Learning to fly

Well, maybe the running technique workshop I attended this morning wasn't that advanced. I didn't learn how to fly. In fact, it felt nothing like flying. It was running the way nature intended it.

Markus Stålbom's workshop was recommended to me by a running buddy. Some of you might remember that I met up with said buddy a few days after Christmas, when I was feeling very low because of my foot injury, in order to get some tips on improving my running technique. He had attended one of Stålbom's workshops and was kind enough to show me what he had learned. When I left a while later, I was full of hope: maybe, if I improved my technique, I could avoid future injuries and relieve my aching foot. I didn't feel so powerless any more: my technique was something concrete that I could work on.

Since then, I have thought about all these tips while I run, especially when in my Five Fingers. It must have made a difference; when Stålbom filmed our running style at the beginning of the session, he didn't have that many corrections to make about mine. He thought I should try to lean forwards a bit more. I was braking by leaning backwards.

Waiting for the workshop to begin

After talking about some theoretical stuff, we went through some running drills and exercises. Lots of them. The first ones were aimed at improving individual aspects of our running style, such as lifting the heel directly under our body, and the later ones were aimed at bringing all the aspects together. The workshop was concluded after 3 hours with another video analysis, to see how our technique had changed.

I could immediately see a difference in my style. I leaned forwards more. My feet touched the ground less. It still wasn't perfect, of course, but I was getting there.

When I came home later, my head was full of information. I had to go out and practise, before I forgot. My pulse was high, my legs worked hard, my breathing was laboured. Trying to piece together all the different technical aspects was difficult. Stålbom said right before we left that it can take up to a month before the body gets used to it.

I found Stålbom very easygoing and likeable. I thought that the workshop, especially the drills and exercises, were very useful. It will be hard to build up to such a level where I can run long runs ”perfectly”, as technique tends to suffer the more one gets tired. But those short runs home from work should be perfect for working on my running style.