ef·fi·cient /əˈfiSHənt/ adjective: (especially of a system or machine) achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.
So, what does it take?
Strong glutes?
Flexible calves?
High mileage?
Certainly adequate strength and flexibility are helpful athletic traits, though running doesn't require as much strength or flexibility compared with, say, gymnastics. And, if you practice anything a lot, you become more economical so running all the miles surely does make a big difference. Just look at your training paces after a year of consistent training. You got faster and were able to run farther, right?
As runners, it's important to be efficient so that we don't waste energy, but also, critically, so that excessive stress does not accumulate in any one area of the body leading us to injury. If all parts of our body are participating optimally, no one area will be overused or underused.
So, what does it take to be a “maximally efficient runner?"
In a phrase, "access to every joint movement in your body.”
Um, ok, wow, what? That sounds like a lot.
During the time it takes for you to complete one stride cycle (say, right foot initial contact --> left foot --> right foot initial contact), every single joint in your body *should* experience a complete journey from one end of their range to the other, and back.
For example, your [lumbar and thoracic] spine will rotate right as your right leg swings forward and rotate left as your left leg swings forward. Back and forth, to the right and to the left, every stride.
That's one plane of motion. There are three.
How about your hip? The hip flexes and extends, abducts and adducts, and rotates internally and externally.
That's one joint.
This is happening throughout your whole body. We have 33 joints in each foot. Do all of those move well? Hmm. This is really adding up!
Don't get me wrong. The absolutely amazing thing about our bodies is that we can get the job done. We can get from point A to B. We can also survive on a diet of Haribo gummi bears for a while, too.
That is, we can't cope forever without paying a price. Eventually that hip that never extends might lead to an annoying low back or upper hamstring pain as those areas take on extra work. The hip that can't externally rotate well might produce piriformis symptoms.
Yeah. So then the question becomes, "do you have access to every joint movement in your body?"
Don't Know What You Don't Know
I can guarantee you have areas of your body which are not moving and you have no idea they exist. Often what draws our attention is the area which is moving too much. The tight calf, the achy knee, the sore hamstring - which all represent symptoms of inefficient movement - aren't the actual problem.
We need to identify the areas which aren't participating and invite them to join in on the action. Would you like help with this process? Contact me today!
Bonus form tip:
There are exactly ZERO areas of the body that should be still or holding tension while you run. So, get out there and run nice and relaxed. Scan your body for tension. Three of my favorite areas to check are: the jaw, the shoulders, and the feet. If you notice any tension, see if you can let it go.