Half Marathon Running Techniques : The Stride

When you run a half marathon you want your effort to be efficient.  So when you are training you have to learn how to resist fatigue. One of the best ways to make your run more efficient is my concentrating on your stride.

Here are a few things you can do…

1. When you stand and you begin to lean forward you will find that gravity will start to pull you down. So lean forward you begin to fall then put your left or right foot out to prevent you from falling. You should try maintain this lean, do not attempt to take giant strides when you are running your half marathon. Short baby steps like a little piston is the best way to run.

2. Head position - As you achieve the position mentioned above you should maintain your head in the middle and lean it slightly forward too. Keep your eye focus ahead of you and carry your arms comfortably. Most runner tend to swing their arms across when they run. That is not efficient because it pulls you from one side to the other. You want to get to the point where you drive your right arm forward and your left leg at the same time.

3. Hand Position - You can learn how to position your hands by wearing gloves. As you run you want to be able to see each gloved hand with each arm movement. This will help you master the technique of using your arms to drive forward as you run.

In all this do not forget to breath. This is one of the most important things you should do when you are running.  The form described above is the relaxed natural form for running. Do not try to struggle and get to the end to the finish line. Relax your stride and enjoy the moment.

**See the right side bar for the #1 half marathon training plan, the one I use!
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Half Marathon Training Tips : Hill Runs

When practicing running hills for your marathons you have to start with hilly runs and then you move on to hill repeats. The early hill runs are meant to help you get your body used to running the hills. They help you make you stronger by building your legs and lungs. Ultimately, you will start to find the runs on flat surfaces extremly easy.

The 'Hill Repeats' can be compared to doing speed workouts on a hill. You will be running from the bottom or the top of the hill. Or even just a section of the hill. You do the up run at a fast pace, then you jog back down to the bottom and repeat this again. This should really help you with your hill runs. It is important to concencentrate on your running form being very good.

Other important things to remember include always running with your nose over your toes. This will help maintain your body weight over your body all the time as you run up and down the hills. You should avoid leaning too far forward or too far back. You will have the correct positioning if you keep your body at right angles to the surface of the hill. It is no secret that running downhill is hard on your back, however you as a marathon runner have to get used to this.

Some of the marathon courses you will run will have downhill stages, so it is important that you practice these too but not as often as you do the uphill runs. That is all you need to know when it comes to running hills.