Posted: February 5, 2005

Science of Sport: "Ask Owen" Weekly Feature

Ask Owen Q and A Index

Visitors are invited to submit training questions for exercise physiologist Owen Anderson, Ph. D. to answer in a weekly column.

Owen currently writes a weekly column for the Runner's Web.

Questions can be emailed to: Ask Owen.

Each week, Owen will pick the most interesting question(s) and publish his answer(s) on the Runner's Web.

Question::

Dear Mr Owen.
I am an italian runner of 46: I did run almost 1000 races of 400 hundred meters till the age of 39 when I run in 49.9 seconds.
My PR is 47.8 in 1979 when I was 20 years old but I never trained a lot: I am 180cm for 70 kg still now.
I would like to run again a 400 now at the age of 46: I am in good condition and I run 3 times a week on grass, on the road for 40 minutes to 1 hour.
I used to do skip exercises and little jumps but if I try to run fast on track after few runs I have little contractures on the soleus of both legs.
It’s a pity because I think I could run in less than 51 seconds: when I was young I did runs of 50 meters in less than 5 seconds easily vstarting with 30mt of acceleration.
I did run 22” on 200 but I could run in 20.5 without contractures that I had also at 20 years old
Do you have any suggestions? I tried stretching, slow warming, long repeats of 30 or 40 mt sprint but it’s hard.
Thanks,
Adriano

Answer:

Hi Adriano,

Thank you very much for your note; it was very good to hear from you. You have truly been doing some fast running!

To keep your soleus muscles from locking up when you attempt to run fast, you will need to strengthen these muscles and upgrade their dynamic flexibility in a running-specific way. The following exercises should be helpful:

(1) Single-leg heel drops and raises on a step. To perform this exercise, simply stand on a step with relaxed, erect posture, with all of your body weight supported on your right foot only (your left leg should be flexed at the knee so that your left foot is in mid-air). You should be balanced on the ball of your right foot, with the ball very close to the edge of the step, so that the rear of the foot is prepared to fall downward (in other words, your right heel is free to move up and down vertically without touching the step surface). As you stand in this position, your right knee should be flexed in order to activate the soleus muscle.

Next, contract your right calf muscles as strongly as possible, so that your right heel rises vertically and so that you rock forward on your right foot, supporting full body weight on your right toes and extreme right forefoot. You have reached the beginning position for your single-leg heel drops and raises (it's OK, at first, to use a wall, chair, banister, or other structure for balance, if necessary).

Now, let your right heel move downward smoothly and evenly (and slowly, at first). As you do this, don't let your foot wobble from side to side, and don't let your upper body move around spastically - just drop your heel below the level of the step in an efficient manner. As you do this, body-weight support will shift from your right toes and extreme forefoot to the mid-foot region.

As your right heel reaches its full-down position (limited by the stretchiness of your calf muscles and Achilles tendon), let your right ankle dorsiflex naturally, and let your right knee increase its flexion (obviously, your ankle and knee will be flexing simultaneously). As you do all this, your right hip will be in a slightly flexed position.

Once you have reached the down position, don't dally - immediately rock back up onto your toes, plantar-flexing your right ankle at the same time that you are straightening out your right knee. Hold this on-the-toes position for two seconds, and you have completed one rep!

Continue on for four more reps on your right foot (I know that probably sounds laughable, but starting small will limit excessive strain on your Achilles and calf muscles and minimize the magnitude of subsequent soreness), and then give your left soleus muscle a chance to join in the fun, completing an identical number of reps on your sinistral side.

As you perform the exercise, move smoothly and rhythmically and without any hesitation in the overall movement (except for the two-second "holds" on tiptoes), and try to maintain good balance, posture, and stability at all times (as mentioned, you may grab a wall, banister, or other structure for support if you are having trouble with your balance). Attempt to maintain a running-specific posture, and try to sustain a feeling of relaxed running as your rock back and forth on your foot; don't scrunch up your upper body, and don't look down at your legs and feet as you carry out the movements. Stay relaxed at all times. The progression is to increase the number of reps gradually to three sets of 15 on each leg and then to begin working on the speed of the movement, making the heel descents and subsequent bounce-backs more explosive in nature. You may then begin adding resistance by wearing a weight vest or weighted backpack and/or by holding dumbbells in your hands.

(2) Toe-Walking with Opposite-Ankle Dorsiflexion: 2 sets of 20 meters, with a short break between sets. Stand as tall as you can on your toes. Balance for a moment, and then begin walking forward on your toes with slow, small steps (take one step every one to two seconds, with each step being about 10 to 12 inches in length). As you do this, maintain a tall, balanced posture. Be sure to dorsiflex the ankle and toes of the free (moving-ahead) leg upward as high as possible with each step (i. e., move the top and toes of the "swing" foot as close to the shin as possible), while maintaining your balance on the toes and ball of the support foot.

(3) Balance and Eccentric Reaches with Toes: 2 sets of 10 reps with each foot (note that a rep includes a reach to the left-front, straight-ahead, and right-front). To carry out this exercise correctly, start by standing on only your right foot as you face a wall or other structure, with the toes of your right foot about 30 inches or so from the wall (you may need to adjust this distance slightly as you perform the exercise). Your left foot should be off the ground and positioned toward the front of your body, with your left leg relatively straight. Then, bend your right leg at the knee while maintaining your upper body in a relatively vertical position, nearly directly over your right foot. As you bend your right leg, move your left toes (and left foot, of course) toward the wall until your left toes actually touch the wall, keeping your left leg relatively straight. End the movement by returning to the starting position. Then, conduct essentially the same motion, but move your left foot forward and to the left, again keeping your left leg straight as you attempt to make contact with the wall; as you do this, let your right, weight-bearing foot roll to the inside, so that your right ankle is pronated and most of your body weight is supported by the inside half of your right foot. Note that your left foot may not quite reach the wall, since you are moving in a frontal plane (from right to left) in addition to the straight-ahead, sagittal plane. Return to the starting position, and then carry out essentially the same motion, but with your left foot crossing over the front of your body and going to the right as you attempt to touch the wall; as you do this, let your right ankle supinate and your right foot roll to the outside, so that most of your body weight is supported by the outside half of your right foot. When you return to the starting position, you have completed one rep on your right foot.

(4) Toe Hops: 2 sets of 15 reps per foot. On a "forgiving" surface (soft grass, sand, compliant dirt, "tuned" track, or basketball floor), simply hop forward on your right toes for 15 hops, while preventing the sole of your right foot from touching the ground (i. e., stay up on tiptoes). Rest for a brief moment, and then carry out the same procedure on your left toes. After a short rest, perform one more set of toe hops on each foot. Emphasize relatively short, quick, coordinated hops, and look ahead of you as you hop along - don't stare at your feet.

Carry out these exercises three times a week, always after a good warm-up which includes at least 12 minutes of very light jogging. Over time, increase the number and speed of the reps very gradually. Once your soleus muscles begin to operate more smoothly, you may add some hill running to the above drills, surging up a moderately inclined, ~ 50-meter hill three or four times after completing exercise # 4 (hill running is good for improving the strength and dynamic flexibility of the calf muscles in general).

Owen Anderson, Ph. D.

www.RRNews.com

About Owen Anderson
Owen Anderson, Ph.D., is the editor and founder of Running Research News and the author of the books Lactate Lift-Off (http://www.rrnews.com/products.htm) and Great Workouts for Popular Races (http://www.rrnews.com). An exercise physiologist and training expert, Anderson coaches and offers training camps for runners. He's based in Lansing, Michigan. To learn more about Owen and his work, please visit www.rrnews.com

Running Research News is a monthly newsletter which keeps sports-active people up-to-date on the latest information about training, sports nutrition, and sports medicine. RRN publishes practical, timely new material which improves workouts, prevents injuries, and heightens overall fitness.