We offer a full running assessment. This includes a mobility exam, strength assessment and biomechanical assessment.

We will then provide you with a bespoke strengthening plan, hopefully leading to less injury and better performance.

Nose Breathing
Mouth is for eating ….Nose is for BREATHING.

Nasal breathing is a great way to improve performance and efficiency in running.

It has been shown to improve oxygenation, performance and recovery in runners.

Nasal breathing sends the air deep into the diaphragm increasing lung volume and connecting your pelvic floor which reduces pressure and leakage.

One of the ways to try this in running is to increase your cadence, 170-180 bpm and to breath to the count of 4 in and 4 out. Trying to find a rhythm.

(Another bonus of a faster cadence is that it helps to prevent injury – winner! )

If you feel like you can’t get enough air (air hunger), you could try using a nasal dilator.

Hills!
The energy cost of uphill running is much higher, making it a challenging but a potentially rewarding type of training. This is largely due to the increased work of driving the body up the hill. As a result, we see an increase in activity in the quads (front of thigh), calf, glute max and hamstrings during the propulsive phase of running.

Uphill running tends to increase load on the Achilles tendon and Tibia but decreases it on the knee Joint (Patella Femoral). It may be wroth reducing uphill running in people with Achilles pain or Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS), especially when it is very painful.

However, with knee cap pain (Patella Femoral) pain, if it’s well tolerated by a runner we might suggest continuing these uphills runs. They may be a useful replacement as a high-intensity workout if faster running is painful for the knee.

And down again!
Running downhill tends to increase patellofemoral joint stress (Knee cap), so if the runners care doing hill repeats it may be better to run up and walk down. ITBS also tends to be aggravated by downhill running.

A key point with both uphill and downhill running is the individual response will vary.

Speed, gradient, step rate and tissue load all interact and are influenced by technique. For example, a runner aiming to run faster downhill may increase stride length and use a low step rate. This would be expected to increase muscular demands during load absorption, especially on the quads and would likely increase peak load on the knee and Tibia.

However, a more cautious runner aiming to run downhill more slowly may increase step rate, taking short, quick strides to control the descent. While this will increase loading cycles it may reduce muscle demands and load on the knee and Tibia, especially if speed remains low.