In just a few short weeks, fall racing season will be here.

If you've been struggling in the heat this summer (or training well in the winter down under), it can be tempting to sign up for as many races as you can when cooler weather hits.

That can be an amazing idea if racing fills your social cup and brings you joy.

But it can be a not-so-smart idea if you have your heart set on a PR at a goal race this fall.

So how do you balance all the races that you want to do in such a way that you can still reach your goals?

I'll explain.

read more (6 mins)

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ask me anything

Q:

How long should my strides be? I don't think I heel strike but it feels like my foot lands ahead of me instead of under my body.

A:

There are only two ways to get faster at running: take longer strides or take them more often.

So if you're talking about fast running, you want your strides to be as long as possible. And you want to take as many of those long strides as you possibly can.

The length of your strides at a given pace will depend on several factors including the length of your legs, the time you spend in the air (the flight phase), and to be completely unscientific, the "spring in your step."

Runners with great hip extention and ankle and big toe flexion can extend their strides much wider than runners who have more limited mobility.

But focusing on stride length on the run is rarely a good idea. If you're thinking about wide strides, you are far more likely to lower your cadence (steps per minute) and overstride.

Big, long strides with a slow cadence typically creates a "bounding" effect which causes more impact force as well as more vertical oscillation (bouncing up and down). We want to lessen impact forces and keep as much motion moving forward instead of upwards.

That's why focusing on increasing cadence and taking light steps is typically more effective (and efficient) than actively trying to extend your stride.

In order to take quicker steps, you may have to shorten your stride a bit until you get used to it. But in your case, that's probably a good thing. If your foot is hitting the ground before your body has a chance to catch up, you are overstriding and creating extra forces that will brake you and break you.

If your cadence is already nice and quick, the best way to open up your stride for faster running is to work on mobility in the big toe, ankle, hips, and thoracic spine.

You'll also want to make sure that you're building strength and power for those giant leaps in the gym.

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podcast

I know this topic can get a little TMI, but we're all friends here, right?

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GI issues like nausea, heartburn, and diarrhea affect anywhere from 30-90% of all runners. If you're one of them, learning all you can about it can really make a difference in your running and your racing.

Because it is an issue that can be fixed, once you figure out the culprit.

On today’s Planted Runner Podcast, I’ll explore

• why runners suffer from all kinds of gastrointestinal issues,
• what you can do to figure out your unique solution, and
• how to know if something more serious is going on.

If your worst fear is uncomfortable (or worse, uncontrollable) bathroom issues on the run, this is a must-listen.

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inspo

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

— Aristotle

Have a great run today, Coach Claire

P.S. Whenever you are ready, here's how I can help your running, nutrition, and mindset with truly custom training plans, PR Team or 1:1 coaching and more. Oh yeah, all my freebies are there too...

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Since 2016, I've helped thousands of every day runners become fitter, faster, and stronger with truly customized training and coaching.

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