How To Run Faster Using Less Energy | The Running Channel

The Gist

Running economy improves through consistency, heavy strength training, hill strides, tendon conditioning, and optimizing everyday technique rather than attempting a total form overhaul.

Quick Overview

Running economy is the amount of energy used at a given pace, and improving it requires specific non-genetic interventions. Mark shares five actionable strategies to boost efficiency, including lifting heavy weights, performing short acceleration strides, and capitalizing on the efficiency gains of supershoes and proper fuelling.

Key Points: Running economy is defined as the amount of energy used for each step at a given pace. Strength training consistently yields a two to eight percent improvement in running economy by helping muscles generate more force. Short hill strides and acceleration sprints lasting about twenty seconds improve power generation, tendon stiffness, and neuromuscular coordination. Supershoes function similarly to tendons by storing and returning energy, providing a two to four percent improvement in running economy. Aiming for approximately eighty grams of carbohydrates per hour during marathons helps reduce oxygen cost when running at marathon pace. Mark trained for the Chicago Marathon with a target time of two hours and fifty minutes, requiring a pace of four minutes per kilometer. Mark finished the Copenhagen Marathon in two hours, fifty-five minutes, and forty-four seconds with an average heart rate of 159 beats per minute. The Running Channel Club offers community support, workout tips, and structured discussions for runners preparing for autumn races.

Context: Mark from The Running Channel is training to break his personal best at the Chicago Marathon with a goal time of two hours and fifty minutes. To achieve this demanding pace of four minutes per kilometer, he focuses on maximizing running economy rather than making radical and impractical changes to his natural running form.

Detailed Analysis

Running economy dictates how efficiently a runner converts oxygen and energy into forward motion, serving as the ultimate marginal gain for marathon runners. Mark breaks down the five primary ways to improve economy without getting bogged down in useless form fixes. He explains that runners should build strength through heavy lifting and plyometrics, execute short hill strides for power and neuromuscular coordination, leverage the energy return of supershoes, and properly fuel with up to eighty grams of carbohydrates per hour. By addressing these practical variables alongside consistent training, runners of all paces can conserve energy and prevent late-race fatigue.