5 Things You Can Do INSTANTLY to Clean Up Your Running
Because running better doesn’t always mean running more.
Running looks simple — one foot in front of the other.
But anyone who’s ever been balls’ deep in the trenches after going too hard too soon knows how tough it can get when things aren’t firing on all cylinders.
As with anything in life, bad habits can creep up and bite us on the ass; and when it comes to running, this can relate to anything from technique and gait, all the way to how we structure our training week.
The result? You’re going to be working harder than you need to, feeling less efficient, and probably wondering why your watch hurls abuse at you on the daily.
The good news: you don’t need a full biomechanical overhaul to fix it. There are things you can do right now — literally on your next run — to clean up your form, feel smoother, and perform better. Heed these 5 tips, and you’ll be well on the way to getting the most out of your running
1. Run Quiet
Next time you’re out, listen to your feet. If you sound like a stampede of tap-dancing elephants, you’re landing too hard.
Running “quietly” forces you to run more efficiently — with better cadence, lighter landings, and improved control. It encourages you to absorb force through the muscles rather than the joints, which is exactly what we want.
One of the best tests (as much as it pains me to mention the T-word) is hopping on the treadmill and running at a speed you would class as ‘run of the mill’. If you don’t make too much noise, then great job - but if the whole gym looks over wondering where the re-enactment of that scene in the Lion King is going down, then you might want to sort it out.
To be clear: “quiet” doesn’t mean “tiptoe.” It means smooth.
Slow things down a shade, focus on being a little bit lighter on the feet - and you’ll find yourself in more of a glide rather than a constant thump. And your body will thank you for it in the long run!
2. Unlock Your Arms
Your arms are the forgotten heroes of running mechanics. When they’re stiff, crossed over your body, or shrugged up to your ears, they waste energy and restrict your breathing.
But when they’re relaxed and coordinated, they drive your rhythm and keep your stride smooth and balanced.
I’m not saying go full Mr Tickle on the arms - we just want to ease up on the tension so you’re not sacrificing energy that would be much better placed elsewhere.
There are 4 Points I always check in with when I am running to ensure this is the case:
Are my shoulders riding up to my ears (ie shrugging)? If so, we want to drop ‘em down and relax.
How bent are the elbows? We want to be at roughly 90° to allow for a nice efficient arm swing.
How are my arms moving? We want to be swinging our arms front to back — not side to side — to make sure the forward momentum generated by our arms is working WITH us, not against us.
Am I clenching my fists? We want our hands to be relaxed but braced - where I always use the phrase ‘Pinch the Paper’. Imagine you are holding a single piece of A4 in between your thumb and forefinger, and you will have a light brace through the hands that will transfer up the arms WITHOUT wasting energy on clenching.
Your arms should move like pendulums, not windshield wipers. A relaxed upper body translates directly to relaxed, more efficient legs.
3. Strengthen Your Feet (Start Now)
I will keep banging on about foot health until it actual sinks in just how important it is for both performance and longevity in running!
If your feet are weak, your running efficiency suffers — full stop. Your feet are your foundation. Every step you take begins and ends there.
Modern shoes (especially cushioned ones) do a lot for your feet but very little with them. Over time, this dulls strength and proprioception — the body’s awareness of movement and position in space.
The underlying premise of improving running tekkers is this: everything in the body working IN SYNERGY - ie, from top to bottom, we want every aspect of the Rig singing from the same songsheet.
So, in order to get those feet back on the pitch firing on all cylinders, we need to start rebuilding that connection:
Spend time barefoot at home — let your toes spread and grip naturally. However nasty they may be - just make sure you have a lawyer on hand for the imminent divorce that awaits.
Stand and find your Tripod Foot: three points of contact — heel, base of big toe, base of little toe.
Practice single-leg balances, toe lifts, and towel scrunches - more of which to come further on in this post.
These small drills build the kind of strength that translates into better ground feel, balance, and propulsion when you run.
And if you want to go a step further (literally), transition gradually into barefoot-style shoes. Your feet will thank you. Your street cred won’t....
4. Breathe Better, Run Better
Breathing is often the first thing to go when fatigue hits - and yet, it’s your most powerful performance tool. The ability to control the breath can be the difference between success and failure on the running side of the island - and when perfected, becomes the ultimate weapon in your Running Armoury.
Most runners chest-breathe: short, shallow, rapid breaths that tighten the shoulders and limit oxygen flow. Instead, get the diaphragm in the game - the big, dome-shaped muscle beneath your ribs that powers deep, efficient breathing.
The simplest form of application is Belly Breathing. Before your next run, place one hand on your chest and one on your tummy. Breathe in through your nose and make the belly rise more than the chest. Then, exhale fully through your mouth.
Take that feeling into your run. Breathe rhythmically (for example, a 3-in / 2-out pattern) and focus on smooth, full exhales. I find this is also most effective WITHOUT music - so try leaving the headphones at home and apply some rhythm to your breathing.
Not only will your endurance improve, but you’ll also feel calmer and more focused — essential for both longer efforts and race scenarios. It is a one-way ticket to the promised land of autopilot mode.
5. Strength Training – The Secret Sauce
Think of Strength Training as the frame of the Running House - holding all the other bits in place in order to function.
Strong runners don’t just log miles - they lift. You don’t need to become a powerlifter, but consistent, well-structured strength and conditioning will clean up your running mechanics faster than any new gadget or training plan.
From injury risk reduction, to improved running economy, to increasing power output on high intensity efforts, the list of benefits that strength training provides a runner is seemingly endless.
Yet it's something that so often falls by the wayside in favour of - you guessed it - more miles!
Do yourself a solid and get on the strength training wagon if you haven’t already. It doesn’t have to be complicated, nor is it essential that you get a gym membership in order to do so.
Start with 2 sessions per week focusing on:
Single-leg work (lunges, split squats, step-ups)
Hip strength (glute bridges, monster walks)
Core stability (dead bugs, planks, anti-rotation presses)
Ankle and calf strength (calf raises, eccentric heel drops)
All of which can be done using minimal equipment, yet still provide a necessary stimulus to drastically improve your running when integrated appropriately into your current routine.
These moves directly translate to running power, efficiency, and resilience against injury. After all, a house without a solid frame will end out falling down in a storm - and strength training will help bulletproof YOUR frame to ensure you can keep at the game indefinitely!
The Final Word
Running better doesn’t have to be complicated — it’s about awareness, not gadgets.
Small, mindful tweaks like these can transform how running feels long before your pace improves - something which puts many people off running in the early days. Once you start feeling strong, confident and efficient in how you’re running, everything else falls into place.
When you build awareness from the ground up, your body naturally finds its most efficient, effortless rhythm — and running starts to feel less like work, and more like what it’s meant to be: freedom in motion.
If you find yourself at a loose end with YOUR running, or stagnating in need of some direction, get in touch to explore how we can work together to get you on the path to something outrageous…
