Video title: HAP 5k challenge Video title: HAP 5k challenge - creating a running plan Sherry McL.: Hi. I'm Sherry McLaughlin, and if you're anything like me, you hate running. I've learned to love it, and I hope you will too. In the next few minutes we're going to give you some tips on how to go from your living room couch to crossing a 5K finish line. Our goal is not only that you complete the 5K race, but that you cross the finish line pain free, because regardless of what you heard, running isn't bad for you. Bad running is bad for you. Today it's all about good running. Thinking about running a 5K? Here's how to get started. The first thing you want to do is sign up for a race early. Find a local race two to three months away, put your money down, and now you're committed. Next, tell as many people as you can. Post it on Facebook, tell your friends and family and they will help you stick to the plan. Then download a training plan. You can find one at hap.org. It requires a training commitment of 30 minutes a day, three days a week for only nine weeks. Then all that's left to do is strap on your running shoes and get to running. Video title: HAP 5k challenge - how to run Speaker 1: It's important to know that running isn't like walking. Walking is controlled falling, whereas running is like being on a pogo stick. In order to run pain free, there are five key things to remember, about proper running form. Here to help me demonstrate these today, are Erica and Myron. Thanks for helping me out today. We're gonna talk about the first step, which is making sure that when you run, you keep your chest up. A lot like you're getting your picture taken. So, just chest up tall. This allows oxygen to come in through the system more efficiently, and oxygenates your muscles for better recovery. You also want to remember, that when you're running, you have a slight forward lean. Leaning forward slightly when you run, gets you to move your center of gravity forward, and load the biggest muscles of your body more effectively. Let's talk a little about how your feet should be positioned. Your feet should be positioned 2-4 inches apart. That means, if you imagine a line on the ground, your feet should land just on either side of that line. You also want to make sure your toes are pointed straight ahead. And then when your foot hits the ground, you want to attempt to land in what we call, "a mid-foot strike position". This position is the one that prevents the most amount of injuries with running. You want your foot to land just underneath your hip, and you want to create a stride length from a stronger push off, from that mid-soot strike. The last thing to remember is cadence. Ligaments and tendons get stiffer the more your foot hits the ground, or the quicker your foot hits the ground. Your goal is to run at a cadence of 180 steps per minute. That means, your right foot should hit the ground 90 times a minute. This helps keep your ligaments strong and tight. Keep these tips in mind for running pain free. Video title: HAP 5k challenge - footwear When training for a 5K, one of the most important things to be concerned about is getting the right shoe. But before I answer the question “what shoe is right for you?” let me tell you a little bit about how the foot was designed. Your foot has 28 bones and a ton of muscles and ligaments designed to cushion your fall as you run. The foot acts as a switch that wakes up the biggest muscles of your hips and thighs as you run. That means in order for the foot to be able to do what it needs to do, it needs to not be buttressed in a super supportive shoe. The best thing for you to do is head to your local running shoe store and ask to try on a neutral or minimalist shoe in many different shoe brands. Each shoe company builds their shoe on a different shape last, and the neutral shoe that fits your foot the best, or feels like a glove, is the one you want to buy. Video title: HAP 5k challenge - running nutrition Sherry McLaughlin: When you're preparing for a 5K, deciding what to put into your body is an important side of training. Take a look at your plate at every meal. Half of your plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables. A quarter of the plate should be filled with good sources of protein such as Albacore Tuna, chicken breast, or eggs. The final quarter of your plate should be filled with whole grains, quinoa, barley, whole grain pasta or even brown rice are great sources. What about water? You need to make sure you're staying hydrated throughout your runs. Make sure you take in a six to 12 ounces of water every 15 minutes of a moderate paced run, and then after your run make sure you take in enough water so that you don't feel dehydrated. I've been asked a lot about caffeine. It's true that too much caffeine can actually dehydrate you. But, a small amount of caffeine before your run can enhance your running performance. Fueling your body correctly can help you continue to run strong. Video title: HAP 5k challenge - pronation v supination Sherry McLaughlin: I want to introduce you to the concepts of pronation and supination. When you run and your foot is on the ground, this is the part of the running cycle we call the stance phase, and it's during this phase that most injuries will occur. During this phase, you should do pronation and supination. The first 25% of your time on the ground should be spent pronating or absorbing shock. The next 75% of that time should be spent resupinating so that your foot can lock up and give you a solid base to push off of. Here is the runner's dilemma. Many times, with runners, one foot tends to over-supinate and the other foot tends to over-pronate. Take a quick look down at your feet. If you tend to stand like this in your neutral position with one toe straight ahead and the other foot turned out, this is a position of the runner's dilemma. This left foot would tend to be over-supinated or more rolled to the outside causing injury to the outside of the leg, and this foot would tend to be more over-pronated or rolled to the inside causing injury to the inside of the leg. There's a few easy things you can do to correct that. Exercises really help, but right now, the key thing to remember is this. When you are running, your big toe should hit the ground. You have a big toe for a reason, and it's positioned where it's at, so when you're running, make sure your big toe pushes off the ground. People that tend to supinate on one side, their big toe will not touch the ground when they run. Do that check. The other quick thing you can do to fix this is to get into a neutral shoe. Look down here at the shoe, and you will see that there is no gray bar or support on the inside of the shoe. This shoe will allow his foot to pronate and supinate normally. This is a perfect kind of shoe to use if you have the runner's dilemma. That way, you can strengthen the side that over-pronates to stop it from over-pronating and you can allow the supinated or stiff side to pronate because the shoe has a little bit of give. Remembering these concepts will help you run pain-free. Video title: five key facts about your body's design Sherry McLaughlin: A key to running pain-free is understanding the five key facts about your body's design. Key fact number one, you were designed to be symmetrical. Stand in front of the mirror, and take this quick symmetry test. Close your eyes, wiggle your arms and legs back and forth, and land in your most natural standing position. Then open your eyes. Is one shoulder higher than the other? They should be level, but many times one is higher. Look down at your hands. Do you see knuckles? Proper posture would denote that you should only be able to see the thumb and the side of the index finger. If you see knuckles on one hand or if you see more knuckles on one hand than the other, then that's a sign of asymmetry. Now look down at your feet. Are your toes pointed straight ahead, or is one foot turned out? Is one foot placed more in front of the other? These are all signs of asymmetry that could be the cause of an ache or a pain. That's the bad news. The good news is it's very fixable. The number two key fact about your body's design is that you were designed to move in three planes of motion. The first plane of motion is the straight plane, front to back, in what we call the sagittal plane. You're also designed to move side to side in what we call the frontal plane, and you're designed to move in rotation in what we call the transverse plane. Of those three key planes of motion, the most important one is the twisting or rotational plane. This is where you spend a majority of your time when you play or work or run. The three key areas you're designed to rotate are your ankles, your hips, and your mid-back or thoracic spine. Where we're seeing a lot of rotational injuries occur are the knees, the low back, and the shoulder. If your ankles are a little stiff and don't rotate normally, it just pushes that rotational force to your knees. If your hips are a little tight because you tend to walk with your toes turned out, that rotational force goes down to your knees or up to your low back. This can be the cause of injury. That's the bad news. The good news is it's very fixable. The number three key fact about your body's design is that muscles only learn the lessons we teach them. If we want muscles to function with our foot on the ground, like when we're running, then we want to be able to strengthen them with our foot on the ground. A key to pain-free running is to master the squat and the lunge. Exercises that have you lay down to strengthen your lungs do not transfer to proper running form. The number four key fact about your body's design is that pain is not inevitable. I have a lot of runners come to me and say, "My left knee started to hurt, but I think I just trained too hard last time." I'll say to them, "Does your right knee hurt as well, because I'm pretty sure they both went out for that run?" Asymmetrical aches and pains come on not because of age or ancestry or gender, but because of asymmetry, and that is very fixable. The number five key fact about your body's design is that it's almost always about the butt. That's right, the biggest muscle of your body called the gluteus maximus positioned just behind your center of gravity. Center of gravity is where all the forces come and act on a movement system, and then the force gets dissipated out. When you're running and 11 times your body weight comes rushing through, that big muscle is supposed to dissipate that force. Take this little test to see if your glutes are working. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointed straight ahead, and tighten your left gluteal muscle as tight as you can and hold it for six seconds. Then relax and try to tighten the right one and hold it for six seconds. Are those the same? If they're not, that could be the cause of an ache or a pain. When the biggest muscle of your body doesn't come to play, it's the little tiny muscles that pay the price. Respecting your body's design will help you keep on track with your training. Video title: race-day strategy Sherry M.: Let's talk a little bit about race day strategy. You've worked really hard, and now the big day is here. A good strategy can be summed up in three key words, eat, eliminate, and sleep. Let's talk a little bit about sleep. The most important sleep to get is two nights before the race. Make sure you get eight to nine hours of good sleep to be well-rested for the race. Eating, your most important meal is three hours before the race. Make sure you take in a good source of carbohydrate with a little bit of protein and fat. My favorite pre-race meal is a bowl of oatmeal with a handful of walnuts and a spoonful of peanut butter. That should carry you through the race. Then make sure you eliminate or poop before the beginning of the race. Most runners will say a cup of coffee will aid in this elimination. Then before you hit the starting line, do a quick two to three minute warmup, easy movements of your arms and legs, maybe a light jog, and then you're ready to go. Video title: post-race strategy Sherry McLaughlin: After you've completed the race there are just a couple of strategies to remember. Number one make sure you eat. Take in a good source of protein immediately following the race, a handful of almonds, some chocolate milk, are some great ideas, and then take in a full meal within 45 minutes of the end of the race. Take a few minutes to stop and stretch, one 30 second hold is all you need to stretch your leg muscles and maintain proper muscle length. And don't forget the most important part of the end of the race, crossing the finish line. Somebody will be taking your picture, so make sure you celebrate this moment, it will be one to remember. Step by step you've learned how to prepare for a 5K. All it takes is 30 minutes a day, three days a week for nine weeks. You've committed to a goal, you've created the perfect training plan, now it's time to conquer the race. Don't forget visit hap.org for more health and wellness information. I'm Sherry McLaughlin, I'll see you at the finish line.