NVV Cyclocross

Running Economy
By Joe Friel, Performance Associates, http://www.ultrafit.com/ -- © 1999
Reprinted by permission

Introduction Practically all cyclocross riders come from a cycling background. Most do not have much experience running, and they don't know how to train for running. Worse still, they cling to the bike in races, attempting to ride every tricky section even when running might be faster.
So, bikies, here's a tip: Train for the run. A lot. And don't just flail your way through it, either. Just as you strive to be efficient on the bike, also strive to be efficient in the run. The article below, from Joe Friel's E-Tips column, describes how to become a more efficient runner. --Dave Carr

Running Economy
by Joe Friel
In the Triathlete's Training Bible I describe the "Pose" technique for running and propose that it might improve your running economy. An economical runner is one who runs with little wasted energy. Economy is at least as important as having a great aerobic capacity (VO2max) and a high lactate threshold. Yet very few triathletes ever work on their running form, but they'll do drills every time they're in the pool to boost it for swimming.

The slower you are the greater the likelihood that working on economy will increase your speed. Just the math alone supports this notion. For a 40-minute, 10k runner, a three-percent improvement in running economy means getting to the finish line 72 seconds faster. But a three-percent shift for a 50-minute runner means a saving of 90 seconds in a 10k. Going beyond just the math issue, we can say with some assurance that slow runners are probably less economical than the quickest. In fact, slower runners can make great increases in performance by simply focusing one weekly running session on economy enhancement.

Do's and don'ts
What should you do in these sessions? See my book for all of the details, but here are a few form DO's and DON'T's from Dr. Nicholas Romanov, the developer of the Pose technique, as adapted from his web site (http://www.romanovacademy.com/).

DO raise your ankle straight up under the hip.

DON'T try to reach or push-off forcefully.

DO let your legs land themselves without any muscle activity.

DON'T point your toes; don't land on the toes.

DO make your ground-support time short.

DON'T move your weight to the toes-get off your feet as quickly as you can.

DO retain your support easily and effortlessly.

DON'T move your ankle back and forth, keep it always fixed at the same angle.

DO have your support on the balls of the feet.

DON'T touch the ground with your heels-keep them a bit above the ground.

DO keep your feet behind the vertical line going through the knees.

DON'T exaggerate your stride length or range of motion-keep your strides short.

DO raise your ankle vertically toward your butt.

DON'T try to lift your knees or move the knees and thighs far apart.

DO keep your knees and thighs down and relaxed.

DON'T try to increase the angle between your thighs.

DO keep the knee bent at all times.

DON'T straighten your knee even when the foot is on the ground.

DO keep your shoulders, hips, and ankles along one vertical line.

DON'T reach with the feet to try to cover more ground.

DO let the arms relax to balance leg movement.

DON'T force arm action to increase stride length.

Suggested workouts
The following are workouts I have runners do throughout the year. One of these is done weekly, sometimes as a part of the warm-up. During a portion of each of these they focus their attention only on one or two aspects of running biomechanics as described above.

Downhill strides. After a warm-up run down a very slight grade for 20 seconds at about the pace you would run a 400-meter race. In other words, the pace is well short of a sprint but is fairly quick. Run 6 to 8 of these strides relaxing during each. Walk back after each stride taking about 90 seconds to do so. Walking is important for the success of this workout-don't run the recoveries. Do this barefoot on grass to increase "feel." Check the area first to make sure it is free of glass, thorns, or anything else that may cut. Don't run barefoot if there are breaks in the skin.

Count strides. These are done the same as downhill strides except instead of running for 20 seconds, count 30 right-foot strikes striving for a time of 19-20 seconds without attempting to run with a faster velocity to achieve it-use a quicker leg turnover instead.

Uphill strides. On a 4% to 6% grade run 6 to 8 strides as before. Walk down the hill after each. Short, powerful hill running has been shown to dramatically improve economy.

Plyometrics. In a weekly session spend 10 to 20 minutes working on power with plyometric exercises. Just as with uphill running, this has been shown to improve economy in runners. This form of training is best done during the base training period. Be careful with plyometrics-the risk of injury with certain types of exercises is great. In a future article I will explain this form of training.

With economy training it's best to do short workouts frequent rather than long ones infrequently. Once the nervous system begins to fatigue or you experience difficulty maintaining focus on technique, no further improvements will take place. For the same reason, these workouts are best early in a session. Don't do them when fatigued.

Go back to the NVV Cyclocross Circuit

Introduction	Practically all cyclocross riders come from a cycling background. Most do not have much experience running, and they don't know how to train for running. Worse still, they cling to the bike in races, attempting to ride every tricky section even when running might be faster. So, bikies, here's a tip: Train for the run. A lot. And don't just flail your way through it, either. Just as you strive to be efficient on the bike, also strive to be efficient in the run. The article below, from Joe Friel's E-Tips column, describes how to become a more efficient runner. --Dave Carr
Running Economy by Joe Friel	In the Triathlete's Training Bible I describe the "Pose" technique for running and propose that it might improve your running economy. An economical runner is one who runs with little wasted energy. Economy is at least as important as having a great aerobic capacity (VO2max) and a high lactate threshold. Yet very few triathletes ever work on their running form, but they'll do drills every time they're in the pool to boost it for swimming. The slower you are the greater the likelihood that working on economy will increase your speed. Just the math alone supports this notion. For a 40-minute, 10k runner, a three-percent improvement in running economy means getting to the finish line 72 seconds faster. But a three-percent shift for a 50-minute runner means a saving of 90 seconds in a 10k. Going beyond just the math issue, we can say with some assurance that slow runners are probably less economical than the quickest. In fact, slower runners can make great increases in performance by simply focusing one weekly running session on economy enhancement.
Do's and don'ts	What should you do in these sessions? See my book for all of the details, but here are a few form DO's and DON'T's from Dr. Nicholas Romanov, the developer of the Pose technique, as adapted from his web site (http://www.romanovacademy.com/). DO raise your ankle straight up under the hip. DON'T try to reach or push-off forcefully. DO let your legs land themselves without any muscle activity. DON'T point your toes; don't land on the toes. DO make your ground-support time short. DON'T move your weight to the toes-get off your feet as quickly as you can. DO retain your support easily and effortlessly. DON'T move your ankle back and forth, keep it always fixed at the same angle. DO have your support on the balls of the feet. DON'T touch the ground with your heels-keep them a bit above the ground. DO keep your feet behind the vertical line going through the knees. DON'T exaggerate your stride length or range of motion-keep your strides short. DO raise your ankle vertically toward your butt. DON'T try to lift your knees or move the knees and thighs far apart. DO keep your knees and thighs down and relaxed. DON'T try to increase the angle between your thighs. DO keep the knee bent at all times. DON'T straighten your knee even when the foot is on the ground. DO keep your shoulders, hips, and ankles along one vertical line. DON'T reach with the feet to try to cover more ground. DO let the arms relax to balance leg movement. DON'T force arm action to increase stride length.
Suggested workouts	The following are workouts I have runners do throughout the year. One of these is done weekly, sometimes as a part of the warm-up. During a portion of each of these they focus their attention only on one or two aspects of running biomechanics as described above. Downhill strides. After a warm-up run down a very slight grade for 20 seconds at about the pace you would run a 400-meter race. In other words, the pace is well short of a sprint but is fairly quick. Run 6 to 8 of these strides relaxing during each. Walk back after each stride taking about 90 seconds to do so. Walking is important for the success of this workout-don't run the recoveries. Do this barefoot on grass to increase "feel." Check the area first to make sure it is free of glass, thorns, or anything else that may cut. Don't run barefoot if there are breaks in the skin. Count strides. These are done the same as downhill strides except instead of running for 20 seconds, count 30 right-foot strikes striving for a time of 19-20 seconds without attempting to run with a faster velocity to achieve it-use a quicker leg turnover instead. Uphill strides. On a 4% to 6% grade run 6 to 8 strides as before. Walk down the hill after each. Short, powerful hill running has been shown to dramatically improve economy. Plyometrics. In a weekly session spend 10 to 20 minutes working on power with plyometric exercises. Just as with uphill running, this has been shown to improve economy in runners. This form of training is best done during the base training period. Be careful with plyometrics-the risk of injury with certain types of exercises is great. In a future article I will explain this form of training. With economy training it's best to do short workouts frequent rather than long ones infrequently. Once the nervous system begins to fatigue or you experience difficulty maintaining focus on technique, no further improvements will take place. For the same reason, these workouts are best early in a session. Don't do them when fatigued.