Here's something you might be interested in.
We were supposed to go over what it means to “lean into” a hill but I got distracted. Here it is.
There’s only one difference between a hill and flat ground. That difference is the way we interact with gravity. Correct? We can turn gravity into our friend when running hills.
All it takes to successfully run a hill is that we lean forward, focus on picking our feet up, and then float on up the hill. The lean is from the ankles not the waist. Hunching our shoulders will also do us no good.
To lean from the ankles, stand up with your best posture and slowly lean forward allowing only the ankle joint to flex. Don’t get carried away and fall on your face. You will reach a point where it is necessary to take a step to support your weight.
That’s it. Do it again and observe which part of your foot strikes the ground first. Spoiler alert, it’s your mid-foot. Do it again and try to make your heel strike first. It’s almost impossible.
When running a hill this process happens more naturally and we can start to improve the efficiency of our stride. Why is efficiency so important in running?
Watch this video and observe which runner looks more relaxed. Which runner looks as if she’s expending less energy to maintain the pace? Which runner looks composed? Which runner has something left in the tank to win with?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyYJiKxHZz0
We were supposed to go over what it means to “lean into” a hill but I got distracted. Here it is.
There’s only one difference between a hill and flat ground. That difference is the way we interact with gravity. Correct? We can turn gravity into our friend when running hills.
All it takes to successfully run a hill is that we lean forward, focus on picking our feet up, and then float on up the hill. The lean is from the ankles not the waist. Hunching our shoulders will also do us no good.
To lean from the ankles, stand up with your best posture and slowly lean forward allowing only the ankle joint to flex. Don’t get carried away and fall on your face. You will reach a point where it is necessary to take a step to support your weight.
That’s it. Do it again and observe which part of your foot strikes the ground first. Spoiler alert, it’s your mid-foot. Do it again and try to make your heel strike first. It’s almost impossible.
When running a hill this process happens more naturally and we can start to improve the efficiency of our stride. Why is efficiency so important in running?
Watch this video and observe which runner looks more relaxed. Which runner looks as if she’s expending less energy to maintain the pace? Which runner looks composed? Which runner has something left in the tank to win with?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyYJiKxHZz0