Change your stride to run faster and prevent injury

I recently completed my first half ironman triathlon, and with it came numerous lessons on what I am doing well and where I can improve.

One of my most vivid memories of that event is starting on the run, still feeling relatively fresh, only to watch as someone blasted right past me like I was standing still. His feet were turning over much faster than mine, and he looked fresh and effortless (after swimming 1.9km and Cycling 90km…how irritating! :-)). His foot cadence was much faster than mine were, and he seemed to be floating with minimal effort.

Now that I am back into training during the off-season, a big focus for me is to improve my running efficiency through faster cadence, and that’s what this blog post is all about.

I’ve included a short video below to explain the mechanics of heel and forefoot striking, as well as introducing an mp3 that you can download below to help you speed up those feet when running, and prevent injury while you get faster.

Why do you need to change your running pattern from a heel strike to a forefoot strike?

I hope this helps you, and please send comments and feedback to me directly at [email protected].

Happy trails!

MP3 for your playlist

Here’s a great tool that you can add to your running playlist to help improve your running cadence. Its a 30-second mp3 of the metronome set to 180 bpm, and all you do is download this into your playlist every 3-4 tracks, and keep your feet tapping to the rhythm of the metronome.

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Additional reading

I found this book a great resource to explain barefoot running in more detail – well written and very entertaining.

To learn more about effective workout habits to achieve your fitness goals, contact James Staring, a leading personal trainer in Clapham, London.