It is fairly typical for runners and walkers to have an array of shoes on the go at any one time. They will have training shoes that may consist of a lightweight pair for speed sessions, a cushioned pair (or two) for endurance or aerobic sessions, and then a trail shoe with a beefier outsole. Some will also own a pair of lightweight racing shoes for event day. Once they find a pair that fits, athletes will often buy multiple pairs of the same shoe to ensure they have a stockpile of their favourite in the right size. While this seems like a lot of shoes, your top priority is to find a training shoe that fits well and that suits your foot, gait and biomechanics. The running shoe market is currently flooded with a plethora of nifty looking styles and models aimed at the active consumer. Companies that formally only made mountaineering equipment and hiking boots, tennis shoes and ski boots, have all entered the running game alongside the long standing running shoe companies, and there are shoes in every colour of the rainbow and for every purpose: racing, tempo, long runs, recovery, barefoot feel, and for every type of foot. The athlete must sift through the hype and trends and maintain a focus on getting the right shoe for them.
 
A sport specific retailer is your best bet for getting the right pair of walking or running shoes for you. All makes of shoes fit a little different so trying on various models to find the best one for your feet is important. Purchasing running and walking shoes is one of those areas where your dollar is worth every penny. You will be able to avoid injury with the right pair of shoes, so if you find some that work, by several pairs to have in store. Once you have your model that works resist the urge to try different brands or new fads. Stick with what works. The higher end running shoes have superior cushioning, flexibility, responsiveness and workmanship, things you should consider when making you choice.  Ask around in your community for referrals and make sure to get fit at a proper sport specific store.  Educated employees will be able to check your gait and make sure you are in the right support and cushioning.
 
How long to wear a pair of shoes
 
This is a hard one to answer definitively because running shoes are so different from each other and each person is individual in weight, running style, where they train, and just how hard they are on their shoes. Wearing worn out shoes almost always leads to pain and discomfort in the shins, knees or feet and can lead to other overuse injuries. Because of the durability of the rubber outsoles these days, don’t check for wear on the bottom of the shoe, but for the ‘dead’ feel in the midsole, the blown rubber part that provides cushioning. It becomes unresponsive after a time and also can pack out unevenly. Generally, shoes last about 500-800km. You can do a rough calculation from the time you get your new shoes and mark your calendar for about when that 450-500km mark might be. At that point you can start being aware of a tired shoe and also start looking for another pair, if you liked that one.

Minimal, maximal and old school
 
Barefoot, minimal, maximal or traditional - everybody has an opinion and debate is ongoing on whether barefoot running is actually superior to the shod foot surrounded by support and cushioning. One thing is clear: shoe technology is more advanced right now than it has ever been. I have been training in running shoes for over 30 years, and the shoes on the market today are superior in every way to that first pair of runners I owned.  
 
There are four basic types of running shoes out there: neutral, supportive, cushioned and lightweight.  Generally, cushioned shoes have more midsole material and are used for longer endurance days as they provide more cushioning against the forces of landing, and lessen the impact of running on the body. A lightweight shoe is used for faster running: intervals, tempo and racing, where carrying less mass can increase speed. Neutral shoes work well for athletes with good biomechanics and efficient strides, and a supportive or corrective shoe works well for athletes with biomechanical deficiencies. The correction provided by the shoe can minimize stresses to the knee, hips and back. Cushioned and lightweight shoes can be neutral or corrective. Within each category, there are also road and trail shoes. Technical trail shoes have been a great addition to the running shoe market. With a more studded outsole for good grip over rocks and roots, water shedding uppers to keep the foot dry and the ability to keep out pine needles and small rocks, a good trail shoe makes the forest environment a very enjoyable experience.
 
While the minimal trainer trend has reached its zenith, any shoe with less than a 10mm drop, is super flexible and neutral counts as minimal. Whether you are talking about running barefoot, in a Nike Free or the Xero Prio barefoot runner, the main thing that separates the new minimal shoes from the traditional shoe is the rear foot to forefoot drop (measured in mm). The difference in height between heel and toe in traditional shoes is significant, at about 15-23 mm. In a barefoot or minimal shoe, the attempt is to mimic the barefoot, so there is either a zero drop in heel to toe height, or less than 10mm. Minimalist shoes look flat, and they are. A minimal shoe will often work (but not always) for a naturally efficient runner or an elite athlete that has strong feet, a midfoot plant, and been training for years, but most efficient runners can run well in anything. For a new runner, doing too much too soon, in a minimal shoe will most often result in soreness in the calves and Achilles as the drop puts too much tension on this part of the lower leg after years wearing shoes with a greater toe to heel rise. A less efficient runner can learn to run well in a minimalist shoe, but needs to be very patient in progressing to this form of running. I do believe that we can all improve foot strength by running drills, walking and doing our strength in bare feet, but it takes time to get used to this. When I am not in my shoes, I am barefoot in my house.
 
At the other end of the spectrum are the maximalist shoes, which provide ultra cushioning across the whole foot platform, but still possess the flexibility to assist a natural foot movement. Designed to provide cushioning for athletes running long distances, they have become a favourite for people who are returning from injury and for reducing impact fatigue of long distance urban walking and running, especially on pavement and concrete.
 
Whether you go for a minimalist, maximalist or traditional running shoe, make sure you shop around and try them on. This is one product you don’t want to buy just because there’s a sale, it’s cheap online, or is a cool colour. There is a reason that your local running specialty store hasn’t been usurped by Amazon yet. The personalized service and ability to try shoes in the store and at home is crucial.
 
What to look for in a shoe, and it’s not your favourite colour
 
Forefoot width and heel cup:
 
It is a positive trend that shoe companies are now building shoes with wider toe boxes that alleviate pressure on the toe joints and metatarsals. For someone with a narrow foot, however, a too roomy toe box provides excessive movement that either causes chafing or injury. Trying on different brands and models, even in the same width, will give you an idea of the most comfortable fit.
 
The heel cup is one other area where you won’t know until you try a shoe. Depending on your ankles, and heel sensitivity, different shoes will feel different. The last thing you want is for your shoe to be digging into your ankle bone when you train.
 
Racing flats: comfort versus speed:
 
While some athletes can get away with a really lightweight shoe for racing, others prefer the comfort of more cushioning. In long distances, being comfortable and managing sore legs and calves is more important than pure energy return, so a trade off to a more cushioned shoe can be the better choice. Testing out racing flats in training will give you a good idea of how you adapt to a racing flat. Keep in mind that trainers are generally incredibly lightweight now because of the advancements in midsole technology so weight is not a huge issue anymore. I often race in my lightweight trainers.
 
Non-chafe lining:
 
If you have sensitive feet or race in bare feet, finding a shoe with a smooth lining is crucial and a few companies make this a priority now, as even with socks on, runners often end up with chafes and blisters wherever there might be a seam in the shoe.
 
Laces:
 
 A few companies have tried to improve on lacing systems, by going asymmetrical or other devices but in my opinion, nobody has been able to improve on the traditional system. Whether you go with elastic or standard laces, pay attention to tension on the laces and find the right level of tightness for your foot and stick with it!
 
Water and Soggy Feet:
 
On the west coast, winter training tends to be wet, so make sure your shoe works well when having a shower. A soaking squishy foot can cause blisters and a slowdown in pace. Some companies, make a trail shoe with drainage systems.
 
Run Apparel
 
For years we all trained in cotton sweats and cotton t-shirts. We were just as fast as we are now, but we are a whole lot more comfortable in our moisture wicking polyester fiber running clothes these days. Your running apparel is the one area where you can branch out and have fun with colors and styles. There is a whole fashion show of excellent running clothing out on the market now, including running skirts and comfortable running bras for women.
 
While you will have to develop your own fashion sense and unique style for your training outfit, I will offer a few tips for comfort and function:

• Try not to start sessions cold. This hampers your body’s ability to warm up from the core, and therefore be optimally prepared for working hard during training. Everybody warms up and stays warm at a different rate, so pay attention to your temperature needs at the start, middle and end of the session and dress appropriately.

• One of my coaching rules is that, unless you can discard clothing at a drop point, you need to wear your clothes for the duration of the session. Holding jackets in your hands, or draping them around your body create a distracting hindrance to proper form so try to avoid this. Layers with zippers seems to be the most effective cold or wet weather solution. As you warm up, unzipping the top of your jacket or underlayer at the neck can provide just enough ventilation.

• Not all tights or pants are good when wet. Sometimes it’s better to run in shorts than tights or pants that get wet and create a cold surface against your legs, especially the hamstrings. Unfortunately this is usually only discovered through trial and error, or look for bottoms that are designated for rain.

• One of the most useful clothing combos for running in Victoria in the winter consists of: tights, a half zip technical long sleeve top, and a lightweight windbreaker. Full rain proof jackets are too hot, while a rain repellent wind breaker provides protection from the cooling effects of the rain as you move, while providing just enough insulation between your body the layer.

• If you run at night, choose safety and be visible. Wear bright, reflective clothing and run facing traffic. Even if you are bright and reflective, take care at intersections, blind driveways, and anywhere a driver may not see you. In fact, borrow a rule from cyclists, and assume that no driver can see you, EVER, and you will be safe.

• And a bit about lights and headlamps. When you have your headland on, remember to turn it off, or angle it down when facing to talk to other runners beside you or gathering in a group. Headlamps are great for being seen and seeing where you are going, but are blinding when facing another person directly! 

Love a pair of shoes? Love your local running shop? Found a great deal on the perfect run jacket (sorry, the perfect run jacket still doesn’t exist but I’ll let you know when it does), then share your information with your friends! That’s what the warm up and cool down are for!
 
Lucy Smith

Welcome to Week 2 of the RunSport 14 week Training Program. This week we are still focusing on practicing the good habits that will carry us through the whole program: paying attention to what we are doing, learning about posture and form in order to have a strong foundation to start from, and showing up with a positive mind set.
 
Before some pointers on walking and running form, I am going to reinforce the ‘show up’ mindset again as an introduction to the next week of training:

Preview your weekly training schedule, and look through it with anticipation. This helps you plan logistics for key sessions and to start the mental preparation that is needed to perform sessions for the week.
 
Visualize yourself performing well on training days, see yourself having a successful session and being happy and satisfied during those workouts. The stronger the visualization becomes, the more likely it will be reality.
 
Timing A morning session indicates you have to be ready to get going early in the day, and an afternoon session means you have to plan meals and nutrition, and also take into account personal fatigue that might happen later in the day for you.
 
Logistics Decide when and where the session will take place and be prudent with your energy in the hours leading up to the session. Make sure you plan nutrition for the session. Eat a light meal 2-3 hours before the session and be hydrated. Nothing derails a session like the completely avoidable event of being lightheaded and hungry, or having stomach cramps from eating too close to the session.

Rough Patches Having a bad day? You are not the first person to have a bad day, or an off training session. It happens to us all, and makes us human. An off day is an off day, nothing more and nothing less. What you make of the day – your judgements about it, your self-talk around it, and your behaviour and attitude – is up to you. Life goes up and down. Put the effort in to the best of your ability, don’t expect miracles when your energy is low, and while there is no magic pill, the magic comes from the hard work you put into consistently.
 
Training like You Mean IT
 
Get excited! This means that you come to the session ready, ready to give best effort and having made the decision to have a good day. You are not coming to ‘wait and see what happens’. As a coach, I call this ‘training like you mean it’. It means arriving early, prepared, with positive energy, and standing tall. Not having a great day? Go to Plan B:  Rough Patches. (see above).
 
 Posture and Form
 
Even after 40 years of running, I spend time in every training session paying attention to my form. I do quick scans for tension - working on being relaxed through my neck and shoulders and arms, tall in my trunk and quick and smooth in the way my legs are moving, and thinking about my feet tapping lightly on the ground as I run. In essence, I pay attention to, and give myself feedback for whether I am being my most efficient self, doing the best work I can do in that moment, and because it’s always evolving, training never becomes stale for me.
 
Walking and Running both share posture awareness as the core to improving and maintaining efficiency, but they are different movements, so below are two different sets of bullet points - things to keep in mind as you train. While these may seem like a lot of things to think about, you don’t have to nail everything all at once. Sometimes, just reading information about thinking about your own stride is enough to create a mind body awareness. You can also just pay attention to one part of your body at a time, and then relax. The other tip is to check in every 10-15 minutes, not constantly being vigilant.
 
Walking Posture and Form
 
Good posture will make it easier to go the distance, with less fatigue. Here are some posture pointers for stronger striding during your next walk.
Stand up tall. Imagine that a string (like on a Marionette) is attached to the top of your head and is pulling you upward. This will help you maintain erect, but not tense posture.
Keep your eyes on the horizon or towards the distance. Trust your peripheral vision to sense obstacles below and avoid looking down. This will help you to stand taller and avoid stress on your neck and back.
Lift your chest and tighten your abs. Using muscles in the front of your trunk to straighten up will take pressure off your back.
Bend your arms. Have a relaxed and natural feeling bend to your arms. You’ll be able to swing your arms faster, which helps increase your speed. It also prevents swelling caused from blood pooling in your hands as you walk longer distances.
Relax your shoulders. Your arms will swing more freely, and you’ll avoid upper back and neck tension.
Maintain a neutral pelvis. Don’t tuck your tailbone under or over arch your lower back.
Keep your front leg straight but not locked. As your leg swings through to the front keep it soft, you’ll have a smoother stride and be able to propel yourself forward more easily.
Aim your knees and toes forward, within your own biomechanics, however proper alignment will reduce your chances of injury.
Land on your heel. This facilitates the smooth heel-to-toe walking motion that will carry farther and faster than if your foot slaps down on the ground with each step.
 
Run Form and Posture
 
Stand up tall. Imagine that a string (like on a Marionette) is attached to the top of your head and is pulling you upward. This will help you maintain erect, but not tense posture.
Keep your eyes towards the where you want to go. Trust your peripheral vision to sense obstacles below and avoid looking down. This will help you to run taller and avoid stress on your neck and back.
Lift your chest and tighten your abs. Using muscles in the front of your trunk to straighten up will take pressure off your back.
Bend your arms. Have a relaxed and natural feeling bend of about 90 degrees to your arms. Try to avoid too much cross body swinging. Hands should have no tension (you could hold a feather without crushing it)
Relax your shoulders. Your arms will swing more freely, and you’ll avoid upper back and neck tension.
Look to where you want to go, use strong arms to propel the legs and feel a strong push off from the back toe-off as your foot leaves the ground.
Lean a little - think of your body as being perfectly balanced along a slightly forward leaning central axis.
A midfoot strike creates less ground time, reducing forces of impact on the body, which helps prevent injuries and increases overall speed. A midfoot strike is quiet and quick. Think ‘quiet and quick feet’ as you run. Your base runs, while slower, should also be reinforcing this midfoot technique and good posture gained from drills and shill strides.
 
A Final Note on Paying Attention
 
Good movement requires attention. Not obsessive thinking, but mindfulness of what is happening. In the early days of this program resist training to music, and pay attention to your breathing, a relaxed body and a tall, graceful posture while walking and running. Remind yourself often to check to relaxed face and shoulders, a strong but relaxed arm swing and a feeling that you are moving smoothly in a straight line going forward.
 
Lucy Smith

Are you training for the Virtual TC10K this year? Are you starting a new running or walking program?

It all starts now and you have 14 weeks to build positive habits and create success! Success is not a random occurrence. Success is something you create for yourself through careful self-awareness, planning, preparation and execution. Success is also a self-defined emotional environment that each of us has to find for ourselves. While we can emulate the success of others, feel motivated by it, and learn from it, each one of us has to create our own platforms to jump from. Personal success is that place where attitude and passion intersect.
 
Success in a fitness goal requires some effort and specific training. While a lot of people think of training as a series of workouts for fitness, it is helpful to have the mindset that training in itself is a practice, and one that requires certain habits. You have the right, and the power to develop habits that are positive and that work for you, right from the get go. As you gain experience, you will learn what works and what doesn’t and you will be able to fine tune your training program so that you own it. If this all seems like a lot of work, it is. But it's good work, and will come with satisfaction.
 
In this blog we will discuss a positive and logical approach to training and how to create rituals that work for you and take you towards your goal in a productive and joyful manner. The TC10k is a goal future event that keeps you motivated towards working hard, your short term weekly goals keep you working in a timely manner towards that big goal, and finally, your training sessions are really the bricks and mortar, the path your journey takes. It makes sense to create a strong, solid foundation: this is your life and health we are dealing with!
 
Session Logistics
 
·       If you have a training plan, look at it! Not just what’s coming up today, but what is planned for the week.  It makes sense to look ahead at your schedules, both to plan out your week and to start wrapping your mind around the sessions that are coming up.
·    Plan out when and where you are going to complete this session. Don’t leave it up to chance. Know exactly when your session is scheduled and make sure that time is sacred. Know where you are going to be doing the session so you aren’t making that decision right before the session. Be adaptable too; if something changes, move onto Plan B and become a problem solver. Find another time calmly.
·       Choose environments that suit the session to ensure success. A long section of beautiful trail is a far better choice for a long run, than through the city. But if you have to train at night, a well lit city street might be your best bet.
·       The people you train with are also your environment. Choose training partners that lift your spirits and motivate you, people that are fun to train with and who bring out the best in you.
·       Have your gear ready to go and in good shape. Keep your running apparel  and gear all in one easy to find place.
·       Prepare for how long the session will take. This allows you to plan time for training into your day, including warm up and cool down, around the other tasks you have in your life.
 
Executing the Session
 
Training can mean heading out of the door for a required amount of time (or until you fatigue or get bored) or training can be a practice. Training for a purpose and to achieve mindfulness is not more difficult, but can be more effective. Breaking a session into parts: the warm up, the main set and the cool down, will allow your body to be more prepared to exercise, and you will be able to maximize what you are able to do on that session. Paying attention to workouts and executing them correctly has tremendous pay back: you become a stronger athlete, you learn to stretch your own comfort levels and you are less likely to get injured.
 
 Warm Up

Before completing a session it is important to warm up your body well. Warming up is an important step in preparing your body to perform. You need your muscles to be warm and loose and your mind to be focused on giving an effort. A well warmed body is ready for the physiological stress of the workout, and a strong mental focus provides the concentration necessary to perform well. A good warm-up therefore is the positive prelude to the great show to come.
 
A warm-up is nothing more than a period of light, specific physical activity that prepares the body for the activity. It should last roughly 5 to 15 minutes. Give yourself time to warm up and cool down, as rushing through warm ups may leave you feeling stressed and not ready, and failure to warm up or cool down well over the long term can leave you at risk of injury. Mentally, use your warm up to get excited, but not so nervous or anxious that tension builds in the body. If you feel too nervous, take some deep breaths, relax, and remind yourself of why you are there (I’m sure it’s not because you want to be anxious).
·       Stay warm during warm up. If it’s cool outside, leave outer layers on to the extent that you actually feel warm while warming up.
·       Jog, walk, or do light activity really easy for warm up, focussing on breathing, being relaxed and having a great posture
·       After a warm up jog, you can try some run drills. They will further prepare your muscles for any fast running or walking that is to come.
·       Some gentle stretches can follow: glutes, hamstrings, calves and quads.
·       For longer easy days your warm up can be built right into your practice - just head out the door at a walk, or an easy pace until your feel your natural gait and stride falling into place.
·       Cooling down is basically the reverse of the warm up, a 15 minute very easy pace to allow the muscles to relax and flush some of the waste product accumulated during a session of faster effort. For long steady effort, you can make the last 10 minutes of your session at a slower pace and very relaxed.
 
Start NOW
 
Mindfulness, Self-Talk and Visualization
 
Mindfulness: 
When you are training, pay attention to what you are doing. This is a habit that will make you a stronger athlete and has the added benefit of making you more calm. When you train, practice to pay attention to what your body is doing, how you are breathing, the rhythm of your feet, the swing of your arms and how well you are moving. This focus will help buffer you from the world of multitasking we are all a part of now and creates a calming effect that refreshes. Be aware of your thoughts and notice them, and try to go of the ones that aren’t necessary. You don’t have worry about dinner, or the work presentation right now. 
Be mindful of what you are doing in the moment.
 
Visualization:
A huge part of doing well in anything revolves around planning for success and seeing yourself being successful at that endeavour. Plan for success constantly, by taking care of details that affect execution and by using strong visualization to ‘see’ yourself working at your best and being great.
 
Self-Talk:
In every session you should be mindful and alert to what is happening in your brain and in your emotional state. Being tuned into feelings that are either calm or confident, or their opposite, stress and anxiety will have great benefit to your overall program. Each time you train you are giving yourself a chance to accomplish something and to be great...and you are ingraining key habits and mindsets that you want to replicate during the more intense race environment. You can choose to have an inner 'mean' coach, or an inner 'helpful' coach. Delete the mean coach: he or she is not helpful and doesn't care about your success. If you are having trouble with this, think about how you would talk to a child you love. So now talk to yourself the same way.
Practice being relaxed for sessions, even when you are tired or not having an ‘on’ day. Develop ways that you can stay relaxed so as to perform as best as you can. This can be rehearsed body awareness cues such as ‘relaxed shoulders and back’ or ways to calm your mind and re focus on the task at hand. Becoming aware of negative self-talk and training yourself to delete self-defeating inner voices is one of the best things you can do early in a training program. As the training increases, and the peak race looms, trying to change bad habits becomes harder. Sometimes it helps to write down a new mental routine for yourself and affirm this behaviour until the new behaviours becomes automatic.
 
Distractions: one of the most common things that causes people to underperform is to let oneself get distracted by irrelevant thoughts about events. Distractions are usually somewhat chaotic conditions that arise unexpectedly and interfere with our perception of how things should be. When you are in the flow, distractions slide off your calm and confident exterior.  When unpredictable events happen the best way to deal with distractions is to re-focus on the internal process of what you are doing and decide to get on with whatever really counts.
 
 Training to be Your Greatest Self
 
Training is a path in itself. Training lets us take control of our lives, to do quality work on a daily basis, to create health and strength in our bodies and to build positive habits and routines that make us happy. Training also gets us prepared to execute our larger dream goals and gives us great life skills including resilience. Optimal training requires dedication, planning and a commitment to being our best as much as possible.

​I hope the best for your next 14 weeks as you gear up to the Virtual  TC10K on April 25th! Whether you are involved in one of the RunSport Clinics, or preparing with your bubble, or training on your own, you can check back here for weekly inspiration and tips that I hope can help you in your training!
 
Run For Joy!
 
Lucy Smith
RunSport Lead Coach
6 time Winner of the TC 10K
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