5 Tips to Run Faster

As spring has arrived and the summer months are bearing down upon us at a rapid rate, there seems to be more and more focus on events with a conditioning and running focus, such as the ‘City to Surf’ courses and the more recreational events like ‘Tough Mudder’ & 'Mudd Rush'.

In light of this, I thought I would take some time to drop a few hints regarding the best way you can optimize your running efficiency, to maximize your effectiveness.

First of all, as I mentioned in the video on the GCP Fitness Facebook page, running technique in the lower extremities comes down to a simple equation:

“STRIDE LENGTH x STRIDE FREQUENCY”

Research has shown that the optimal stride length and frequency will depend on the individual, however, the fitter you are could mean that a change in one of these factors would effect your maximal oxygen uptake less during the race, ie: your body won’t require as much oxygen & you won't get puffed so quickly (2).

The main picture highlights that the maximal oxygen uptake increases as the freely chosen stride length (cm) increases, and is actually at an optimal stride length for this athlete at around the 146-150cm stage. Interestingly, for this particular individual, this stride length is even more efficient than a shorter stride of 134cm!

As you can see, by taking a larger stride you are certainly placing a greater stress on the lactate and cardiovascular system, so improving your fitness should counteract some of these effects.

In saying this, if you are in training and trying to improve your ‘cruising speed’ (the speed you can remain at for long periods of time), try to influence your stride length to be longer. Not only has stride variability seen to vary with smaller stride lengths (1), meaning a less efficient technique, but by increasing the length of your stride, you will cover a greater distance at a faster rate, meaning a personal best time might well be on it’s way!


While there seems to be an optimum stride length and frequency for every runner and every speed (1), you CAN alter this to suit your needs by:

1) Improving your cardiovascular fitness to ensure your maximal oxygen uptake improves in its efficiency/rate.

2) Train by doing interval or sprint-based run training. Not only will this improve body composition and cardiovascular fitness, it will also naturally increase both your stride rate and stride frequency, meaning over time, your cruising speed should improve as well.

3) Resistance train. Weights have been shown to improve a plethora of physiological responses to assist in increasing your level of running such as; increasing neuromuscular efficiency and the lactate threshold of an individual, meaning you can run for longer period of time before getting fatigued!

4) Improve your body composition. Optimize your efficiency by having a better ratio of lean muscle:body fat, by learning about correct nutrient timing and macronutrient intake to fuel your training.

5) From a technique perspective, watch the GCP Fitness video on Facebook to see how your arms, torso and stride can all improve your running effectiveness.

Ultimately, to be your best at running you will need to:

“Optimize efficiency, to maximize effectiveness”

Good luck with your event and please don’t hesitate to contact me at gav@gcpfitness.com for any further advice or training programs.



References:

1. Stride variability in human gait: the effect of stride frequency and stride length- F. Danion, E Varraine, M Bonnard, J Pailhous (2003)
2. How do stride length and stride frequency influence the energy-output during running? –Paul Hogberg