Type: Cardio & light full-body workouts
When: 1.30pm, overcast
“Dude, you’ve got to learn how to stride, man. ‘Cause it’s like weight-lifting; you got to do it with correct form. Otherwise it’ll mess you up. In fact good form helps you.” Sound advice after I’ve confided that I ran 2km at 18 minutes – an eternity to him.
According to the article Hitting your running stride over at Dummies.com, good form is when you:
“…land lightly on the heel, with the lead leg just slightly bent at the knee (the best method to absorb shock), immediately roll up to the forefoot or toes, and push off powerfully into the next stride.”
And why are running strides so important? Apparently it helps to “improve leg speed, flexibility and coordination, and running economy” (runquick.com) and doing it right prevents your legs from absorbing too much shock which might injure them.
Since that conversation, I’ve learnt to stride by running on the threadmill (5 min at 12 speed). Just pick a speed that’s comfortable and practise your running stride. And I’ve seen gains in my running time.
Exercises for the day
- 4 sets X Sumo squats to shoulder presses (12 X 12.5kg ea)
- 4 sets X Russian twists (15 X on exercise ball)
- 4 sets X Shoulder shrugs (15 X 12.5kg ea)
- 1 set X Jumping jacks (40 X)
- Run (2.5km X 12.18 min) [up by 18 sec!]
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