Winning a race involves techniques involving individual characteristics, pre-race and mid-race strategies, external players and preparation. Each technique can be adjusted according to an athlete’s particular attributes and goals. Whether it is practicing pacing or losing body weight before a long race, technical preparation can make the difference between a successful race and an unsuccessful one.
Preparation
Perhaps the most important technique for runners is the preparation for the race via muscle work and gait technique. Individual runners should tailor their gait according to their personal characteristics as well as to the course they are running. For example, a taller runner will have more success if she trains on a shorter gait in preparation for a hilly course. Likewise, larger runners may consider training to lose weight before long-distance courses to maximize the amount of energy they spend. You can practice your technique by measuring your gait or recording yourself running. To replicate race-like conditions, practice your gait both when starting a training and also when fatigued at the end of training. To perfect your gait, start practicing it slowly, feel every stage of your step and all the muscles involved move into the optimum position for your size and race circumstance.
Individual Running
Individual competitive running has a slightly different set of techniques from running in a group because you do not have the advantage of teammates. Pacing, or maintaining a consistent rate throughout a race, has long been considered a staple in the technical arsenal of any competitive long-distance runner. Without teammates to protect you, it is especially important to maintain a consistent pace in order to conserve energy that can be unleashed later in a race. In addition, by eliminating the potential distraction of speeding up and slowing down to match the person in the race lead, pacing helps runners focus on their gait and run more efficiently. Specifically, practice maintaining a consistent pace in training by timing both laps and splits as well as entire race-length runs.
Teamwork
Teams can protect a star athlete by encircling him and protecting him from the elements, heighten draft and relieve him of expending some energy, and help avoid the risk of a fall or entanglement with other racers. In addition, teams can work together to achieve particular positioning on the course. They do this by moving as one, physically separating other runners who do not have as much a physical presence as a singular unit can. Position can be important for the front of the race to avoid a potential accident and entanglement in the middle of the pack, as well as staying within range in case a competitor tries to break away from the pack and into the lead. Pacing is also important for team running for the same reason that it is individually. Another advantage of running as a team is that it is easier to keep a particular pace that can be set by a coach and tailored to the specific race. Teams should go on runs together often to practice certain race-like circumstances such as communication and moving through a pack.
Mental Toughness
Nonphysical approaches are also important aspects of running technique. Positive self-reinforcement, for example, can help re-energize an athlete when she feels she has no chance to win the race or feels out of energy. Another technique, called progressive muscular relaxation, occurs when a runner alternatively contacts and relaxes muscles in her legs and body. Progressive muscular relaxation helps focus the runner on the race at hand. Practice progressive muscular relaxation and positive self-motivation when stationary to feel out your individual mental processes, as well as in race-like situations, when you are fatigued. In training, focus on your mental reactions to various circumstances and the way you respond to them.
Member Comments