svgreengoddess--I've read
svgreengoddess--I've read that running FASTER can help with IT band issues, though I don't think of it as a foot strike issue. One day I was having a rough long run, with lots of IT band tightness. I had to keep stopping to walk, more than I wanted to. Then I came to a busy street and sprinted through the crosswalk...and seriously, that short sprint was like an awesome dynamic stretch for my IT band, and I was okay for the rest of the run! It was just a little further (maybe 1/4 or 1/3 mile) so my IT band might have tightened up a bit after that if I'd kept going. But I really do think that doing a bit of faster running (in between your longer, slower run intervals) can help.
I also have started doing run/walk intervals in the last 3 1/2 months. (I usually do 4 minutes running/1 minute walking.) I'm able to run faster during my running portions (and faster is probably good for my IT band), and then switching to walking uses different muscles, which many people (like Jeff Galloway) feel is a good way to avoid overuse injuries. Sometimes when my IT band is feeling tight, it seems to loosen up as I walk. And you know what? I'm a faster runner when I utilize walk breaks! My pace is better overall because I don't have to try so hard to conserve energy while running--I can push harder, knowing a walk break is coming up. I still feel somewhat weird using walk breaks--but they make me a better, faster, and probably even healthier runner. Walk breaks work...at least for me!
When you want to keep a midfoot/forefoot strike and run faster, you have to think about letting your foot trail BEHIND you longer before picking it up, while keeping the same cadence. (As opposed to a heel strike runner who might try to put their foot further in FRONT of them when they step down. I find that when I try to do this, it feels like a nice dynamic stretch. Remember that your legs mimic what your arms are doing, so think of pumping them further behind you to help lengthen your stride. When running with my (very slow) 5-year-old, I've even let myself slow my cadence so I could make my stride longer--just while my IT band felt tight. I wouldn't normally want a slow cadence, but I think it may have helped me get through that run without my IT band totally cramping up.
These three Chi Running arcticles were so helpful to me! Scan all of them--the last one was where a light really went on in my brain.
ITBS article, level pelvis article, pelvis rotation article.
svgreengoddess--I've read that running FASTER can help with IT band issues, though I don't think of it as a foot strike issue. One day I was having a rough long run, with lots of IT band tightness. I had to keep stopping to walk, more than I wanted to. Then I came to a busy street and sprinted through the crosswalk...and seriously, that short sprint was like an awesome dynamic stretch for my IT band, and I was okay for the rest of the run! It was just a little further (maybe 1/4 or 1/3 mile) so my IT band might have tightened up a bit after that if I'd kept going. But I really do think that doing a bit of faster running (in between your longer, slower run intervals) can help.
I also have started doing run/walk intervals in the last 3 1/2 months. (I usually do 4 minutes running/1 minute walking.) I'm able to run faster during my running portions (and faster is probably good for my IT band), and then switching to walking uses different muscles, which many people (like Jeff Galloway) feel is a good way to avoid overuse injuries. Sometimes when my IT band is feeling tight, it seems to loosen up as I walk. And you know what? I'm a faster runner when I utilize walk breaks! My pace is better overall because I don't have to try so hard to conserve energy while running--I can push harder, knowing a walk break is coming up. I still feel somewhat weird using walk breaks--but they make me a better, faster, and probably even healthier runner. Walk breaks work...at least for me!
When you want to keep a midfoot/forefoot strike and run faster, you have to think about letting your foot trail BEHIND you longer before picking it up, while keeping the same cadence. (As opposed to a heel strike runner who might try to put their foot further in FRONT of them when they step down. I find that when I try to do this, it feels like a nice dynamic stretch. Remember that your legs mimic what your arms are doing, so think of pumping them further behind you to help lengthen your stride. When running with my (very slow) 5-year-old, I've even let myself slow my cadence so I could make my stride longer--just while my IT band felt tight. I wouldn't normally want a slow cadence, but I think it may have helped me get through that run without my IT band totally cramping up.
These three Chi Running arcticles were so helpful to me! Scan all of them--the last one was where a light really went on in my brain.
ITBS article, level pelvis article, pelvis rotation article.