Understanding the Anatomy and Biomechanics of Running

Oct 7

The Best Distance Runners Understand the Science of Long-Distance Running

A marathon runner is a great thing to be in the United States. Not a month goes by without the opportunity to go the distance in multiple marathons across multiple states.

However, with The New York City Marathon approaching rapidly, we thought we’d take the opportunity to write about the anatomy and biomechanics of running.

Why marathon runners should know about the mechanics of running

Many consider the marathon to be the ultimate endurance test. Pounding the streets for a relentless 26.2 miles tests your strength and stamina.

Distance runners need highly developed core muscles to help withstand the stress placed on the leg muscles used in running. But do distance runners really need to understand the biomechanics of long-distance running?

The answer, of course, is yes. When you understand the anatomy of running, the muscle groups you use when you strike the ground with the balls of your feet (or when your heel hits the ground), and appreciate how the different muscle groups work together, you can adapt your contact with the ground and running technique to help you:

Prevent injury
Run faster
Improve running economy

The result is greater efficiency when distance running and fewer running injuries. You’ll stop running in a way that wastes energy, and develop a proficient running style that propels you up the field in competitive events.

The research behind the biomechanics of marathon running is broad and deep

“There’s no single runner’s journal that covers all aspects of running,” says our CEO and Founder, Ryan Chow. “Nor is there a single profession that covers all of this. You can’t look at physiotherapy journals to learn everything about running. Nor sports science journals. Nor medical journals. You must explore all the different fields to get a true understanding of the problem.”

For example, the latest sports science research shows us what kind of spikes in workload are tolerable and safe and how to rule it in and rule it out.

“A lot of people manage mobility, or aerobic capacity, or things like this, when they may have nothing to do with the issue,” says Ryan. “They make a problem out of something that isn’t the problem because they don’t understand the concept of having smarter programming and better load management.”

Breaking down the biomechanics of running

“Each time you put your foot on the ground while running, it’s a single-leg activity,” Ryan explains. “You’re putting three to five times your body weight into the ground. This is where the strength training for distance runners piece comes in.”

Of course, running itself builds up a certain amount of strength in your muscles, in the front of your thigh, and in your hip flexors. You develop a tolerance for stress in your body. But strength training will help you achieve greater tolerance faster.

We’ve learned from reams of research and the work done by strength coaches. We’ve measured the amount of strength that goes in, and we know how muscle works to contract at speed and give you the spring needed from the stance phase of the running stride.

The result of this knowledge is that we know if our only training is ‘slow training’, we aren’t doing enough to build our calf muscles and the resilience we need to help us avoid problems with our Achilles tendon ─ one of the most common injuries suffered by runners.

We must understand which muscles are used in running

If you go to most physical therapy practices with a running injury like Achilles tendonitis, most doctors will tell you to exercise the gluteus medium.

Why? Because it’s the protocol and it’s the most common treatment prescribed when you don’t have the time to examine someone properly. Yet this simply doesn’t make sense. The gluteus medium is used very little in running, and all the modern research tells us that Achilles' tendons are most at risk when our soleus (the calf muscle) is underdeveloped and unable to absorb the loads placed on the leg when running.

“What happens is that we see people with hip pain, knee pain, and ankle pain. But these areas aren’t the issue. They are victims of the body not being able to handle the stress in the right areas. Instead of looking at the pain and pathology, we should be looking at the demands of the exercise,” says Ryan.

When we don’t treat the cause but instead treat the symptoms, all we do is move that pain around and chase it. We go in circles. This is the problem with the old way of treating injuries.

“What needs to be fixed is the ability to handle the demands of running. If we don’t, we end up fixing the area of pain, and the client goes back to running… then the pain returns. Then they freak out and get very, very concerned.”

It’s hugely important to understand the context of the pain we feel, and that means we must understand the muscles and joints used in running – the biomechanical principles of running.

So, we need to understand, for example, that the soleus can absorb eight times a person’s body weight when running, and that the quads take around four to four and a half times a person’s body weight – the second-highest load when running.

The Problem In Marathon Training Culture

So, here’s the real issue with how running injuries are usually treated: by looking only at the pain and pathology, the underlying cause of the injury is never treated, and this will manifest in either the same pain returning or presenting elsewhere. And you’ll never be strong enough to last a marathon distance.

Let’s put it this way. If you ask a marathon runner to run 100 miles, something’s going to hurt. The runner can run 26.2 miles, but you’re asking him or her to increase their workload four or five times. It’s not the knee that gives out. It’s not a single body part that surrenders. It’s much more complex than that.

It’s a little like having a car with an overheating radiator. It’s no problem if you drive it for 50 miles. But go a hundred, and it erupts in steam. The solution isn’t to top it up with cold water. You’ve got to find out what is causing the engine to overheat in the first place.

If you want to run a marathon, but have knee problems after running for 12 or 13 miles, it’s not your knee that is the issue. You’ve got to look a lot deeper, and use a full understanding of the biomechanics of running, to fix the cause.

Are you planning to run a marathon? Before you begin your training regime – or if you have already started and experiencing pain – shouldn’t you benefit from a fitness assessment?

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