Relaxation In Running
Why is Being Relaxed Important?
First and foremost, when you run while tensed, your muscles will tense up, causing you to use more energy to run faster, making it less efficient as it will cost you more to accelerate and maintain your speed. Additionally, while running tensed, your running form will gradually deteriorate as you tire out throughout your race.
Now, when you run while relaxed you are using your energy more efficiently. For example, when running a hard workout, running relaxed will allow you to feel under control of your body as you will be able to maintain a good running form for a longer period of time. Additionally, you will feel like you have an extra gear left to push. Running relaxed does not necessarily mean running slow. Most of the time, running tense with 100% effort and running relaxed with 100% effort is mostly the same as you’ll still be operating at or near your lactic threshold and your maximum heart rate as well; the difference is that you'll feel mentally better while relaxed.
How to Stay Relaxed While Running
When you want to relax while running you first need to identify what parts of your body are tensing up while running. It can consist of your shoulders, arms, hands, jaw, legs, and face.
Here are some tips to relax your muscles while running:
Unclench your jaw
Soften up your face such as your eyebrows and eyes
Take deep controlled breaths
Keep your shoulders relaxed and low and have your arms in a normal 90-degree position
Don’t clench your hands too tightly, have your hands unclenched like you’re holding a raw egg
Have a consistent, fast, and smooth stride
Maintain a steady rhythm
Relax the Mind
Apart from relaxing your body while running, it is also important to relax your mind as you may subconsciously tense up due to stress that is built up in your mind every day. Having a relaxed mind will help you mitigate the anxiety and stress that you may feel right before race day, and it can even help you achieve that personal best that you’ve been working hard for.
Effective ways to relax your mind are:
Distract it by focusing on your breathing and your stride count.
Visualize your race and the hardest parts before it happens so you are mentally prepared and ready to tackle it.
Practice mindful meditation frequently.
Think positively and believe that your hard work has paid off.
Listen to music that relaxes you.
Conclusion
Staying relaxed is a combination of both your body and mind. Having a relaxed running form will improve your speed and endurance in the long run. Finally, it feels better to have a relaxed form rather than a tense form.
Sources:
https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20823391/managing-muscle-tension/#
https://www.traininkenya.com/2018/08/22/the-art-of-relaxed-running/
https://runningmagazine.ca/sections/training/how-to-stay-relaxed-while-running/
https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=uz2209