Why Running Technique Still Matters

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So you're thinking about running, but not sure how to take the first step? My name is Brian Patterson, and I'm here to help. Welcome to Brian's RomPod. All right, welcome back to Brian's RomPod, and it's me, your host Brian Patterson. And in today's episode, I think this is one you're going to really get a lot of value from. We're diving into something that every runner thinks they've got nailed, but actually most of us probably haven't, and that's probably the running technique. Joining me today is Coach Kath Spencer, all the way from Downland, or from Australia. And she's built a reputation for building or helping runners move better, run more efficiently, and ultimately stay injury free. Now, here's the thing: it doesn't matter whether you're chasing a PB or just trying to enjoy your running a bit more, how you run matters. And Kat is someone who really breaks that down in a practical, no nonsense way. We don't stop there because for a lot of runners, there comes a point where you start thinking, well, maybe what's next? Maybe you've seen a triathlon, maybe you've thought about giving it a go. But it feels like a big leap. So we're going to get um into how runners can make that transition into triathlon and what you need to think about, what people often get wrong, how to make the move without being completely overwhelmed yourself. So this is a really insightful conversation, loads of practical takeaways, a few mindset shifts, and definitely one that will get you thinking of a bit differently uh about how you train. So let's get into it and in here's um give it a Brian's from welcome to Kath Spencer. How are you doing today?

SPEAKER_04 1:52

Yes, good thing to you, pal.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Yeah, brilliant. Um so you you're you're from Brisbane and um have you always lived in Brisbane?

SPEAKER_02 2:02

Yes, I'm Brisbane born and bred. It's very boring. Um this is where yeah, I literally have not moved.

SPEAKER_04 2:09

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_02 2:10

So yeah, yeah, yes, no, I yeah, always been a Brisbane girl, and I've basically went here a little bit out country because my parents moved out there. Yeah. Which is not so much more country anymore because it's kind of like all built up, but no, this is where I've been. And uh if people say, Do you want to go travel? It's like, oh, I kind of like Brisbane, so no.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

Okay, all right.

Kath’s Brisbane Roots And Martial Arts Start

unknown 2:30

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Because I did uh well back in the late 80s, I did do like around the world thing, and I worked in Brisbane at the Expo.

SPEAKER_02 2:39

Oh, Expo 88, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Yeah, Expo 888, and I really, really enjoyed that. So it was brilliant. Excellent.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

So I had to braces back there and and and the perm hair, because that was the the rage. So really Yes, I try not to look at the photos from because yeah, it was one of those eras that I tried to forget about.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

Yeah, okay, all right. Well, enough said about that. We won't go into that in a bit more. But um I would like to get into as too, and I know something that we do get into uh with kind of most of my guests is um and and I know Australia um and is very much an outdoorsy environment and they can't help being, but was that your experience from growing up in in in high school? You know, were you always into your sports and was it something that you're gonna make you know like a career out of or?

SPEAKER_02 3:28

Oh, it definitely wasn't going to be a career. I actually wanted to be a chiropractor.

SPEAKER_03 3:33

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

Yeah, I wanted to be a chiropractor, and back there I think you had to move to Melbourne to take the course. Um but no, like my my background is actually martial arts. Um right. We yes, yeah. So I did ballet and um then it was here, and if I crawled under a fence, I could go to the martial arts studio and that's where you would find me. Um back then the the female um population was very small, so we weren't light, um, but I just persevered and no um yeah, 18 years of martial arts, that's um yeah, that's all I knew. And I had the the group that I hung out with and um I eventually started coaching um martial arts. Oh right. Uh yeah, and then um obviously wasn't going to move to do chiropractics. So when I finished school, sort of had that kind of gap year. Yeah. Ended up um applying to do an exercise science degree down on the Gold Coast at Griffith Uni, but I still it was always about martial arts and running kind of came into it in regards to some sort of weight categories um for the the training. Um, I didn't want to be like the heaviest person in this weight category, that sort of thing. So we started running to get fit. And right. And and yeah, and and sometimes running's good. You can run away from your opponent as opposed to getting hit.

SPEAKER_04 4:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:58

So um, I just started this thing. We would run to training, do our training and get a lift back home. And then it got a little bit addictive. So I would run to training, do the training, and then we would run back home. And that's how I sort of started running. Yeah. Um, and then eventually, you know, it just oh well, why don't I go and try and do some swimming? Um, I did do a little bit at school.

SPEAKER_03 5:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Um, but swimming was a uh you know, a very good stress release. You can't have your phone, um, no one else is around you, no one can talk to you. So sort of just started doing that, and uh that's that's how and then it all just sort of evolved into this.

How Running Became Addictive

SPEAKER_00 5:34

So what kind of martial arts were you doing?

SPEAKER_02 5:36

Um it was Moonly Taekwondo.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Um Taekwondo, yeah. So and so we've done uh l lots of competitions, and um when I start something, I I dedicate myself to that, and I had an amazing instructor, actually had the same last name as me, so we were always mistaken as like, you know, a father and son.

SPEAKER_03 5:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 5:58

But Mark Spencer is my was my instructor, and he's still going now. And a lot of my life lessons uh came from martial arts, and I think that's probably helped this trajectory into triathlon because you know um you do have to be humble.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

There are gonna be disciplined and yeah, it does teach you that, doesn't it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Absolutely, and I just didn't, you you just don't quit.

SPEAKER_00 6:22

So yeah. So I mean you've touched on there as to how you sort of transitioned in into running, but you know, you you you said that basically the the running and the swimming kind of uh started in tangent sort of thing, and y you started that together. Um Is that because it was more the uh you you always hear how um swimming is such much so much part of the culture in Australia that it was just, you know, it was it's it's something it's it was just part of the the way of life there.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

It it it is a way of life and and we've got pools in Brisbane, and I know I've I coach athletes in Sydney and they find it a lot harder to find a pool, but in Brisbane you can pretty much walk up anywhere and there's a pool. Right. So um obviously we needed to do a little bit of weights work uh for the martial arts and there was a pool at the gym. So I used to look at it and go, Oh, I used to be able to swim a little bit in high school and sort of just started baffling about, and then it was just okay, it was a 25-meter pool, and I swam 25 metres and went, holy doolies, like I thought I was fit. Yes. Then I tried to swim too, and then you know, so each time I went to the pool, I was getting longer and longer with my my swim distances. And I guess to add to the story, there was this crazy man that would turn up and he would just swim and I'd go, Oh, he's so fit. And he would ride his bike, and eventually we started having a chat, and he used to do the same martial arts that I did, yeah, but he was training for this thing called an Iron Man.

SPEAKER_00 7:52

Oh, right.

SPEAKER_02 7:53

I was like, Oh my gosh, like you guys are insane. Like, you know, you've got to swim that far, and here I am doing 25 meters. Yeah. Um, and then I ended up going to one of his run squads uh because I had a group of runners and they ran 15 kilometers on a Saturday morning, and they were all about 20 years older than me. Um I had been running, you know, maybe six, seven K thinking I was great. Yes. And I literally could not walk for about a week. And I thought this is just um So you did the 15K then? Yes. I did the 15k. Yeah. I did the 15k. Um, I was not gonna stop, that's sure. And I dragged my backside to this to this run. And the following week I still couldn't walk barely because my legs were so sore. I rocked up, I did it again, and it just became this patch. And and then they uh eventually said, Oh, you should do a tricklon. And I said, I can't actually ride a bike. Right. That was the funniest. I was 21 at this stage, yeah. Um, and they thought it was really funny, and I went, No, no, no, I'm serious, I can't ride a bike. So I had a mushroom helmet.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

Oh, right. You couldn't, you literally could not ride a bike.

SPEAKER_02 8:59

No, I couldn't ride a bike. No, right. And I was always training with martial arts, I didn't have to ride a bike. Yeah. Um, so yeah, the the the guys that were in this squad, yeah, rep co bike with the gears down the bottom, a mushroom helmet was in the fluoro era, yeah, and they're running beside me trying to teach me how to ride a bike. Um, so yeah, that's how it all transpired into doing a triathlon.

Learning Triathlon From Scratch

SPEAKER_02 9:20

And but yeah, I could run and I could swim.

SPEAKER_03 9:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:22

So I thought. And but riding, yeah, it was a very different uh ball game. Um, but it was a yeah, a very fun experience anyway. And I came dead last in my first triathlon because so people think, oh, you're always at this level. It's like, no, I was dead last because I had to put my shorts on. I was not running around in a pair of togs and didn't even know how to use gears. Um yeah, but I had a blast.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

Oh, good. Well, that's the main thing, isn't it? So so sort of if we kind of uh sort of uh move on to how how did you sort of pick up in terms of your you know about learning about running technique and becoming a coach?

Coaching Path And Junior Training Philosophy

SPEAKER_00 10:04

Was there did you do you know specific sort of qualifications um in Australia? What's kind of the setup there like?

SPEAKER_02 10:11

Um so I went to uni and did a Bachelor of Exercise Science.

SPEAKER_03 10:15

Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 10:16

You know, the biomechanics of running was yes, or sport was in involved in that. Right. Um, and then just as I was about to to um graduate, they said, Oh, you if you stay on for another year and a half, you can become a teacher. So I did uh did that. So I ended up finishing with a dual dual degree. Um along the way, um, I started obviously teaching at a high school. Uh got into what we call so each region has um sports that then compete, like Met East, Met West, Met North. And I started doing the uh triathlon side of that. And just really noticed that kids were getting, I say kids that teenagers were sort of getting pushed into this a area where it was just triathlon. Whereas, you know, I sort of felt that kids should be able to play their water polo and they should go do netball.

SPEAKER_03 11:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:06

And that training can also be put towards their triathlon experience. So if they're running with netball or running here and doing that, we shouldn't be over-training athletes.

SPEAKER_00 11:17

Um trying to pigeonhole them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

Exactly. They're young and so we tricon is a very individual sport.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

And very, very technical, obviously. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:28

Yeah. And you should be able to have like a whole range of activities and exposures. So um I then decided to start a tricon squad for you know juniors where go in, go hard, go home. And that was our motto. Um, I you know, and if you're doing another sport or you're playing rugby league, okay, that's gonna be form part of your running training. So I'm only gonna see you for the swim and the bike. And the kids were healthy, um, uninjured, they were performing really well. But what I found was it was probably a little bit more difficult for parents because they thought that, oh, their kids are gonna miss out, um, they're not training hard enough, they've got to do all of this. And you know, you know, and that's just how I sort of started coaching, uh, really trying to, I guess, prove myself that you didn't have to flog a dead horse because literally the kids were getting so tired from trying to do everything.

SPEAKER_03 12:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:23

You know, let's go race, let's see where you perform. Okay. And because they were performing, um, that's where I went. So that just I just that's how I sort of evolved into the you know, triathlon coaching that way. And obviously, we do have um like different levels of um triathlon coaching specific courses that you do. So you've done all of those, first aid, all that. Oh yeah. And um yeah. Um and then um and then I went back and did a a uh masters in sports coaching as well. So um I sort of feel like I have an umbrella and under which yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Yeah. So just sort of get into the meat of it in terms of running technique, which obviously people will, you know, you know, my Melissa's all be interested to know about.

The Myth Of One Perfect Form

SPEAKER_00 13:08

Is it I've always heard like different arguments that it's not essential in terms of you know, cadence and technique and that kind of thing, obviously to run your form. But that or is there the the argument that there are certain tools one should sort of take with them to help with their form? Um, because you know having a good running technique means that you kind of minimize the risk of injury. Um, you know, we've all you know at some stage will have gone through injury. Well, you know, what's what's your take on it?

SPEAKER_02 13:44

Um I think every individual person has their own technique and form. Of course, because we're probably more um working with your average person, there's gonna be different sizes, different shapes, different flexibilities, different time constraints, and that all adds up. So therefore, a perfect technique doesn't really exist. It probably I've say to my apples, perfect technique exists for you individually. And my role is to, I guess, minimize the amount of energy that's going into the ground because that means that there's more energy that needs to get off the ground. Right. Um, and so then if you go back to okay, the more energy you put in the ground, if you're landing incorrectly and putting it all into the ground, that's a lot of shock.

SPEAKER_03 14:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:30

Um, and a lot of the weight that's going through bones, which most people uh have their injuries with, and then all all the tendons and everything around those bones has have to work to get you off the ground to move forward. So therefore you're creating more injury to get off. Right. So if we can minimize that, we're gonna minimize that. So perfect form isn't so much this ideal, this is how you need to to run.

SPEAKER_04 14:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:59

For me, it's about how can we minimize the wasted energy that you're putting into the ground and the amount of energy that you need to do use to get off the ground.

SPEAKER_00 15:08

Okay. So that's a good starting point. Yeah, that's a good starting point. So how would one, let's say, complete novice or someone or maybe someone who's been regularly running two or three times a week, start in terms of exercises that they can do, maybe to supplement any strength training they do or any, you know, uh uh cross training that they're doing to to help with that in terms of um minimizing that energy that's going into the ground.

SPEAKER_02 15:40

Okay. Um fast feet. I think somewhere along the line, um, you have asked me about drills and things like that. Yeah, that will come out later, but fast feet and and being light on your feet. Um a lot of people when they start running, and I think you may have seen this when you were mentioned seeing it previously, they fear the ground, they fear landing on the ground, or they just fear themselves and they get very closed up and and and run and shuffle and drag their feet and thud the ground just like oh my goodness, I'm holding on for dear life.

SPEAKER_04 16:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

Forgetting that we need to run freely. So if we can start off, or you go, right, how do I run freely? I need to run light and relaxed, so shoulders are relaxed, and run with fast feet. Because the faster your feet are, the faster they're going to get off the ground.

SPEAKER_03 16:33

Right.

SPEAKER_02 16:34

Um, the faster than your feet, the less energy you're putting into the ground. So just even running on the spot, like a horse where they canter.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:43

Um, just running on the spot and cantering, yeah. It just allows you to get that nice ankle flexion and gets you your cadence up.

SPEAKER_00 16:51

So this is not to be confused confused with plymetrics, or is it a kind of plymetric? Right. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 17:00

No, it's just, you know, running on the spot in front of the mirror, or when you're waiting for your pasta to cook. I always say when you're cooking your pasta or your dinner. Perfect time to practice a drill. Or brushing your teeth. Yeah. Maybe.

SPEAKER_04 17:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:15

Um, yeah. So fast feet would be where I would start with with any athlete. You know, at least

Fast Feet Drills For Lighter Running

SPEAKER_02 17:21

then you get to see if you've got the ankle flexibility. We it's studying on the ground, can you hear yourself? If you can't hear yourself, well then you're landing lightly. If your feet are running fast, okay, getting off the ground fast. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

Oh, all right. Okay. But and also it's it's about, you know, being relaxed, your body being relaxed, um, and just feeling relaxed and just trying that.

SPEAKER_02 17:43

So yes, yes. And I find being on the spot um allows you to to to relax the upper body because once we start moving forward, you've got a lot of other factors, and then the arms start moving too fast, or that you you start muscling the run techniques. So just standing up tall, sucking in the belly, tucking in the the tailbone, okay, running on on the spot with the fast feet, all of a sudden you can go, oh, is this creeping up? Oh, I can bring that down because all you're worrying about is just that tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

SPEAKER_00 18:13

Yeah.

unknown 18:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:14

So then you're relaxed.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Yeah. And like you said, it's a it's a it's a feel, isn't it? So of a rest, 30 seconds off, that kind of thing, or is it just Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_02 18:24

No, no, no. 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, or 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off. Um, eventually I sort of promote if you can sing the alphabet, because um that probably lends itself to another thing as well, because people run too fast. So I normally go, if you can sing the alphabet, you know how we used to sing the alphabet.

SPEAKER_03 18:44

Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:44

It means you've got oxygen going in, you know, you can breathe at a good pattern. So if you can do the tap tap tap tap tap tap tap, but also be able to sing the alphabet, yeah, okay, you're relaxed and you've got that prolonged, you know, running technique that you you need to promote. Yeah, as opposed to just doing 30 seconds. Because again, people start watching the clock and then sing the alphabet or sing half the alphabet or Oh right, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

I mean, if you haven't got a smartwatch on you or something like that, then you can do something.

SPEAKER_02 19:15

And the alphabet's, you know, quite a long, you know, it's a significant amount of time. And um thing, if you're out there running, sometimes it is hard and you've got to bring yourself back into the moment. So I just find everybody knows the alphabet. Every language has the alphabet.

unknown 19:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

It's very easy to do. And it means that you're running with oxygen, you're running relaxed, you're not going too fast, and you can concentrate on where you need to go.

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Right. Oh, so this is something you could do when you're out running as well. So you you can't rather than doing it on the spot. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:47

Yeah. Yeah. So so either either way. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:51

So I mean, I mean, just getting on to the next section, I mean, as um poor running technique can obviously I mean, I don't know if you get with your clients, but uh uh is it something that can pr most likely give you um give you injury? Do you think that people get injuries because of poor running technique, or is it that they may be other factors at play, like they're overtraining, really tired, that kind of thing?

SPEAKER_02 20:21

Or do you think do you oh it's probably a mixture of everything, but running with poor technique definitely is high on the priority list. Um, a lot of athletes will overstride. Um their center of gravity is not landing over their basis support, and your basis support is your feet. So they're landing and their foot's out here. So if you've got a really outstretched leg, they're landing with a very predominant heel strife, their leg is nice and straight. But what that means is that the shock's going from the ankle to the knee to the hip.

SPEAKER_04 20:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:55

Every time that they run. So poor technique, it's just I guess smashing every bone in the lower limb right up to their hip. So, and and where do most runners have injuries in their shins, their knees, and then eventually it gets into their hip or part of their female.

SPEAKER_00 21:16

On one of those.

SPEAKER_02 21:17

Yeah, one of those, yes, yes. We've all been there, we've all been there. Um, so poor technique that's on the flat is usually that overstride, yeah. Heel strike and ricocheting, the the force right through to from the lower part of the um

Why Runners Get Injured

SPEAKER_02 21:32

leaf right through to the hip. So that that's number one. Um, number two would then be nutrition. Um you've got two ends of the spectrum, you've got those who are very underfueled. Um, their injuries will be in the top of the femur, especially with the female athletes, top of the femur or their their pelvis, um, or those who are chronically overweight, they try and run too far too fast, and it's just too much weight going through the body. So you add that onto poor technique. it kind of um you know implodes on on an athlete's ability to run um whereas if you've got light on your feet your center of gravity is landing over your base of support uh you're you're getting off the ground with the least amount of um energy possible you're minimizing all those other factors that allows you to you know continue running without being um in injured um and i guess uh um you may get to this but what what do we do we start feeling good so we run more and then we run more again and then we run more and and therefore volume creates the injury as well because the body does need to decompress it needs to delude yeah it needs to adapt before you can add on the next stressor um and people go oh I want to see the results or I want to lose weight or I want to get fixed so they just run every single day.

SPEAKER_00 22:52

Yeah and you can't run it do a PB or that that kind of thing. Yeah yeah but yeah if let's I'm sure you've had people come to you and say well this is how I run I run like this for 20 years and and it's obviously very hard to undo you know the habits. And I suppose this is really we're gonna in terms of getting into you know the drills that we can do to help with our technique. And I and I know um this is how I came across you which was on Instagram you know with your with your running clinic. What do you what did you what do you say to those people in in saying that and and and helping them to sort of reshape how they're running um and with with these kind of drills.

SPEAKER_02 23:38

Okay um so there's probably two ways that I approach obviously timing with an athlete is very important. If they're not ready to listen then it's not time for me to change what they're doing. I need to get them to I guess realize that themselves then we have to look at their history okay has the athlete been injured if the athlete's not been injured doing this level of mileage or this volume or this pace and that's where they want to stay then we stay there. Bit by bit we sort of trickle feed some changes into their technique and all of a sudden the athlete realizes oh that's easier or I wasn't sore after that run or I've gone a little bit faster. And then they're open and receptive to the drills and changes that we're going to to make. Obviously on the other hand if you have an athlete that has been quite injured or who wants to get faster they're already at that point where they're going to start listening to you and adapting and changing their technique to move forward. So it's kind of like there's there's two sides to the story and I think that's um coaching is an art and it's a science. Yeah I can have I can give you all the science in the world but if you're not listening if you're not listening the athlete's not re receptive to it then

Changing Technique Without Losing Motivation

SPEAKER_02 24:59

it doesn't matter. So you've got to either go around the long way or they're ready to do it.

SPEAKER_00 25:05

Yes. Because it's a two way it's a two-way process. I mean good coaches is about the listening um and then you're kind of imparting their know your knowledge to adapt to their needs.

SPEAKER_02 25:21

Exactly exactly and if you you know sometimes if an athlete is you know taking on all the advice and then they get lost and then it becomes too hard are you going to see that athlete? No, the athlete's gonna go I'm out the door they they're gone they've lost hope. So again you've got to go but I really need to change this athlete's manner and style and and everything but if I do that and I lose the athlete well then we've lost anyway. So it's just bit by bit finding out what works and is it a mental gain for them? Is it a physical gain for them? You know is it nutritionally so that's where it comes um the the tricky part there's no right or wrong answer here. It's finding what's right for the person that's standing in front of me.

SPEAKER_00 26:07

Seeing as that we can't have coach Kath 247 what could we do? What kind of takeaways can we do that can help with our technique? You've already talked about a little bit there in terms of you know keeping your centre of gravity over your uh over your body and I and I saw and I saw your this this thing you were doing is where you're um on the clinic you are basically leaning up against the wall to get that sort of sensation.

SPEAKER_02 26:40

Could you sort of elaborate on um yes um so once upon a time I actually had a run clinic with a another coach called Bobby McGee. He is um world famous and has a lot of professional athletes and a lot of the things that I took away from him I do now because I've seen benefit. It took me a long time like two years of myself standing in front of the mirror going, I know he said this and I couldn't get it to click so I've had to do those um tips and and figure it out myself but um in terms of leaning a lot of the people when they think oh I've got to lean into the run they'll lean from the hips so therefore they look like this. So by leaning up against a wall it um does allow us to you know teach the athlete that you've got to lean from the ankles and then if you're just leaning up against the wall.

SPEAKER_00 27:29

Yeah so it's a bit like that Michael Jackson video.

SPEAKER_02 27:33

Yes and it's only so slight it's only so yeah what you didn't what you didn't see in the the video I guess like yes I was leaning up against the wall but I tried to get them to go right if you um stand upright and you're on your weight is on your heels yeah um nothing's engaged. It's quite easy to stand like that. So then when you ask a person to slightly lean forward so their heels are just coming off the ground a little bit before you topple over yeah just lean forward all of a sudden your pelvis and all your core muscles need to engage to hold you there. Right okay yeah great by doing it up against the wall um then that was the next step. Okay now let's do it up against the wall so we can start running against the wall and then

The Wall Lean That Switches Your Core On

SPEAKER_02 28:21

that minimizes us having to worry about that their arms but that's where you can you you can start there. Am I running straight up with nothing days so it's all floppy or do I slightly lean just before I start to topple over leaning from the ankles and is everything now braced and ready for me to run? If the answer's yes then we can add into the next step.

unknown 28:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 28:45

Let's get our arms in our running motion which is that 90 degree angle. Right. Can you hold that?

SPEAKER_01 28:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 28:51

So you don't actually need to do your ab workout you can literally just stand and hold your lean and and you would find that that's nice in and engaged. Does that answer that?

SPEAKER_00 29:04

That's that's brilliant. That's gold. That's brilliant.

SPEAKER_02 29:07

So and then and like you said do you do you keep the the arms as if you were in that kind of running motion do you not keep them fixed with you know leaning from the ankles and keeping your arms fixed within that sort of like running motion yeah yes so when um you're leaning uh and you've got that uh point of balance yeah get the arms up so I've got a pillow in my way and you get the arms at that 90 degrees if you can hold that then another drill that you can do is can you just get the running arms and hold your body in that position. If you find especially if you're like standing in front of a mirror if you find your pelvis is going forward and back or doing this that's not an efficient runner. So you can hold and get the arms and you're standing still you've got your glutes engaged your hamstrings engaged your lower abdominal and core muscles engaged your hips are stable and now you've got running arms you actually try that when you get off the interview your heart rate will elevate up so again you asked me previously what's a drill that you can do 30 seconds on 30 seconds off of just running arms it's actually quite hard work and you haven't even left yeah no your bedroom or the kitchen and that's and that's quite a good let's say for instance if you're injured or you can't go out running for then try that. Try that yeah yeah 30 seconds on 30 seconds off so the arms shouldn't be going across the body not no because if so they need to be going sort of p parallel to be sure um well I don't know if you did see my video but I do have a saying if you think it it it's all um works from the shoulders.

SPEAKER_04 30:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:48

Okay. But I do have a saying it's basically your thumb goes from your hip to your nip. Okay, okay I understand yeah yeah yeah that sort of situation because if you're saying go up here well then all the energy's going up wasted energy it's just small motions and you more want the energy you know back here so that you can drive forward back back back back so it it all from the shoulder.

SPEAKER_04 31:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:11

And then if you're doing nice and light and if you are doing it in front of a mirror or in front of your shadow eventually as you fatigue you'll find that athletes will start running like this because too much stress. So then you can just go back down again and brace start again. Right.

SPEAKER_03 31:27

Okay.