Improving Running Technique

Practicing law in Maryland, J. Christopher “Chris” Llinas handles cases related to construction litigation and family law. Away from his career, Chris Llinas participates in long-distance races and has completed 15 marathons.

When preparing for a marathon, focus on improving running technique to finish the race the way you intend. Speed, for instance, takes stride length and frequency into account. You must find a middle ground between short strides that cover less distance and inefficiently use energy and over-reaching strides that expend more energy, thus making you fatigue faster.

Ideally, a good stride will have you striking the ground with your foot 180 times per minute, according to elite runner Marilyn Arsenault. She goes on to say in an article published by Competitor.com that taking notice of how long your foot stays on the ground will help increase cadence. A foot that stays on the ground longer needs additional force to move it forward.

A good method for developing a perfect stride is to run at 70 percent of your fastest speed. Keeping your arms at a 90-degree angle, swing them back and forth, reaching for different lengths. Evaluate the differences between your strides, based on arm movement, and from there, choose a comfortable stride for training.

Boston Marathon Raises the Bar for Runners in 2016

With more than 17 years of experience in the legal field, J Christopher Llinas owns and operates his criminal & traffic defense, family law, and construction litigation practice in Ocean Pines, Maryland. Outside of his professional responsibilities, J Christopher Llinas enjoys participating in long-distance running events and will compete in the 2016 Boston Marathon.

Qualifying for the Boston Marathon ranks as one of the top achievements to which athletes aspire. Depending on age and gender, runners gain their entrance by besting the average race time for their specific entry group. The Boston Athletic Association recently raised the bar for candidates by announcing that runners must record a time that is two and a half minutes faster than their category to run the 2016 Boston Marathon, versus the previous mark of 62 seconds set in 2015.

On April 18, 2016, the Boston Marathon will celebrate 120 years of racing with thousands of participants hailing from around the world. Given the raised qualifying standards, this year’s race is slated for one of the most competitive in its rich history.