The news is good! Whatever your ability, age, background or speed, you can improve your running

Words: Tina Chantrey

We’re all bit addicted, aren’t we? You’ve already googled ‘How do I become a better runner’ because, well, you love this sport so much you want to get better at it. We know there’s nothing, NOTHING, like achieving a PB, whether it’s a time, distance, elevation or race goal, and that first marathon can feel horrific, but somehow your fingers slip on the keyboard and there you are, having entered another one.

So, you want to get better. Many big websites will tell you that you can; all you have to do is change your foot strike, posture, technique, increase your cadence, get stronger and more flexible. At Women’s Running, we have a bit of a shock for you. It’s much, much more simple than that. Stop reading those contradictory calls to do this and that, and make some much easier, fundamental changes.

Here’s our guide to the changes you need to make if you really want to become a better runner. If you combine them well, you’ll start to see proper progress. Shall we get started?

Movement

The first thing to look at is your biomechanics. This may sound complicated, but running is a skill, which means you can teach it and improve it. Your limbs move and work in a certain way called cross-lateral movement, so as your right arm moves your left leg does too, and vice versa.

|| You need your heels to come up well behind you – this activates your glutes and hamstrings to propel you forward ||

We all have certain movement patterns, either through habit or due to injury and these patterns can lead to problems. Injury can mean your body tries to compensate. This, unfortunately, can lead to more injury! In fact, even if your muscles are just tight, it can lead you to move and run in a certain way. “Your brain is full of movement maps,” explains Mike Antoniades, author of Who Taught You How To Run?, and performance and rehabilitation director at the Running School (runningschool.com). “The more you move in a certain way, the more your movement map becomes permanent. In order to change it and run more efficiently, you need to change your movement maps, which takes at least six to eight weeks, minimum,” he says.