50 / / June 2019
HONE YOUR TECHNI UE
DEVELOP KNEE DRIVE
I can look as if I’m pogoing when running,
and it’s more apparent the longer the race
goes on and the more tired I become.
Because I’m quite a bouncy runner by
nature, my tendency can be not to lift my
knees. But with a better knee drive, I can
use that bounce to extend my stride. To
improve this, we focus training on simple
high knees drills before transitioning
into strides and bounds.PUMP THOSE ARMS
There are two parts to this. The first is
stopping my elbows sliding too wide so
I’m not running like a drummer with my
arms moving laterally – that won’t help my
stride length. The second is extending the
arm drive for a greater twist through the
torso, which elicits a greater stride length.
I can look quite rigid when I run, so I use
a lot of video feedback that allows me to
take an objective look, especially when
I’m running hard.LOWER THE SHOULDERS
My shoulders, upper part of my back and
neck have always been the tightest parts
of my body and I’m constantly working on
them with my physio, particularly in
relation to rotation when swimming. My
shoulders can creep up around my ears as
fatigue hits and that’s something I have
to be careful of. To counteract it, I
concentrate on pulling my shoulder blades
down and in to improve posture. It’s hard
to think about technique in a race as
there’s so much going on, so I also use aid
stations on the run as a cue to reset.FEATURE