“You run like an ostrich”

“The good news is that there’s only a couple of tweaks that will vastly improve your running – in terms of using your energy better and being able to go further.” ~ Ethan Rhys, One Eighty Fitness

I need all the help I can get for the Autumn Royal Parks Half Marathon so I gladly agreed to a ‘running analysis’ from Ethan Rhys, from One Eighty Fitness Ltd. Whilst my  running was getting me from A to B, it was clear that I needed a better running technique.

For about 45 minutes, it was stop-start as Ethan watched me run, gave me some tips and sent me off round Highbury Park to integrate the improvements.

How I can improve my running technique

I’m hoping to implement these into my next few runs so that I’ll be more efficient for the half marathon. The quicker I finish, the faster I can get to my macaroni cheese reward! Hopefully some of you may find this useful.

Relax the shoulders: I tense my shoulders as I run. It’s no surprise that sometimes my shoulders and arms ache by the end of it. If you’ve ever tried relaxing whilst running, it’s not easy!

Bend forward: I couldn’t run in a more upright fashion than if I had a poker shoved up my arse. Ethan didn’t use these particular words, but it gets across the picture. Immediately just bending forward at the waist propelled me forward. Try it.

Lift the knees: As Ethan explained, the more the knees are lifted, the longer the stride, the more ground that’s covered. Currently, I’m shuffle-running, which explains why whenever I caught sight of myself in window reflections whilst running, it looked liked I was just walking fast.

Remove the kicky heels: Yes, there’s a part of me that runs like Phoebe from Friends. Thankfully without the flappy hands. The kicky heels, as it turns out, don’t do anything to make me move forward faster. So these have to go.

Combine all this advice with my new running shoes (!!!) and there you have RunningEliza 2.0, new and improved.

ETHAN RHYS  is the owner of One Eighty Fitness Ltd. Instead of buying PT sessions, you buy into a goal, whether that’s weightloss, fitness levels, fitting into a certain dress, whatever – you set these together and together you work towards it. Ethan combines fitness as well as healthy living with his programs, including nutrition, lifestyle and health advice, which are tailored to your requirements.

Contact him on ethan@oneeightyfitness.co.uk to discuss goal-setting, your running technique or any other fitness or nutrition change you’re looking to make.