How To Run Faster And Longer Without Getting Tired Or Injured


7 Steps To Better Running Form


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1.  Skipping yoga.

Common excuse I hear from runners: “I’m not flexible enough to do yoga.”   That is the equivalent of our non-running friends who say, “I can’t run for exercise. I get winded just running once around the block.”

Obviously we know that when you lack cardiovascular fitness is when you need exercise the most.

When you lack flexibility is when you need yoga the most. But many yoga classes are intimidating to runners. It is difficult to keep up with the contortionist teacher who is tying her body into knots at the front of the room.

  1. Ignoring your breathing.

Breathing is a very unique physiological function. It is the only function that is under both voluntary and involuntary control. Because of this, it forms a bridge between the voluntary and involuntary aspects of your nervous system.

You can use your breath to control things that usually happen unconsciously, such as your level of excitement or relaxation.

During a run, a useful way to become more efficient is by relaxing. Focusing on the breath is a great way to ease into a relaxed state during a run. The best way that I have found is with a mantra that follows the breathing pattern.

This example comes from Chi Running:

On the inhale say to yourself the word “cotton” and imaging your arms and legs are loose and soft like cotton. On the exhale, silently say to yourself the word “steel” and imagine that the center of your body at the center of your pelvis is as solid as steel.

If you want more info on how to optimize your breathing, I’ve created a program for you:

Get the Breathe Better Now Program!

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3.  Ignoring your body’s messages.

In our culture it is more common to tune out the body’s signals than to pay attention to them. Every health club has TVs in the cardio area. Some even have televisions on each treadmill or other machine. We consider it normal to distract ourselves from what we are actually doing.

There is a better way. Focus your attention on your body while exercising. This is the best way to get the highest performance possible while preventing injuries. The breath is a good place to start. After you have tuned into the breathing for a while, start paying attention to the moment when each foot hits the ground—the foot strike.

Notice each foots strike and how it feels. Is it harsh and jolting? Or is it soft and smooth? Try to let it be soft, smooth, and fluid. Notice the difference. Experiment with different styles and tune into how your body responds.

Our bodies contain more wisdom than our minds. The immense number of functions that our bodies coordinate would quickly disintegrate into chaos if controlled consciously by our minds.

Our bodies will find the most efficient and least damaging way to move and perform if we tune in and listen.

See also:

Related Video

3 Things Endurance Athletes Can Learn From Yoga

Author: Nick Ortego is a health coach specializing in biohacking for runners. He integrates modern methods with the ancient wisdom of yoga to help runners get the most out of every aspect of life. He is the owner of N 2 Action, a wellness studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, offering personal training, health coaching, yoga, and fascial stretch therapy.

Also check out the Nick Ortego Fitness Youtube channel.

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Run Better Now Coaching

Do you want to love running again?


So there I was after my first marathon.


I was hurting and I could barely walk. I could walk but I looked 50 years older than my 29 years.


I had fallen in love with running about 8 months earlier when I was on a family vacation. I ran every day near the beaches in Florida. Not Florida in July, but Florida in April.


The warm sun.


The cool breeze.


They combined with the steady rhythm of my feet hitting the ground and the wavelike motion of my breathing. It hypnotized me into a state of euphoria.


I went home from that vacation and immediately signed up for my first ever marathon.


But here I was now 8 months later and I couldn't bear the thought of running. I resigned to the idea that running just wasn't for me, or my body. It was like an abusive lover. It just beat me up too much.


I stopped running and just focused on other exercises.


Then one day a I was walking my little wiener dog at a local park wearing some five fingers. Those are the barefoot toe shoes that were trendy back then.


I looked at my little dog and he seemed to want to run. I decided to do a little sprint.


And it felt phenomenal. I loved running again. Everything was flowing, my form felt effortless. A eureka moment happened.


You see, when I was training for the marathon, I had tried to implement better running technique principles to no avail. My form would just go back to my default setting once I got even a little tired.


I knew what good running form looked like. I have a degree in the science of human movement. I did most of my biomechanics projects on running when I was in college. I read all the books about better running form. I tried to use the principles that I knew.


But I had been unable to put it into practice.


Now something had changed.


When I was not attached to running a certain distance or speed, I ran much better. I started treating running as a skill I was developing, rather than a mode of cardiovascular conditioning I was using to condition my body.


It worked. I enjoyed running again. I took another deep dive into studying the biomechanics of running. I was able to practice the principles of better running.


Since then, I've run several marathons faster than that first one that left me feeling crippled.


I've run a 50k and 100 mile ultra-marathons without feeling beat up.


That's a lie. I felt pretty demolished after the hundred miler. But that's to be expected.


I love running again.


But it hasn't been all rainbows and unicorns. I've made mistakes and learned. I got over-zealous with the little barefoot toe shoes and had to fix my plantar fasciitis again. (I'm prone to it apparently.)


Prevention beats treatment is one of the most valuable lessons I learned, by the way. I haven't had the plantar fasciitis issues in over 8 years now though.


As a trainer, I started using what I knew about corrective exercise and motor learning to help people run better.


And now, with the current state of internet technology, I can offer coaching online. I created a 3-month coaching program called Run Better Now Coaching.


With the Run Better Now coaching program you get all this.




  • You will improve all of your movement patterns so that you can run with optimized mechanical efficiency. This means a smoother, easier experience each time you run.

  • You will learn how to improve other lifestyle factors that can make or break your running performance. This includes nutrition, stress, sleep, and recovery.

  • No guesswork. You get a specifically detailed program specifically designed for your body and your schedule delivered on my online platform with instructional videos and unlimited feedback.

  • Constant guidance. Each week we meet remotely to adjust your program based on how it's going for you.

  • Unlimited consulting.  I answer all your questions by email or through my online training platform.


Click here to sign up for the 3-month program,  or read more if you're curious.


How Online Coaching Works


Here is what your get:




  • Movement Evaluation: An initial evaluation of your movement patterns and running form through video.

  • Program Design: An exercise and running program designed specifically for your needs, goals, and time constraints.

  • Unlimited Q & A: My online coaching platform allows you to send me messages and videos. I answer your questions and give you feedback for improving your technique.

  • Weekly Coaching Sessions: We meet online each week throughout the 3 month program for accountability and encouragement as well as program troubleshooting.

  • Integrated Health Coaching: I coach you on the other aspects of a healthy lifestyle that can make or break your running. This includes better sleep, nutrition, recovery, and stress management. 


Sign up for the Run Better Now (3-month) coaching program.


Movement Evaluation


I send you the instruction video and then you video yourself performing a set of movements and running. It's easy with your smart phone or other device.


I evaluate how you move and design a movement optimization program based on your movement patterns. I post your program and you log in to your account to view it. It comes with video demonstrations and instructions.



Customized Exercise Program


In addition to the movement optimization program, I design a running technique and strength training program just for you. I design it around your schedule and based on your abilities.


We periodize your program based on your races or events. We design the program and shift the variables so that your performance peaks at the specific time when you want to be your best.



Unlimited Consulting


You get unlimited questions answered by email or over the online coaching platform. The online platform allows you to attach videos to messages.


If you have any questions about your technique, just shoot a quick video of yourself with your smart phone or other device. Attach it to a message and send it to me.



Weekly Sessions


We meet up to 4 times a month throughout the 3-month program for accountability or encouragement. During this session, we can also troubleshoot your program and game plan for any upcoming events.


You get access to my personal calendar to set your coaching sessions up at your convenience. No back and forth messaging about available times necessary.



Integrated Health Coaching


So many things outside of running can affect your running. I coach you on those things as well. I can teach you how to get better quality sleep, recover better, beat stress, improve your mindset, eat better, and optimize your cognitive performance.


With the Run Better Now coaching program, you CAN run faster and longer with greater ease and without pain.


Get Started Now on the Run Better Now 3-Month Coaching Program
Nick Ortego
 

Nick Ortego has been a fitness professional since 1998. He holds a BS in kinesiology and is certified by the American Council on Exercise as an advanced health and fitness specialist, health coach and group fitness instructor. Ortego is also a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) with Yoga Alliance, a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist, and a Certified Kettlebell Teacher with the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation.

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