery

Rest helps replenish energy store and repair damaged tissue. Most training-plans come with a repetitive body movement, constant similar movements cause wear and tear to the tissues, and after some point in time, it starts showing up as injuries. One must learn to listen to his / her body, and not push the limits beyond injury, change activities, put in ample amount of strength and good amount of every night’s sleep.

Training

1. Interval training
2. Fartleks
3. Temo Run
4. VO2 Max Repeats
5. Long Runs

“The cure to plateau is variety in training.” — a would-be wise man. Get a mix and merge of the above five training types, talk to experienced runners or your coach.

Additional :

I am a big fan of MAF, tried it for two months and saw the difference, will pick-up again. Join the aerobic revolution with HealthFit university for free.

2–3 months down the line, once you get used to running, you will start experiencing runner’s high — an organic high without side-effects, it is good to get addicted to it. If you practise further synchronising your breath, it will become meditative run — give mindful running a shot.

Will keep editing as and when I feel like.

Best Wishes!