RejectRunner wrote:
I try not to strain, I really do. It just happens past the 60m mark. Also how could I work more on my turnover? Relaxing is added to things I need to work on!
Being able to relax when under the stressors of running is key. Usually it starts in the shoulders - my coach used to always yell at me to relax my shoulders when I was doing intervals.
When it gets tough, do a self-check to determine if you are tightening up. This includes your face, neck, shoulders, arms, torso - try to focus on being as loose and relaxed as possible. Realize that you're just making things more difficult - the more relaxed you are, the easier you can do the job you are trying to do. For me, simply doing a fair amount of racing and high quality workouts gets me used to feeling the pain, and I manage it better.
For turnover issues, just take smaller steps. Kick back more forcefully instead of lunging forward. My coach used to also say (one of my favorite quotes of his), Nothing in front of your center of gravity is going to help you move faster. If you put a straight line down from your hips, nothing of value happens in front of that. No lunging, reaching with hands/legs. Take smaller steps and pretend the ground is hot enough to hurt your feet, so you have to put them down and push off quickly.