Running should be a joyful experience, not a boring or exhausting workout.

Today, I went for the perfect run. Why was it perfect? Because I utterly enjoyed it, and I know that it was exactly what I needed today. That’s how training should be – our desires should line up exactly with our needs.

Not only was I eager to get outdoors and run, I wanted to do it right. I wanted to practice the perfect run and know that when I was finished I had done something right and good for me. Allow me to elaborate.

I ran Fall cross country, Winter Track, and Spring Track and Field in high school, and my events were the long distance events. I put a LOT of miles on my body in three years. So many miles, in fact, that I overtrained into injuries that ultimately led to almost three years in physical therapy, which was terminated early because I had maxed out the funds my health insurance was covering. I won’t bore you with the details.

It’s probably too obvious to say that I approach long distance running with caution these days. In fact, I remember saying that I would never run again. That’s what the doctors and specialists were telling me, and I eventually believed them for awhile. I’ve learned a lot about running since then, including many things that I would do differently if given the chance to return to the past.

Today, I definitely will not allow myself to stumble back into the running methods of my youth. I approach each run in a very different manner than I used to, and I want to share some tips about how to run better with you.

How to Run Better: 5 Things That I Do Differently Now That I Know Better

1) My lifestyle is much more balanced and supportive of a running hobby than it was when I was in high school. I eat better foods. Drink only water and tea most of the time. I’m not sleep deprived or over-worked. I have plenty of time to take care of my health. Going for a run today does more good than harm.

Running used to just add to the laundry list of stresses in my life, instead of being an avenue for stress-relief as it is today. If you’re already over-stressed, then it’s counter-intuitive to add to that stress by going for a physically demanding run.

Another aspect of this is that I have active recovery practices programmed directly into my lifestyle. Exercise is no longer simplified into work times and rest times – training days and “off” days. Every day is an opportunity for physical activity, and the best way to sustain physical activity is to adopt a daily personal practice that will help to PREhabilitate your body. I primarly use the Intu-Flow Longevity System for this purpose. If you don’t compensate for the physical work-related activities that you do regularly, then your body will eventually adapt to them and will always lead to imbalances and worse over time. Look at anyone who trains for endurance sports if you need proof.

2) Methods of warming up for a run have changed drastically. I used to jog for a bit, which I’ve now learned is an inefficient stride for energy conservation. After a 5-10 minute jog, I would do a full body course of static stretches, holding each one for 15-30 seconds until the muscle relaxed (read “lengthened” or “deformed”). After the stretching, I would begin the run.

Today, my warmup is comprised of much different methods that have been contributing to my injury-free, and thus, pain-free running hobby. I use joint mobility exercises instead of static stretches – working from head to to, and core to periphery. I also skip the initial jog, and just progress slowly into my run – walking, trotting, then running with occasional sprints interspersed throughout the run. Jogging is a thing of the past!

The program RMAX Powered Running really helped me learn how to fine-tune my joint mobility warmups specifically for running. I consider this the best resource for runners that wish to train long-term without injuries:

RMAX Powered Running

3) I run differently than I used to. My running technique has changed subtly in the past year, but the minor changes have made a huge impact on how well I run and how good I feel afterwards. I used to feel awful when I finished a run, just beat and exhausted with achy joints all over. It’s not like that anymore, and a huge reason for that is because my stride has changed out of necessity.

I’ve been adopting a “less is more” philosophy, and especially when it comes to footwear. In fact, I’ve been going barefoot all year, as often as I can, including during my runs. Naturally, taking off your shoes will change the way you walk and run. If you’re like me, upon first trying barefoot running, you’ll be hopping around like you’re walking on hot coals every time you step on a pebble – but your feet will toughen up quickly. In fact, running barefoot may even naturally improve your running technique in-and-of-itself.

When you take off your shoes, heel striking is no longer an option. As it turns out, heel striking is one of the major causes of joint injuries in the knees, hips, and spine, among other places. Try heel striking while barefoot and your intuition will tell you it’s a bad idea. You’ll never do it twice, trust me. Instead, you will want to land on your forefoot, or “mid-foot.” This will help you to “catch” your weight and absorb the shock throughout your body – instead of having over-engineered shoes do it for you. This is where natural running technique starts, and it will progress into more efficient and effective running from there.

If you want more information on this running technique, research the POSE running method as developed by Dr.Nicholas Romanov.

4) I now include an effective post-run ritual. When I was done with my runs in high school, that was it for the day – I was just DONE. I’d put everything I had into each run, and a proper cooldown routine just wasn’t employed regularly. Sometimes, I would “walk it off” to catch my breath and maybe do some stretches, but I was inconsistent at best. When I was finished running, I was finished exercising. That’s what the warmup was for, right?

WRONG!

The cooldown portion of your run is arguably one of the most important aspects, and if you want to stay injury-free, you better pay attention to that short window of opportunity following your runs.

I have a very specific cooldown ritual that I follow after every run, with some variance here and there depending on what my intuition is telling me. I ALWAYS do some full body vibration drills as soon as I’ve finished my run and the “cooldown walk.” Just shaking out my legs, arms, and torso really helps to alleviate some of the stored tension throughout my body and restores bloodflow to my muscles and synovial fluid to my joints. The RESET program was a great resource for learning how to do this effectively.

After shaking out, I’ll usually walk on the outside and inside edges of my feet for about 50-100 small steps. This helps with the prevention of shin splints.

Other than that, I’ll usually do some biomechanical exercises from the BodyFlow program to relieve some deeper tension in and around the joints in my legs, hips, and spine. This is always intuitive, and each day is a little different.

I always finish with either Forest Flow from Prasara Yoga or a 4 Corner Balance Drill.

The 4 Corner Balance Drill

5) I enjoy every step of every run I take today. For me, running used to be a challenge. It was hard work that I did for the purpose of bettering myself. There was an element of fun to it, but it was more pain than pleasure. The end always justified the means, and so it wasn’t as enjoyable as it could have been. I would stress over shaving off an extra second or two from my 1600 meter race, and it wasn’t healthy or sustainable long-term.

Today, running is a pure joy. The fact that I CAN RUN is a blessing and I don’t take it for granted. I make it a point to enjoy every moment, and stay away from the competitive running mindset that led to injury in the past. I can already run pretty far, and a decent pace, and I can sprint fast enough to surprise most people. Sure, I could probably increase my speed a little if I changed my running technique to include heel-striking, but since I’m not in a hurry or running for my life, I’ll content myself with a slightly calmer pace. If I ever did have to run for my life, I’m sure I’ll use the fastest method possible then.

I guess you could say that I’m taking a “Slow Fitness” approach to running. I’m in it for the long haul, and I’d like to run well into old age. There’s no point trying to push to the limit, or exceed my potential every single run. I’d rather progress slowly over time and keep my gains, than progress quickly and have to quit due to injury.

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The Perfect Run Through My Neighborhood

Today’s run was perfect because I incorporated all of the above tips. To top it off, I had my dog, Ronin, trotting by my side. I got a chance to say hello to three children and have them pet my dog. Ronin and I even got chased down the street by a fiesty German shepherd dog. I smelled and felt the wind, and I wasn’t exhausted when I was done. It was exploratory, it wasn’t a race – nowhere to be, nowhere to go, just running. When we got home, we both drank from the hose in the backyard!

More Running Resources:

The Definitive Guide to Going Barefoot

John races his dog Ronin in a barefoot sprint contest (video)

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen – I’ve heard nothing but positive reports from people who have read this book. It’s number three in my book reading queue. My review is forthcoming.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and Running Enthusiast

Barefoot Sprinting

It’s only fair that I do it barefoot, since I don’t expect Ronin to wear shoes…

Truth be told, it’s a miracle that I was able to run across that field today. I was told be several doctors and specialists that I would never run again. Back in high school, I developed a serious case of patellar tendinitis in both of my knees due to over-training in long distance running. This created a chain-reaction of events all throughout my body that led to several scattered, debilitating injuries. I had to sit out my senior year Spring track and field season due to the many injuries I had accumulated – right when I was at my peak. This is a long story, so I’ll cut right to the lesson.

Your body is a gift, and gratitude is one of the first steps to healing. It took me 3 years of seeing my doctor, a sports medicine specialist, an orthopedist, and several different physical therapists to heal my injuries incurred from overtraining. But first, I had to take complete responsibility for my injuries and for the healing itself. I couldn’t place my trust just in my medical team whom I saw for only one hour a day, because it’s what I did the other 23 hours of the day that really mattered. I had to OWN my pain, embody it, and thank God that I had experienced an opportunity to learn and grow.

I had to adopt some PREhabilitative exercises in order to cement my healing and ensure that I could continue to exercise without pain and without limitations. I collected bits and pieces from various different sources, and it wasn’t until I found the RMAX Powered Running Program that I had tried a complete system for prehabilitating your body for the rigors of running.

If you’re a runner, or used to be and would like to get back into it, then I highly recommend you invest in your health and your hobby by checking out a copy of RMAX Powered Running. This DVD will teach you a very specific warmup and cooldown routine to help you bullet-proof your knees from injury (and the rest of you, too!). It will also cover some of the different biomechanics of different running stages: walking, trotting, running, and sprinting – to ensure that you have good running technique at every speed.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and Barefootter

I took about 90 minutes today to get out in the woods with my dog Ronin, who has his American Kennel Club “Canine Good Citizen” test tonight (CGC info here). In the last 5 months that we’ve owned Ronin, I’ve discovered that he performs much better in obedience when he gets moderate exercise throughout the week. He’s more discerning, faster, and more compliant when he has a balanced activity level.  Naturally, I want him to pass his test, so it behooves us to give him a little bit of physical and mental stimulation today (the test is 10 obedience skills, and all must be successfully completed to pass the exam, no mistakes allowed – one fluke and we fail). Here are some highlights from our rainy day workout…

Rainy Day Workout


I’ve been talking a lot about getting outdoors throughout the topics of this blog, but I’ve also been talking a lot about play (and reading a lot about it lately). Getting outside today was not only a necessity for Ronin and my own health and wellbeing, it was the highlight of my day. It didn’t take an ounce of effort to outside because I LOVE to be out there – rain or shine. Sure, it felt like I had a slurpie in each boot, but we had a blast just messing around and enjoying each other’s company out in nature – away from the computers, cell phones, cars, and all the “noise” that is prevalent in our modern society.

I think this is one of the biggest keys to practicing compliance with a fitness program. Find something you LOVE to do. It should be the best part of your day, what you look forward to when you wake up, or get out of work. Once you’ve got that figured out, the rest is just details and the magic will begin to unfold – whether you realize it or not.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional

P.S. If you’re not the type to exercise outside, that’s fine too. I’d recommend taking a look at this workout program which is super-effective and best performed indoors. TACFIT – 26 Scaled Programs to Meet Every Fitness Need

Bare Essentials Bodyweight Strength Training Circuit

Repeat 3x, no rest between exercises, 1 minute rest at the end of each circuit:

• Bodyweight squats – 1 minute
• Pushup variation according to skill level – 30 seconds
• Front plank – 30 seconds
• Walking lunges w/ or w/o DB’s, KB’s or sandbags, (etc.) – 30 sec./leg
• Mixed grip pullups (either vertical or horizontal) – 30 seconds on the bar, no letting go
• Choice of Mountain Climbers or Bear Walk 30 seconds
• Rest 1 minute

Notes: For the timed sets, you don’t need to be repping out during the entire time. If you fatigue before the time period ends, rest and catch your breath, then try to squeeze some final reps in before the end. All of the exercises can and should be modified to fit your current conditioning level. If you like this quick strength training workout routine, let me know and I’ll keep them coming in the future.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT