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10 Ways To Improve Your Run Time Wiithout Extra Miles and Yoga for runners?

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To many runners, the idea of yoga holds limited appeal due the perception it has of being slow. In fact, yoga can be a hugely complementary activity, as Natalie Treacher reports: I used to practice yoga and running separately, but when I started to take running more seriously, the realisation dawned that reaching my goals would have been far harder without yoga.

For years I believed the only way to improve as a distance runner was to run faster, maybe longer, or some combination of both. Ive sat back and watched the worlds elite runners spend an entire year of unimaginable high volume, high intensity training, just to shave fractions of a second off of their mile or 1500 meter time.

Fortunately, it doesnt take that much effort for us mortals to improve.


Yoga is increasingly recognised by runners as an important element of cross- training and as a practice that can improve performance, style and recovery. It can improve breathing, develop core strength and help prevent injury.

I ran this years London Marathon, my first attempt at this distance, and started training before Christmas. I hadnt practiced yoga for a while and, with the increasing demands of my training programme, it seemed unlikely I would fit it in.

In fact, it may be possible for you to become significantly faster without having to do any more distance than you are already doing! Sound too good to be true? Heres how!

  1. Improve your running efficiency: If you are like most runners, you probably over stride and land hard on your heels. Try shortening your stride so your foot strikes a more of a glancing blow beneath your hips. Decreasing foot contact time with the ground makes you feel lighter on your feet and a smoother runner.

    2. Yet my experience in the months leading up to the marathon convinced me that yoga should remain in my running training. A few weeks into my training, having begun to clock up about 15 miles on long runs, I treated myself to a new pair of trainers.

  2. Increase your stride rate. Quicker leg turnover is necessary to compensate for your new, shorter stride length. Good runners take about 180 steps per minute, or 90 in 30 seconds. Count your number of strides for 30 seconds and try to hit 90 consistently.

    3. A visit to a specialist shop involved a gait test and running on a treadmill. It is then analysed by a professional who points out how your feet hit the ground and which shoes would best support your style. The shop assistant urged me to practice yoga for 20 minutes after a 40 minute run in order to develop core strength, improve balance and help protect knee and hip joints from the impact of running.

  3. Add some intensity to just one workout per week. Five or 6 intervals for 2 or 3 minutes at your 5 K pace ought to do it. Ideally this workout is done on a 400 meter track so you can time your intervals and monitor your progress; however you can also just use a watch and a flat stretch of road.

    Four to six of these workouts should be enough to make a difference in your 5K time.

    4. I didnt need to be told twice and began practising yoga at home and getting to a class whenever I could. My core strength improved and I remained injury-free in the lead up to the big day.

  4. Finish one of your usual easy runs with 4 or 5 striders. Striders are 50-75 meters run at your 5K pace that keep your leg muscles accustomed to faster turnover. Save this one for 2 or 3 days after your short interval workout.

    5. Yoga also had the effect of slowing down the mind, and helping me take more care of the things runners often forget. I was listening to my body more attentively, breathing more efficiently and appreciating my surroundings.

  5. Add a spin class, bike some hills, or climb some stairs once or twice a week, especially if your muscles are tired from running. These non-running workouts will boost your level of fitness and may add enough extra leg strength to make a difference in your running times.

    6. I felt myself checking my posture and relaxing each part of my body as I ran. This is incredibly useful for isolating any areas of pain and tension or even those that are slightly unaligned or not moving freely.

  6. Get in the habit of stretching key muscle groups, especially as you get older. The evidence is scare that stretching improves running, however as a runner you should stretch hamstrings, calf, gluts, and hip flexors almost daily to ensure good range of motion in your hips.

    7. If you are one of those runners whose idea of a cool down if a quick splash in the shower, take my advice and try yoga for a few weeks. It seems counterintuitive but taking things slower really can make you faster!

  7. Lose weight if you need it! Extra body fat is like carrying lead in your pockets- it slows you down. Dropping just 2 or 3 pounds of body fat (not water!) by improving your eating habits will make a huge difference in your ability to run. Eliminate just one 12 oz soda or dessert per day and expect to lose a pound or 2 in less than a month!

    8. Top tips for runners:

    During the average mile run, a runners foot will strike the ground 1,000 times, with the force of impact crashing down at around three to four times your weight.
    Yoga can help balance out the physical stresses caused by running including the tightening and shortening of muscles and stress on the whole skeletal system.

  8. Always take an easy day after your interval workout or any long runs you might be doing. Remember, only 1 hard session per week is all you need. Take the day off before running your next 5K so you are good and rested.
  9. Try one or two 1-mile time trials in the weeks leading up to your 5K. This will help you understand pace, decrease anxiety, and even improve fitness. You can substitute this test for your usual short interval workout.

    10. Yoga can be used to balance strength, train the mind and body and boost the range of motion.
    Regular practice can help reduce the risk of injury particularly that of lower back pain, and increase flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors and muscles attached to the pelvis… [read more]

  10. Fatigue can often be blamed on dehydration. It takes more than 1 day to ensure that you are fully hydrated, so keep that water bottle handy and sip throughout the day, especially before and after workouts.

Bonus: Smokers will notice improvement within days after quitting without doing anything else!

Autor: Dave Elger.
Source: http://www.daveelger.com


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