How To Improve Your Running Economy
Let’s start this week’s Wednesday Substack with a little (slightly misty eyed) thank you for all of the lovely feedback on my last one. When I wrote it (and of course 30 seconds after I published it), I was slightly worried it wasn’t interesting or relevant or really enough about running. So it was particularly gratifying to get so many nice messages and to know that there is audience and an appetite for other kinds of stories, too.
Though, for today at least, it’s back to the training track as we go from Vegas to the equal (albeit in a slightly less obvious way) delights of running economy… what a joy it is to be here and write about whatever the hell you want!
So, what actually is running economy?
Straight forwardly put- running economy is the relationship between your energy consumption and your running pace. The better your running economy, the less energy and oxygen you need to run at the same speed. In other words, runners with good running economy use less fuel to cover the same distance as those with poorer running economy.
Ok again in plain language please…
You might remember when you first started running that either you couldn’t talk and run because you were so out of breath, or you experienced feelings similar to that of having a panic attack after 30 secs of running, due to not being able to catch your breath. Sound familiar? It certainly does for me!
As a beginner runner there are several factors that can contribute to poor running economy but the good news is, it’s fairly easy to improve.
Inefficient Technique: As a beginner runner you might not have developed the optimal running form or technique- this is why when I teach beginners how to run I reiterate cues for two of the most common: shoulders back and down, don’t kill the budgies (clench your fists). If we have awkward or inefficient movements, we waste energy, which coaches sometimes refer to as energy leakage (yes I know, we’re so nice aren’t we!).
Muscle Weakness: If you’re just new to running you may not have developed muscle strength and endurance; weak muscles can tire quickly, making each stride less efficient which in turn requires more energy to keep them moving.
Lack of Coordination: Every wondered why we throw tennis balls in our beginner courses? Well running requires good coordination and muscle activation patterns, if we come to running later on in life, the neuromuscular coordination hasn’t yet developed and again this is important for efficient running, poor coordination leads to more energy expenditure with each step.
Breathing Inefficiency: I’m often asked how to breath when you run, through the nose or mouth- I always say through the mouth, it’s a bigger hole than the nose which leads to developing effective breathing patterns, more efficient oxygen use and less energy consumption.
As you progress and develop as a runner, you should find that your running economy improves, your race times improve, longer runs feel easier and your heart rate is lower even though the pace is faster than your normal pace. As you become a more efficient runner you are able to run faster but now the faster pace feels more comfortable and easier than before.
But what if I’m not a beginner?
Miles and miles of running can make you a more efficient runner; there is a significant amount of research suggesting that accumulating a high volume of endurance training consistently over many years is one way to hone running economy. That makes sense, the more you run, the more efficient you get as the body finds ways to conserve energy.
So if you’ve already got the miles under your belt but still think you’re running economy could do with some improvement, another way to sharpen running economy is with short, fast running with track intervals and steep hill repeats. These sessions help you learn to minimise wasted motion with poor running form, recruit fast twitch fibres and feel comfortable at fast speeds. Interval/hills and tempo training through the winter tend to lead to Spring pbs!
What else influences running economy?
Running economy gets worse with fatigue, so there is naturally a decline in economy as a run or race progresses. Success in distance running, half marathons/marathons/ultras, exists in being able to use oxygen as economically as possible during a long run or race. Your aerobic system supplies nearly all the energy for these events, being able to run faster whilst staying in your aerobic zone is one of the many addictive reasons for marathon training.
On the face of it, running economy appears quite simple, but in actuality it is multifactorial, there are many variables that effect an individual’s running economy.
· Genetics – blame your parents!
· Cardiorespiratory efficiency – maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max)
· Training Age – how long you’ve been running for
· Biomechanical efficiency – your posture
· Neuromuscular efficiency – how strong your muscles are
· Environmental factors like heat, cold and running surface (road or trail)
Adding in strength training plus a few years of running in different environmental situations like heat, rain, snow, all enable you to better control variables that you can. We can’t do anything about our genetics but, that’s only a small part of the overall picture.
I always advocate and coach with a holistic approach to training, which I’ve found to be key to improving running economy and ultimately performance. Consistent running, speed/hill/tempo sessions and long easy miles. Now, I’m not saying you must run a half marathon every weekend, long miles can be any distance, it’s all relative, not many people run 3 miles at the weekend for fun!
Just a few adjustments can make a BIG difference.