10km CCK Ave 5 to Hillview MRT, 43:00+, 4:18min/km

*Unsure of time. Might be off.

*lifted heel more during last 3km.

*Emphasized arm swing during second half.

 10km Brickland to Old Jurong Road, 47:04, 4:42min/km

*lifted heel more to increase stride length

Track Running

Some things I've learnt from the past few weeks

Track Runs are great for training running form.
- made corrections on my foot strike to land on the ball of the foot.

- lifting back of the foot naturally instead of scratching foot backwards = better cadence.
- landing on toes on for initial and final sprinting efforts helped with speed.
- breathing hard when sprinting helped to speed up

Injuries lessened with correct running form

- Landing on the balls of feet distributed stress equally between knees and calves

- Pure heel strikes were more intensive on knees.
- Calf pain only came up if toe strike was utilized throughout run. In bursts it was fine.

Running posture helped to make runs easier.
- Keeping upright helped stablise the body. 

- Running lean needed to be slight and natural not exaggerated.

Long Distance
1. Start: mid foot strike, 3/4 swing (very comfortable)
2. 2nd Quarter: mid foot strike, full swing (normal)
3. 3rd Quarter: mid foot strike, pull back, full swing (normal)
4. Last Stretch: toe strike, pull back, full swing (fast)

I tried this out during my long distnace run last week. I had mixed results but it was a very good learning experience.

First off the overall time was slow by about 5-6 minutes. Of course the blistering heat between 10:30 to 11:30am did not help my cause.

What I found beneficial was the emphasis on mid foot striking. This became intuitive as the run progressed and I did not feel as tired because my heels were almost never in contact with the ground. The toe striking towards the last quarter was also good.

However the 3/4 swinging and the subsequent full swinging of the arm was to my detriment. I actually started to slow down more as the motion felt off-key with the leg movements. It also tired me out eventaully to the extent that I could not sustain the degree of swing.

Another offset to the run was the pull or kick back. After an initial burst of speed, it actually retarded my pace throughout the 2nd half of my run.

Thankfully I let myself experiment with a forward lean for the last mile which worked in making my leg cycling movements easier.

In all I would change my philosophy of Long Distance running to something like this.

Long Distance
1. Start: forward lean, mid foot strike, usual swing (comfortable)
2. 2nd Quarter: forward lean, mid foot strike, open stride, usual swing (normal)
3. 3rd Quarter: forward lean, mid foot strike, open stride, 3/4 swing (normal)
4. Last Stretch: forward lean, toe strike, open stride, 3/4 swing (fast)

My Current Technique for Running

Sprinting
1. Stat: head down, toe strike, pull back, full swing (comfortable)
2. 2nd Quarter: toe strike, pull back, full swing (normal)
3. 3rd Quarter: toe strike, pull back, full swing (fast)
4. Last Stretch: maintain form (max out)

Long Distance
1. Start: mid foot strike, 3/4 swing (very comfortable)
2. 2nd Quarter: mid foot strike, full swing (normal)
3. 3rd Quarter: mid foot strike, pull back, full swing (normal)
4. Last Stretch: toe strike, pull back, full swing (fast)

Sprint Burst

How to Run Faster ?

Ever since I started my intervals, I've been wondering how to sprint even faster. I always thought it was about 'gassing' it from the start and maintaining the speed or simply running at an even pace all the way.

A few YouTube videos later I had drastically changed my opinion of things.

Apparently there are 4 (or 5 depending on how you look at it) phases of a sprint. The start, The drive, maximum velocity and maintenance phases.

I have used the drive phase unknowingly during my long runs where I literally 'attack' slopes with my head down and body at an angle. I never knew that it was effective on a straightaway for acceleration.

As for max velocity I have experienced it during sprints. The maintenance phase is new to me though and I will get into that later.

It seems that proper race planning is required to get the best out of the body. Simply bursting and hoping just will not do.

Take for example a 400m interval. I would be looking to drive for the first few metres of the bend.
However, given the distance and this not being a 100m interval I would get into a comfortable striding pace and maintain it till around the 200m mark.

After which I would go all out around the bend and come into the last 100m in a  maintenance phase. Here I would naturally be decelerating but I would maintain my running form as best as possible so as squeeze every bit of powere out of my legs.

In short the idea is to get to a comfortable pace quick, then burst at the halfway mark.

It is sort of a negative split but not entirely since the last phase is a deceleration phase.

Anyway a few tips  I have gathered both from experience and research are as follows.

One, always swing your arms freely and in tandem with your steps. The more range of swing the better.

Two, keep the weight on the toes, clawing back to provide effective forward thrust.

Three, make an okay sign with the hands so that they do not flap about.

Four, look forwards and minimise head movements.

I believe these help a lot in shaving off precious seconds in timing. I will be trying it out during my next interval session.