Inhale deeply and exhale powerfully. Shake your arms briefly as you exhale. Return the arms to their normal position, keep the shoulders down and slightly back and remain relaxed. Make sure your hands are not cramped, as if you were holding raw eggs.
Take some time each day to get into a relaxed body-mind state. Sit in a hot bath, sauna or steam room. This will make it easier for you to relax during a run or race. Another way to run faster and improve speed by relaxing is to open your hands.
Many athletes run with a closed, tight fist, which is not optimal for running faster. Closed fists immediately create tension in the arm and shoulders. If you watch the end of a 400-metre race, you will usually see that the winner is the one who is most relaxed on the home straight. Some have their hands closed and look tense, as if they are fighting with themselves to get to the finish line.
Others run as smooth as butter and look as if they are crossing the finish line without any effort. The stress of wanting to run faster and thinking too much often causes you to slow down. If you take a step back and keep control of your mind and body, you will find that you feel much better at the end of the session, recover faster and run in a relaxed manner. Similarly, you don’t have to be an elite runner to learn how to run relaxed and in a style that is comfortable and unique to you.
So why would you run to the point of cramping up and losing form in every single training session? I often hear coaches shouting “RELAX” to their athletes on the home straight of a race, but it is clear that these athletes have not practised staying relaxed in training. You can experience the joy of an effective, energy-saving and, most importantly, relaxed running style, regardless of how far or how fast you can run. The secret to a smoother and faster run is to focus on being relaxed rather than applying more power. I also ask them to visualise themselves running relaxed from the inside out so that they can perceive running as a relaxed movement without pressure or effort.
The reason it’s difficult to tap into the power of relaxation is because it feels counterintuitive when you’re trying to run your best time. So next time you’re on the track, forget about trying to run each repetition faster than ever before, or straining to keep up with your training partner, and instead try to stay relaxed, focused and in control. I was particularly struck by how relaxed top athletes can look when I trained with the Kenyan runners. An added benefit was the deep inner relaxation that allowed me to feel a sense of freedom and more joy when running.
According to my long-time coach Dieter Hogen, there are many runners who have mastered all the normal running phases mentioned above, but simply cannot run in a relaxed way. Practising relaxed running should be an important part of your training if you expect to be in a race. Deep inner relaxation will help you become a better runner, regardless of your pace, and can make you feel lighter as you run, allowing you to move smoothly and almost effortlessly. Many Kenyan friends I have trained with run with an upright but not overly rigid posture. Their shoulders are lowered and relaxed, their arms are held lightly and low at the side of the body, moving like a fast pendulum in a steady rhythm.
When you experience the wonderful feeling of being relaxed from the inside out, running can almost feel like you are dancing to a fast and comfortable rhythm, like the great Kenyan runners I have trained with. However, to stay powerful and actually run faster, you need to be able to stay relaxed and not force your pace.”
