For Usain Bolt, sprinting is like a walk in the park. When you watch the man run, you realize just how effortless he makes it look. Unfortunately, not everyone is born with this amazing gift. The majority of us regular folk needs to put in a lot more work. While it is a little tougher, there is still some good news. There are loads of techniques you can follow to run faster, blitz the rest of your competitors and perhaps even set a new personal record of your own.
Perfect Your Form
The secret to running (regardless of any speed) is to master appropriate running form and technique. This entails maintaining an upright but relaxed upper body, hitting the ground with your mid-foot landing below your hip, and swaying both your arms alternately forward and back (not from left to right) at a 90 degrees angle.
Count Those Steps
This is essentially about the number of steps you make while your run, irrespective of the speed. Runners that achieve optimal speed and efficiency tempo a pace of about 180 steps for every minute and maintain both feet near the ground with featherlike, brisk and nimble steps. To arrive at the ideal rate, try running for a single minute and then count the total amount of instances where the right foot lands on the ground and simply multiply it by 2.
Stopping and Starting
Don’t have much time to spare for the gym? Consider interval training as an alternative. Switch episodes of high and low intensity during your run so you can develop speed and endurance – and exhaust tons of calories in a short period of time as well!
Remember to Sprint
If you might have noticed, “real runners” always perform short sprints prior to the start of a competition and there is a logic to this. To be specific, they are doing strides which are a sequence of relaxed sprints (typically 8 to 12, anywhere from 50 to 200 meters every sprint) to enhance acceleration form.
Love Your Treadmill
The belt in the treadmill supports leg turnover which means it can, in fact, make it more seamless to run at higher speeds. In addition to that, you also have the freedom to increase the pace at your own convenience. Simply ensure, however, to get on the treadmill prior to moving up the dial.