Running Man instalment four

Helium balloons and prancing ponies: it’s back to the drawing board for Marathon School student Mike White.

There’s an imaginary helium balloon attached to the back of my head. I picture it pulling me upwards, keeping my spine straight. “With improved posture comes better breathing, a stronger core, less chance of back problems,” says Chris Kay, head coach at The Running School Bristol. This is my second session with Chris, and he’s teaching me how to run in a completely new way, a way that will reduce injury risk and help me get through challenges like the upcoming Bristol & Bath Marathon without collapsing in a weeping heap. 

Once I’ve got the balloon thing right, we work on the knees. I have to bring them up higher in front, like someone running through a line of tyres on the ground, army assault course style. It takes more effort than my old long-stride-lollop, but the high-knee gait has two effects: suddenly I’m landing with a bounce on my forefoot instead of hammering on my heels, and I’m taking smaller strides. 

Is that good, I wonder? I feel like a very camp pony, one of those dancing dressage horses at the Olympics, minus the plaited tail. “There are many benefits to it,” Chris says. “Whilst it won’t be right for everyone, landing on the mid- or forefoot can mean less shock through the knees, as your feet and calves act as natural shock absorbers. Shorter strides encourage the hamstrings to work, strengthening them and stabilising each stride.”  Sounds great, but it’s going to take some getting used to.

Finally we concentrate on my arms. Picture a T-Rex chasing a burger van. That’s how my arms used to move. With Chris’s guidance, I adopt a pendulum movement of the upper arm, elbows in, hands pumping backwards and forwards. A bit like how Tom Cruise runs in action movies, but with less frowning. I have to keep my hands in relaxed fists and make sure they’re not swinging in towards my chest. “Forward and back means more momentum,” says Chris, “side to side is wasted energy.”

Over a series of short bursts on the treadmill, we put it all together: head, knees, arms. Chris films the action, calling out ‘Head!’ or ‘Knees!’ when my technique begins to slip. He increases the speed and incline on the treadmill until I’m puffed out, then we sit down to analyse the film footage. The difference between ‘before’ and ‘after’ is striking, even after only 15 minutes of practice: the improved posture means my shoulders are no longer drawing little figures-of-eight in the air; the knees-up motion has also corrected my differing heel-swing height. Chris reassures me that as my fitness improves and adjusts to the new technique, I’ll also be able to run faster than I could before.  

To complement  my new Prancing Pony running style, Chris devises some strength exercises: lunges, one-leg dips with a medicine ball and endless rounds of lying on the floor and thrusting my hips skywards. The idea is improve balance and stability, so there’s less strain on my knees as I run. “Don’t rush these”, says Chris, “quality is really important. If it’s no good, there’s no point.” 

Then, like a proper school teacher, he sets my homework: daily strength exercises and four short runs per week, three on the road, one on a treadmill. Although these runs are under half an hour, the new technique is much harder work. A month ago I was running 12 miles at a time. Now three miles is an effort. It turns out forefoot running is a bit like veal production: it’s the calves that suffer. 

But I’m determined to stick at it. After all, running a marathon isn’t supposed to be easy, is it? 

The Running School Bristol offer a range of courses for everyone from recreational runners to elite triathletes. They also offer a specialist Marathon School course.

www.runningschool.co.uk

Photo reproduced with grateful thanks to Ogham Moon