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Before going into the Running Cues, let’s recap what we have covered thus far:

• Base Running: Base is a pace that can run comfortably breathing only out of your Nose. You’ll spend most of your running time at Base
• Fast but Not Hard running: Drills in which you run reps at a “Fast” pace, but the combo of chosen rep speed & length and recovery duration ensure that no rep feels “Hard.” Your focus is not on the difficulty of the exercise but instead on your body and your technique. These include Strides, Diagonals and Surges.
• Rule #1: If you can’t Stay Loose, you’re training too Hard. Rule #1 is your mechanism to ensure your Fast but Not Hard drills (and other training I’ll introduce later) are not “Hard.”

So what should you focus on during Fast but Not Hard exercises? Here are a few Running cues and techniques to develop:

• Tall with Hips High
• Lead with Hips
• Feet under you
• Learn the Drive Phase
• Develop a High Stride Rate like John Landy
• Practice Longer Strides like Juantorena
• Span the Cadence spectrum like Bekele
• Propel via Hip Extension
• Launch via Hip Flexion
• Swing the Elbows back

Below I go into each list item in more detail. When you’re practicing these cues and techniques choose one at a time to work on. There is enough content here to keep you busy for months, don’t squeeze it all into one rep.

Before a rep begins, think about the cue you want to implement. Then during the rep focus on the feel of the cue or technique. Nothing here is going to make you a better runner instantly. A lot of trial and error combined with reflection must go into it.

Running Cue: Tall with Hips High

I’m sure you’ve heard this one before. And it is a good one. Imagine like you are a marionette with a string attached to the top of your head and someone is pulling up on it. Your spine lengthens, which in general improves your posture. If you’re standing still, it’s called Stand Tall. When running, Run Tall.

I also suggest you imagine you have two marionette strings attached to your hip bones (aka “greater trochanters”) and that you lift your hips up. Keeping the Hips High allows you to run above the ground rather than through it. And, you can get more stride length for a similar effort.

Running Cue: Lead with the Hips

When running at speed, some runners’ hips fall behind them. The chest and shoulders pitch forward in front of them and most of the running occurs behind the runner. The hips are recruited less increasing pressure on the lower back and hamstrings. Since your hips are your primary engine, we want to maximize their recruitment.

By Leading with the Hips, you’ll run more equally in front of and behind you – like you are running in a compact box of sorts. You’ll feel more active in the glutes and perhaps even the hip flexors. With your hips forward, your body can better engage the hip flexors to bring the leg in front of you, and your glutes can provide most of the propulsive force as you leg moves behind you.

What does it feel like to Lead with the Hips? Try this. Stand Tall with your Hips High. Then squeeze your glute tight. Don’t tuck your bum or arch your back. Just tighten your glutes hard. If you can’t squeeze your glutes or you don’t feel them tight, move your hips forward a tiny bit and try again. Once you get your glutes are nice and tight, your hips will be a bit forward compared to when you’re glutes are loose. That’s the feeling of Lead with the Hips.

Learning the Drive phase is a great away to naturally get your hips more forward at the start of every rep. More on this below.

Running Cue: Feet Under You

It is rare for someone to run with their feet too far behind them. But it is common for a runner to have their feet too far in front of them. Many runners have a running gait similar to their walking gait. While walking your reach your foot forward and it lands far out in front of you. You do NOT want to do this while running. You don’t need to reach your foot forward, and you want your foot to land close the hips.

But, do NOT think about your feet and how you place them on the ground. Your Feet and Ankles will tighten up. Think Run Tall and Lead with the hips while NOT reaching out in front of you like when walking. Observe and note the feeling and play around with it.

Learning the Drive phase will also teach you to get your Feet under you right from the start of the rep.

Technique: Drive Phase

When you start any “fast” rep, don’t start by running, begin with the Drive Phase. You’ll begin to “run” when you are up to speed, but until then, your focus is on a more condensed and quick running stride that you’ll gradually lengthen out.

Take a moment to watch a 100m sprint race. Watch the sprinters closely after they come out of the blocks. They don’t start running immediately. While accelerating the sprinters are focussed on a short stride, getting their feet under and behind them quickly to build up speed.

You’ll want to have a similar focus at the start of each rep. But, a distance runner doesn’t need to crouch down for the acceleration. Instead, Stand Tall with your Hips High. Squeeze your glutes tight to push the Hips Forward. Then lean forward from your entire body until you feel the urge to lift your the leg and take a step. When you lift the leg, don’t focus on reaching your foot in front of you at all. Only think about getting it back down to the ground under you or even a bit behind you. Then repeat with the other leg.

After 5-10 strides, you’ll naturally start to transition to running. But keep a similar feeling in your hips (forward) and your feet (under you) as during the Drive phase.

The Drive Phase is a powerful technique. And it can improve the quality of all fas you’re running. It does help to see the Drive Phase in action. I’ll post a video on it soon.

Once you get a hang on Running Tall, with your Hips Highs, Hips forward, and Feet under you, and know how to do the Drive Phase then start to experiment with other cues:

Technique: Develop a High Stride Rate

Do one rep at a “normal” cadence and take mental note of the feeling. It helps to count the number of strides it takes you to cover a set distance or duration.

On the next rep, maintain roughly the same speed but run like the Road Runner spinning your legs under you very quickly. Keep short and quick as you do during the Drive Phase. Take a mental note of the feeling.

I’m not suggesting this because, magically, the speed will feel more comfortable. It will probably make it feel harder. The key is learning how to “change gears” and increase leg speed on demand. Over time you come to prefer the John Landy style higher cadence running. Or not. But you’ll still want to know how to do it. And knowing how to do it will improve your overall running skills.

Technique: Practice Longer Strides

Do one rep at “normal” cadence. Take a mental note of how the feeling. Count the number of strides.

On your next rep, maintain roughly the same speed but run taking longer than normal stride. Imagine your legs devouring the terrain with every footstrike – re-watch Alberto Juanterana for inspiration.

But make sure that you respect the “feet under you” principle and don’t extend the stride by landing with your foot way out front. Instead, imagine floating through the air longer by using one of the following three techniques.

Running Cue: Propel via Hip Extension

After the Drive Phase, when you’re up to speed, maintain your speed by pushing your foot into the ground. Since your body has so much forward momentum when you push down, you are driving down-and-back which will propel you forward.

If you find that pushing down into the ground causes you to move upward excessively compared to your “normal” running at least then you’re missing the primary running cues: Run Tall with Hips High, Lead with the Hips or Feet Under You.

If you’re running pushing into the ground and your hips drop, or your knees bend too much on foot strike, then when you drive into the ground, the force will direct you upward. Similarly, if your hips are behind you or your feet are in front of you, the force will be more vertical, and you’ll feel bouncy.

Running Cue: Launch via Hip Flexion

Rather than drive down, you can also think about lifting the thigh. Focus on raising the topmost part of the leg right near the hip the moment your foot comes off the ground behind you. You’ll engage the strongest hip flexors that are above the hips – they are under the abs and are called the psoas and iliacus muscle.

The beauty of this technique is that it will help keep the hips forward. And if your hips are forward, you’ll automatically get a better drive into the ground with each stride. BUT this is only the case if your feet don’t end up too far in front of you. If you shoot the knee out too far forward, your foot will land too far ahead. Lifting the topmost part of thigh though will not send the knee too forward. It is a subtle but important difference.

Running Cue: Swing the Elbows Back

Another option you have is to focus on the arms. When you run, the swing of one arm is linked to the action of the opposite leg. Distance runners use the arms mostly for stability rather than propulsion. But you can use your arm motion to increase the propulsion power that comes from the legs.

When you drive the right elbow back, you’ll feel more propulsion power in the left hip/leg. And similar for the left arm and right leg. Focus on swinging the elbows back rather than the hands forward. The hands may pull the shoulders up, chest forward and pitch the runner’s hips backward. When it comes to all-out sprinting, it is a bit different. But in general, a focus on Swinging the Elbows Back usually helps you to maintain your body position and improve propulsion at the same time.

Technique: Span the Cadence Spectrum

Once you have a handle on both High Stride Rate and Longer Strides practice switching between the two running styles half-way through a rep. Think about Bekele switching from a cadence of 185 to 215 in a flash. And practice the opposite too. You’ll experience that there is no single way to run. And the more options you have available to you, the better equipped you’ll be for any challenge circumstance you may find yourself in while training or racing!