Running Efficiency - Training tip #2- Posture for flow!

   Welcome to the second edition of our blog. My goal is to provide practice training information and help you separate information from knowledge.
   In Tuesday's blog post we focused on the importance of arm drive. An arm drive in which the elbow drives backward and when coming forward travels in a path that would result in the index finger going up the nostril, can greatly improve efficiency.
   Posture - the word may sound boring, like your mother or choir director telling you to sit up straight. However in the quest to run faster, longer and with less effort, posture is critical. In great runners, as they drive or toe off,  we see a straight line through the ankle, knee, hip, shoulders and head. The body is in about a 5 degree forward lean and the eyes focus about 20 meters ahead. See photo below of Jan Frodeno - widely considered the best triathlete in the world.   
   Just looking ahead 20 meters will help greatly improve flow! Another tip which I use, and people report works well, is as follows: Imagine you have a string attached into your sternum. As you run, this string is continuously being pulled up and forward at a 45 degree angle by God or whatever you imagine. This lifts the chest off the ribs so you can breath and helps with foot strike position, which we will discuss in the next blog.
   Happy training