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Most fun runs are between 5km and 15km but you should make sure you train specifically for the distance you aim to cover. Running efficiently is really is a test of biomechanical excellence. While some of us are not ‘born to run’ there are ways to improve your capacity to run these fun runs more effectively.

In most sports, but particularly in running, to achieve a good level of biomechanical ability, you need to strengthen your core and increase your functional strength. It may even be worth hiring a running coach to help guide you through some of these basics.
First, you need to learn to strike the ground without expending masses of energy in the wrong direction, and to stay injury free. The muscles around your trunk need to be stable and strong to ensure you are stable throughout your running motion. It will also help with your breathing. You could try Pilates and Swiss ball work as a good starting point.

Functional strength can be improved with good glute (butt) strength and cross-lateral strength and coordination (the strength required to link your lower left to your upper right and vice versa), which is a must for pelvic stability and power output into the run. Independent leg strength, linked with good core stability, allows for a smoother running technique.
Sloppy movements in your body can affect your technique and increase the likelihood of injury. Exercises such as the Swiss ball lateral roll, Swiss ball hip extension with knee flexion, single leg jack-knife, single leg hover and skipping will provide you with a good starting base. Always aim for the best technique that you can achieve and try to improve on this every session.

On the Running Track

On the running track, technique drills, combined with some middle distance fartlek training, while keeping the focus on technique, will push you to direct your energy into a forward motion. Running drills are designed to focus on specific movements from the strike. These are done over a short distance (25-50m), repeated in sets.

Start a drills session with a light warm-up of a couple of laps (say 800m). Any energy wasted on preventing forward motion equals less energy to run smoother, faster and longer.
Your technique training and core/functional strength should always be a part of your weekly training program. It’s too easy to develop bad habits and muscular imbalances. Good training days like these help maintain a more balanced body.
Running drills should ideally be supervised by a running coach. Most running/athletics
tracks have a resident drills coach. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of taking your time to refine the art of running. You’ll really notice the difference.
The biomechanics of running are fundamental in achieving a truly ‘fun run’. ‘Biomechanics’ simply refers to the action of your running style, resulting from muscle-firing patterns that coordinate your
technique. In any given sport, a particular biomechanical pattern is recommended for better performance. We use running drills and training techniques to modify or change the way our muscles are told to fire, encouraging a new pattern and achieving a more biomechanically efficient technique.

Making Sense of the Advice

To make some sense of this advice, you need to understand a couple of standard points that remain the same for everyone.
Your centre of gravity (COG) is basically the centre of your pelvic girdle, located between the iliac crests (pelvis) and a fist-width beneath your belly button, halfway between your front (anterior) and back (posterior). You need to direct all your effort and energy into forward motion, while always striving to reduce the risk of injury. How you strike the ground greatly affects your energy output. Any strike in front of your COG places excess pressure on your knees and pelvis, acting as a brake on your forward motion. On the other hand, striking your foot directly beneath this point directs your energy into a forward motion and reduces the amount of impact through your joints. Finish your strike with a full extension of the push-off phase. This gives you time to pull your other leg through (hip flexion), allowing a strike
beneath your body. Do not over-stride or try to increase your stride length, although this will naturally happen with good
technique. Keep your thoughts on staying light and efficient. Try to visualise your COG being constantly lifted. As you become tired, your COG drops, making it more difficult to execute a good running technique. This is where your core strength comes in, so continually check that your core muscles are working. Your core strength must be pushed to achieve greater endurance.

If we look at the knee during the strike, we should see minimal lateral movement mostly medial or inward movement. Generally, inward knee movement indicates a muscular imbalance in the leg. We could identify the main weaker muscles, but it’s best to cover all the bases and train your legs so that knee stability, ankle stability and total leg function is balanced.

And Finally…

Running can be the catalyst for an injury that may inhibit your ability to train and prepare for races. The main types of injuries are knee pain and shin-splints. The reasons are wide and varied so it’s safe to say that ‘prevention is better than cure’. If you do get injured, be sure to consult a sports-related physician and treat the whole picture, not just the pain. Preventing injury can be as simple as a well-structured program and remembering that ‘less is more’. Have regular massages, keep flexible and always include some core and joint strength and stability training, along with technique drills.
When it comes to footwear, go for quality. Your shoes comprise most of your total equipment! Apart from maybe a heart rate monitor with a stopwatch and some light-weight clothing running is a relatively cheap sport so it’s worthwhile investing in the best quality shoes you can afford. Listen to the experts and get the shoes that are right for you. Looks don’t help you run better, so go for comfort and performance, and pay due regard to any podiatry advice. Your footwear should be changed regularly. A simple test as to when to hang them up is when the sole starts to show ‘wrinkle lines’, similar to ageing wrinkles!

Running doesn’t need to be a painful experience. Start slowly and enjoy the solitude and headspace. Pick some races that are suited to your level and enjoy the experience UFM


For those of you have never run it, this event is…, well…, let’s just say that the City to Surf may not be considered a ‘fun run’ for all. It is tough. You patiently wait in line for hours to even start the event and then fight the crowds to get any sort of rhythm happening. By the time that happens you have more than likely hit what is otherwise known as ‘heartbreak hill - a nice, steep long hill that can make even the most polite of us say some not so forgivable words! But hey, it is what it is – a fun run.

Check out the latest running shoes recommended by the major shoe companies for such enets such as the City to Surf.

Article contributed by:
Ultra Fit magazine
www.ultrafit.com.au