Running in the Fast Lane

I have asked Holly Dickinson, Founder of ACCEL Strength & Conditioning, Kinesiologist, Certified Strength Coach (NSCA), and CPT through Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology to help answer some of our most common running questions and struggles!

Holly and I were in sister programs at the same college, and took multiple classes together! We have kept in touch ever since and I’m so glad she is part of the blog to spread her information to all our readers! She now dedicated herself to coaching and empowering female runners in person and online with her programs, helping individuals just like you become more knowledgeable, faster and set for a lifetime of injury free running! You can find her on instagram

@accelstrengthconditioning https://www.instagram.com/accelstrengthconditioning/

And all her business excitement at https://linktr.ee/accelstrengthconditioning

Holly has a podcast “Run Girl Radio” which she recently launched helping solve runners queries & each week Holly brings us credible & impactful information, creative solutions, and juicy running tips to get you one stride closer to your best running self.

Here’s the link to her podcast where you can link through to any podcast hosting platform!

https://anchor.fm/accelstrengthconditioning/episodes/Build-Your-Perfect-Accountability-Running-Team-etepj5

How should I be warming up for my runs?

It is best to warm up before any run. Generally a longer warm up is required when you are doing high intensity or speed focused running days, conversely a slow and gradual warm up for longer distances is recommended. In those warm ups the vital key is that we are moving through a full range of motion for every warm up drill. Studies have found an increased risk of injury when static stretching prior to exercise. Holding specific stretches should be saved till after the workout or run, and instead movements that work controlled through a muscle or joints full range of motion is best. What would be even better is to focus on muscles and joints specific to the activity you are doing, so specific to running, or specific to the strength training workout focus! Here are some great pre run dynamic warm up drills you can do inside or outside before you kick off into your run. https://www.instagram.com/p/CKr21d6DbKQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

What’s the best test to know how good my running is right now?

Specific to form I would definitely say a biomechanical running assessments with a coach or watching yourself with a phone camera (as I explain in the below paragraph) is key to spotting and altering running form. Regarding how you stack up against normative data? the Cooper Run Test is a great running test that has a wide range of normative data, it also doesn’t require much of any equipment and takes only 12 minutes! You run as far as you can for 12 minutes and compare your times to normative data, and can also re-test yourself down the road to your own score and distance achieved for an inexpensive and non complicated test! Here is the normative data at the bottom of this article https://www.verywellfit.com/fitness-test-for-endurance-12-minute-run-3120264

Testing is key! With my clients I run a battery of run specific movement patterns that provide an invaluable baseline! We go through anthropometrics, balance specific tests, range of motion and mobility for joints most specific and involved in running, strength tests relevant to running, cardiovascular tests (Cooper or more advanced) to gain a very well rounded assessment of you! This gives me the roadmap of where we hit the ground running with training and what you specifically need in your program to improve YOUR running. Here’s a great post where I dive deeper: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLvGAdNj8Ak/

Stay tuned to One Stop Athletic Therapy for more information from Holly Dickinson regarding running!