Fundamental principles of effective, efficient, and safe (lower risk of injury) running include:
Posture
Spine should be tall, strong, and athletic; head up, look straight ahead, shoulders back, slight forward lean from ankles (NOT bending at waist).
Core
Keep abdominal, side, and hip muscles strong and stable to provide a stable foundation for your legs. You can’t fire a cannon from a canoe.
Arms
Carry close to your body, swing from shoulders not elbows, elbows set at 90 degrees or less; mostly forward- back movement, hands do not cross midline; slightly active forward and backward swing to assist your legs.
Feet
Foot should hit the ground underneath your body, not stretched out in front; avoid a strong heel-strike, and work toward a midfoot strike. Midfoot strike means the heel and ball of the foot impact the ground at the same time. This allows the arches of your foot to absorb shock as they are meant to.
Cadence
Foot turnover (cadence) should be quick and light regardless of how fast or slow you are running. Most runners run with too slow of a cadence due to wearing thick foamy shoes, and need to work on increasing cadence toward a goal of 180 steps per minute (3 steps per second).
Breathing
Should be slow and comfortable; do not restrict breathing to just your nose or mouth, but breathe however feels most natural and comfortable for you. Do not breathe fast or “pant” while running – this will make you feel worse.
Your timed run begins immediately after the pre-run warm-up exercises and will be based on your ability group/lane assignments as well as pre or post initial Physical Training (PT) assessment.
Running Drills (Pre-Initial Assessment)
Karaoke (2 minutes)
- Start by standing sideways, with the left side of your body facing the direction you are traveling; arms extended like a “T”
- Step out sideways with the leading foot, then let your opposite leg cross first in front of, and then behind your leading leg
- When crossing the leg in front, actively lift the thigh so it gets parallel to the ground
- Continue alternating the crossing foot from back to front throughout the movement. Try to keep the upper body still while the hips and pelvis rotate
- Face the same direction so your right side is now facing the direction of travel when traveling back to the starting point to ensure even exercise
- Maintain smooth flow, balance and form
A Skips (2 minutes)
- Starting with your left leg lift your knee waist high keeping your right leg straight while coming off the toes of your right foot with forward motion
- Continue by alternating legs and “skipping”, touching the ground with the ball of your foot
- Ensure to maintain natural coordinated arm swing throughout the exercise
Stride Intervals (2 minutes)
- Start by jogging in place with a quick cadence (3 steps per second)
- At the signal, begin to lean forward and run, keeping your cadence quick with feet spring-like, pushing the ground toward the rear and landing softly
- Maintain smooth flow, cadence, balance and form. This exercise is not for speed, but for mastering the movement patterns of running. Feel what it’s like to push the ground away from you to the rear, propelling your body forward
- Do not attempt to race the individuals around you
Acclimation Run
- Begins immediately after running drills (pre initial PT assessment)
- This is a self-paced low-to-moderate-intensity interval run
- You will remain in your ability group lane (inner most lane)
- Run consists of four repetitions of running for three minutes, then walking three minutes, and ends with a two- minute run, totaling 26 minutes
- Avoid the urge to run fast. Focus on quality over speed; you must “earn the right to run fast” by building strong running muscles and mastering good running form at slower speeds. Speed will increase naturally and easily as running skill and endurance improve
- Running with bad form (slow cadence, over-striding and heel-strike out in front of your body) SIGNIFICANTLY increases your risk for injury. Small changes when multiplied by thousands of steps can make a huge difference for your bones and joints. If your form gets worse as you get tired, slow down. Focus on the fundamentals; good posture, quick cadence and midfoot strike
- Experienced runners (including Battlefield Airman candidates) may increase their pace slightly on the last running repetition of the session
Lane assignments
- Pre PT assessment trainees will run on the inner most lane of the track
- Post PT assessment will be based on most recent 1.5 mile appraisal run
- Your initial and mid assessments will be posted in the day room and will indicate new lane assignments (if applicable)
Brisk Walk
- Conducted for one minute after the acclimation run
- You will remain in the inner most lane of the track
Post Initial PT Assessment
Interval Runs (Groups A-D, Post Initial PT Assessment)
- Runs consist of 6 repetitions running for 30 seconds, then walking for 30 seconds for a total of 6 minutes
- Running/walking intervals alternate while maintaining a heart rate between 140 beats per minute to 160 beats per minute for aerobic conditioning
- Focus on running with excellent form during the run intervals; speed will come naturally and easily as your running form improves. Focus on the fundamentals; good posture, quick cadence and midfoot
Self-Paced Run
- Begins immediately after interval runs (post initial PT assessment) or running drills (pre initial PT assessment)
- This is a self-paced run for 26 minutes. You will remain in your ability group lane
- Blue belts may perform “last-Airmen-First” in groups of five to ten in the outside lane
- Walking breaks for less than 1 minute are acceptable
- Quality over speed; you must “earn the right to run fast” by building strong running muscles and mastering good running form at slower speeds. Speed comes easily after putting in the time and work
- Running with bad form (slow cadence, over-striding and heel-strike out in front of your body) SIGNIFICANTLY increases your risk for injury. Small changes when multiplied by thousands of steps can make a huge difference for your bones and joints
Lane assignments
- Post PT assessment will be based on most recent 1.5 mile appraisal run
- Your run time will be provided to you by MTI based on your ability group
- You will be issued a reflective belt based on your ability group
- Your initial and mid assessments will be posted on the temporary bulletin board and will indicate new lane assignments (if applicable). Refer to the Lane Assignment diagram in fig 13-4 for your ability group information
Brisk Walk
- Conducted for one minute prior to interval runs and after the self-paced run
- You will remain in your ability group lane
Lane Assignments
