Bekele's Stride

I have no doubt that Bekele could break the WR for half marathon.

alazar wrote:

...Bekele is certainly suited best for 10k with his explosive speed and powerful style. Sure he will kick ass at the marathon, but it will not be his best event)

This is why many said Geb would make a poor marathoner.

No...I paid attention in class when we were doing physics...what were you up to?

oh and btw ...it is 'arse', not ass...I did say a basic understanding of physics is required...seems there isn't even a basic understanding of anatomy.

neutral wrote:

oh and btw ...it is 'arse', not ass...I did say a basic understanding of physics is required...seems there isn't even a basic understanding of anatomy.

You can't just apply physics like that. Biomechanics has inherent "rules" you have to play by. Running is not simple physics. If it were, Rupp could have just moved his legs faster and won.

Paul Tergat also brought his heal well-passed 90 degrees, whether he was kicking against Geb in the 10000m final in Sydney, or falling off the front in the Athens marathon. I remember how different his swing phase was in Athens from the other guys they kept showing, like Culpepper. Wanjiru is even higher, similar to KB.

12345 wrote:

You can't just apply physics like that. Biomechanics has inherent "rules" you have to play by. Running is not simple physics. If it were, Rupp could have just moved his legs faster and won.

Just telling you why it is more effecient or economical, despite it appearing that you need more energy to 'lift' your heels or lower limb as high as possible. You have to have a certain cadence to get this economy of course. If you are just shuffling like Joe Blow then you will need to conciously force your leg up, and hence that would be less effcient at that pace.

If you want to talk biomechanics, that's a different issue but there are lots of studies by some clever people on the 'spring-mass' model I have crudely described.

So what appears obviously inefficient isn't actually and I am always amazed that we westerners come up with supposed 'better' techniques, gear, nutrition etc when people naturally tend to run more and more efficiently by just training at the appropriate paces.

His stride is great. His hamstrings are mega powerful. Weights, hills, fast running and plyos would develop this.

My ethiopean training partner tells me they do squats with bar and go straight into an all out sprint for 50m. Also runs that are only up hill. Plus runs in 40 degree heat to make the heart work harder. These are tough people!!

heyyo wrote:

Yes and I was implying that if the answer were so obvious and simple as form drills than everyone would have his stride. Swoosh, right over your head.

Nope. Your post was overly condescending, given that the person you responded to simply suggested that form drills would help.

The Tadesse study was obviously seriously flawed. If he was that economical then he would be running a Marathon in 1.30 or less.

As for Bekele's running action, that is just his style, we are all different.

neutral wrote:

oh and btw ...it is 'arse', not ass...I did say a basic understanding of physics is required...seems there isn't even a basic understanding of anatomy.

In American English, it is "ass", not "arse"

what was the tadesse study and how exactly was it flawed?

A shorter pendulum will swing quicker than a longer pendulum. If you think of a leg as a pendulum, shortening it by kicking the heel higher (like Bekele) means your legs will swing forward quicker, using less energy. As a result it is a more efficient running style.

Very simple really and explained in numerous running books.

Achieving the same technique is not so simple. I'm guessing it requires years of training by running, drills & strength. Your hamstrings would need to be pretty strong to pull the lower leg up like that each stride for such a long time.

Sir Lance-alot wrote:

However, I would imagine that at 7 min mile (a pace a lot of us run), it would not be so efficient.

Well if you would imagine it, then I guess it must be so.

I am not sure how much the crazy, Percy Cerutty warm up drills help their economy (although they obviously would impact muscle elasticity and serve as a nice active warm-up), but the Ethiopians do seem to have the best running economy as a nation of runners.

What I find interesting is how different the Kenyans and Ethiopians look when racing. I am sure that there are many mechanical similarities, but the Ethiopians seem much more upright while the Kenyans appear to be leaning forward.

A lot of Kenyans carry their arms very high while the Ethiopians hands often drop below their waists. I am generalizing, but I think the differences are notable.

I've not contradicted myself. If your hamstrings were strong they'd use less energy to lift your heel the same height as another person who had weaker hamstrings.

Of course there's a trade off between the efficiency gained and how high you kick and simply kick your butt with each stride won't make you run quicker. It has to be a natural movement.

Pendulum wrote:

A shorter pendulum will swing quicker than a longer pendulum. If you think of a leg as a pendulum, shortening it by kicking the heel higher (like Bekele) means your legs will swing forward quicker, using less energy. As a result it is a more efficient running style.

Very simple really and explained in numerous running books.

Achieving the same technique is not so simple. I'm guessing it requires years of training by running, drills & strength. Your hamstrings would need to be pretty strong to pull the lower leg up like that each stride for such a long time.

Agreed, adding quad/hamstring flexibility to the mix.

decline running

Stride patterns or styles by good runners are not learned. They are products of thier particular mechanics. When you are running hard your body moves as efficiently as possible until break down. Bekele does not have the long femur many Kenyans have. He has thicker more powerful legs, heavier calves, he will have a higher back kick than most