Pain-free and efficient running
for improved speed and endurance
If you’re at the beginning of your running journey, use my practical manual/workbook ‘Even With Your Shoes On’ and supporting video workshops ”The PFM WujWum Series of 6” and start as you mean to go on: understanding your body better, so you can look after it well and ENJOY your running. After all, if you’re not enjoying your running, what’s the point?
If you’re a pro or amateur athlete, looking to improve your running efficiency and generate more speed for no more effort, protect yourself from common running injuries, or get off the running plateau you’ve landed on, the unravelling of unhelpful movement patterns always starts in clinic. I have no idea yet why you’re moving as you currently are, and to be able to most effectively help you with any of the above, I need to understand your body better. Let’s measure everything that’s happening, because unless we’re objectively assessing, we’re guessing …
… and if you’ve already started reading “Even With Your Shoes On”, you may have catalogued some helpful correlations of your own. Self-knowledge is self-empowerment: every athletes’ backbone.
You are fully involved during the joint mechanics analysis (Clinic ), since self-awareness is key to changing movement patterns for the better.
To run most comfortably, effortlessly and efficiently – in the words of Feldenkrais – is to “make more use of the feedback provided by [your] senses”.
I am the founder of The PFM Way to Efficient Running and one of my favourite things in life is introducing the joy of great running to newcomers and bringing back the joy of running to frustrated athletes. I have decades of running experience and an ability to convey movement concepts so that they are easily understood and implemented. Running and helping people enjoy their running is what puts a smile on my face – always has and I suspect it always will.
This short excerpt from my book “Even With Your Shoes On – Discover your Natural Path to Smooth, Efficient, Enjoyable Running” might be helpful:
There is no ‘Helen Hall Method of Running’. How arrogant would that be? What I aim to disseminate … is ‘Our Way’ of running. Given the unambiguous and calculable nature in which each joint rotates in all its dimensions (mainly 3!), every bit of every step is describable, internally palpable and replicable. We have efficiencies of movement encrypted into the shape of our bones, the articulations of our joints, the interwoven nature of the soft tissues and within the responses to activity of our changing, living brain.
Efficient Running is a ‘look’ to the observer and a ‘sense’ to the person; a look that exemplifies elegance and efficiency of movement; and a sense of reflecting relaxation and an absence of effort. A body in harmony, gliding across the ground. We all have the ability to recreate that.
Whilst we may have overlain a few habits borne of avoiding invisible lines of tension we had no idea we had, we can – and if efficient movement is the goal, we should – unravel them.
I am Perpetual Forward Motion, inspired by the words of my favourite Raramuri proverb, engraved on my 50th birthday bracelet gifted to me for my 5th Ironman event in Nice, France:
“When you run on the earth and with the earth, you can run forever.”
Lao Tzu said “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, so let’s get going …
praise for PFM coaching
“Thank you for making me feel happy again and again and again. The running lessons you gave me showed me the life from different perspective. It make me not only physically but mentally much more stronger as well. Thanks for teaching me how to run and more importantly enjoy my self while running.”
“I am enjoying running so much more than I ever did, have recovered from all the knee problems I used to get, and really look forward to getting out and amongst it, and being as efficient as I can. ‘Out of breath’ is not a concept anymore when running! Next goals are 20 minute 5k, and 40minute 10k… and possibly another 50 miles, just because it was fun… Anyway, sorry, I’m blathering on and getting all emotional! Needless to say I’m an advocate, and hope to be sending a few people your way for future courses…”
“I just did my first set of ‘Flow Intervals’ over 1km last night, since the last lot we did end of last year and I’ve knocked 30secs a KM off my last sets which I think were averaging around 5:10min/km. Last night I did 5 lots and averaged between 4:38 and 4:43 mins/ km. Awesome!! I know some of it is because I’m doing a bit more running but even the majority of that is because I’m much happier and more comfortable in my running and with an improved technique. Was therefore thinking, if only I’d met you 20 years ago, I may well have done a whole lot better in my past events ;)”
“I joined the PFM Efficient Running course, thinking there wasn’t a lot more progress I would make with my running after 8 years of triathlon and running. But learning about how I could maximise my natural biomechanics lead to a 10 minute PB on the run in Mallorca Half Ironman this year, with less training than I’d ever done. I can’t speak highly enough of the thinking and approach to efficient running that Helen brings.”
“You’re a genius Thought you would like to know that I just did a 49m 20s 10k – which is an improvement on my PB of more than 5 minutes in about 3 months! Can’t believe it! Thanks for your awesome coaching. I am definitely ‘efficient’ now”