Run Like A Kenyan

I recently stumbled upon a great article on Runningwarehouse.com entitled Trade Secrets of the Kenyans. Written by Scott Douglas, the article details some of the training strategies he observed and used when training in Kenya in 2004. There is a lot of insightful information in the article and I am looking to put a few of them into practice. In particular, here are three points found interesting and I liked a lot:

1. "Start Slow, Finish Fast" Douglas basically says that every run he did with his Kenyan training partners started at a crawl, progressively picked up as the run went on, and would end at a much faster pace. This helps the body warmup and ease into the run, and it can help train your body what it feels like to run negative splits. I think for most people it is really hard to start a run at sloth pace. I know for me location-wise I can't avoid starting my runs on busy streets, and the combination of fast-moving cars and not wanting my neighbors to think I'm slow makes me start my runs faster than I probably should.

2. "Run Diagonally" Apparently in Kenya most runners do sessions called "Diagonals." Diagonals are workouts run from the different corners of a field and they alternate easy running and quick, controlled strides. Runners do anywhere from 30-60 minutes, and the purpose of the workout is to improve form when running at top speeds and to enhance your finishing kick. I like the concept of this workout because I used to do similar drills when I played lacrosse (although for a much shorter period of time). I also have an extremely weak finishing kick, so I definitely want to try some diagonals this summer
3. "Do Drills" Drills, drills, drills. Douglas states that nearly every Kenyan's run is followed by 10+ minutes of drills focusing on flexibility, range-of-motion, and form which is key to the seemingly effortless Kenyan stride. My high school coach used to make me do drills after almost every practice, and I think it me helped a lot. Since college I've been out of practice, but I'd like to start making them a regular part of my routine again.

Douglas's article is very insightful and I definitely recommend reading through it for the other points and more detailed descriptions of the points above. Article found here.