Running ABC drills — which move you through the different phases of a running stride — sound simple. But these technical exercises require practice and thought to be a worthwhile part of your running routine.
“Drills are what you make them to be,” says Still Physio owner Kim Fraser. “If you do these drills only because you have to or because someone told you to, you’re not going to see performance changes. But if you put your intention on the why … it will translate into your running and make you run faster or help reduce injury or help you feel like a stronger runner.”
This week, Fraser talks to the Brainsport Times about what the running ABC drills are and why runners should be doing them.
The drills
Running As, Running Bs and Running Cs are drills that each exaggerate a different point in the running stride. These can be done at various speeds and intensities depending on when or why they are being performed; runners typically advance from a walk to a march/skip to a run/bound as they warm up.
A Running A is a “high-knee” motion; you drive your knee up close to your chest and then drop your foot down underneath you, close to your centre of gravity. If you’re doing these right, you won’t move very far.
A Running B starts the same way as a Running A — you drive your knee up close to your chest — but instead of bringing your leg straight down under you, you extend your leg and claw it back like a horse pawing the ground. Again, you shouldn’t be covering a lot of ground doing these.
“I often find that runners have a tendency to really reach or overstride as they run,” Fraser says. “One of the main reasons we teach a Running A and a Running B is to focus on shortening the stance and having our foot land more underneath her body. This will, in turn, allow us to fall forward versus pull ourselves forward, which is a more efficient running strategy.”
A Running C is a “butt-kick” motion. It mimics lifting the heel and completing the running motion.
There are a lot of great demos of these drills online, including @runrx on Instagram. She teaches the “pose method,” a version of training that teaches you not to overreach and uses elastic energy to propel you forward. There is also this YouTube video.
Why to do them
“These technical drills are done before we start running so we can teach our brain what’s supposed to happen when we actually start to run,” Fraser explains.
Intentionally working on proper movement patterns regularly as part of a warmup before running can translate into a stronger, more efficient running stride and help prevent injuries.
“For people who are learning how to run, it’s good to understand how to move well … and even for my high-performance athletes, they’re part of the repertoire always,” Fraser says.
When to do them
Fraser recommends spending a few minutes on drills at least once a week during a warm up. For drills to be a useful exercise, you need to focus on proper technique, not simply go through the motions.
How to do them
Start with “soft” drills at a walking intensity before progressing to “hard” drills done at march/skip and run/bound intensities. New runners might only incorporate soft drills into their warmups while runners more familiar with the movements should move from soft to hard drills, Fraser says.
“The A walk is very calm and quiet; we’re focusing on a really good movement pattern. But as we get heavier into drills, like an A bound, those become fast and hard,” Fraser says. “We’re trying to stimulate a good recoil of muscles, so they can do what they’re supposed to do when we’re running fast.”
Spend 20 to 40 seconds per drill, followed by a walking recovery.
How to make sure you’re doing them right
“These technical drills, just like running, are an art,” Fraser advises. “They take time and they take patience and they also take a lot of practice.”
Working with a running coach or physiotherapist can be beneficial — as can simply running more.
“As the quantity of running comes, the quality of running comes too,” Fraser says. “Sometimes the A will happen organically if you run more often.”
Next week, Fraser discusses another set of running ABCs: Alignment, Breath and Cadence.
For more about Fraser, visit her in-person at her temporary location at E3 Chiropractic and Wellness in Evergreen until her new space on Broadway opens up in the fall. You can also find her online at www.stillphysio.ca, on Instagram @stillphsyio or by email at kim@stillphysio.ca. Fraser also has an online running platform called THE JANES, an online community for women’s wellness in running at https://thejanes.mn.co/.
