Fitness challenge: Run, Forrest, run!

It looks like that pair of perfect-for-me Brooks running shoes are going to get a bit more a workout than I thought.

Not that they wouldn't have with workouts at the gym, climbing the Hakarimata stairs and some jogging. But all of a sudden I've found myself signed up to Advance Wellness' new running school.

Personal trainer Lynsey Graham broached the idea while I was jogging on the treadmill for my warm-up before our one-on-one gym session so I couldn't really talk properly what with trying to breathe and all.

Seriously though, we talked about it afterwards. Lynsey told me that Advance Wellness & Physiotherapy director John Appel and podiatrist Kate Caetano had recently attended an international running school course in Sydney where they got an in-depth look at the different running styles and how different factors effect body mechanics, injury risk, fatigue, structure overload and performance.

Advance is now taking on clients who are keen to improve their running style. That includes Lynsey and me. Lynsey reckons she runs like Phoebe Buffay from the TV show Friends - look it up on YouTube or Google if you fancy a laugh.

Me, well, I don't run like Phoebe but my technique is far from perfect.

Kate took me through an assessment last week which showed that my running style is that of a "shuffle". Not that of a geriatric tortoise, but a shuffle nonetheless.

Her assessment showed that I'm not engaging my glutes (bum) muscles and I'm overloading my quads and calves.

I hike up my right hip, which causes imbalance and instability.

Instead of swinging my arms straight forwards and back, I swing them with excessive torso motion, causing my arms and legs to cross my body's midline. That in turn wastes energy and overloads my back muscles and knee joints.

Due to my narrow running base, which encourages upper body motion, I have poor stability.

In hindsight, perhaps I do run like Phoebe from Friends!

Attending Kate's running school sessions will help improve my technique.

She's aiming to help reduced my excessive torso rotation and forward/sideways lean, to prevent arms and legs crossing the body midline and encourage core stability. She's also going to help me to engage arm swing to encourage momentum and reduce body rotation.

And since Advance Wellness and Hamilton News are both sponsors of the Hamilton Half Marathon on October 4, Lynsey and I have decided to work towards entering the 5km event.

Instead of tackling the Hakarimata stairs again last Friday, I thought I'd do a 5km walk-run combo around the Flagstaff/Rototuna area instead. Forty-five horrendous minutes later I dragged myself back up my driveway praying to the almighty Running Gods that I had some anti-inflammatory cream in the medicine cabinet for my aching knees.

What have I got myself into?!

Advance Wellness Centre is at 711 Victoria St. For more information see www.advancewellness.nz.