Daniels' Running Formula

, how do you minimize landing shock when running? A simple way of explaining it is to pretend you are rolling over the ground rather than bounding from foot to foot. Try to avoid placing each foot out in front of yourself, which often acts as a braking action, increasing the impact force as you go from one foot to the other. Try to have your feet land closer back, toward your center of gravity, so your body is floating (or rolling) over your feet.

Rest and recovery are a vital part of a training program, not an attempt to avoid training. There may actually be times when you will benefit more from rest than from going out for another run, and sometimes doing a less stressful workout will produce more benefits than will a harder session

As a runner, probably the easiest way to determine your maximum heart rate is to run several hard 2-minute uphill runs. Get a heart-rate reading at the top of the first hill run, and if your heart rate is higher the second time up, go for a third time and see if that is associated with an even higher heart rate. If it is not higher, you can be pretty sure that reading is maximum. If the third run is higher than the second, then try a fourth, or as many as needed before you do not see an increase in heart rate compared with the previous run. If no hill is available, you could just do a few 800-meter runs at a solid pace and do the same comparisons between repeated efforts

It is most common for those racing in short events (e.g., sprinters and even some middle-distance runners) to hit the ground on the balls of their feet, almost as if they are running on their toes. On the other hand, many longer-distance runners, which certainly includes those who are running a marathon, tend to strike the ground with a heel-first landing or, in some cases, a midfoot landing.
A big advantage of a mid- or rear-foot landing is that it reduces the stress placed on the calf muscles and shifts the landing stress more to the larger thigh muscles. It is not uncommon for beginner runners to develop calf pain, and forefoot landings add to that possibility. If using a heel-first landing, try to imagine you are rolling over your feet as your body moves forward after each landing, as previously stated.

The four basic ingredients of success I have always referred to will determine how successful any person will be as a runner. These ingredients are, in their order of importance, inherent ability, intrinsic motivation, opportunity, and direction.