Nike+ Run Club's coach answers our (embarrassingly basic) running questions

By Sam Downing|

Nike+ Run Club Sydney coach Sam Strutt (yes, that is his real name)
Team Coach turned to Nike+ Run Club Sydney coach Sam Strutt to answer our painfully basic running questions.

Team Coach is into a lot of fitness activities (HIIT, yoga, even Olympic weightlifting) — but none of us are runners.

And if you're not a regular runner, actually running can be shockingly awkward. As soon as you get up to a decent clip, movements that should flow naturally stop flowing altogether as you flail to coordinate your breathing and your footfalls and your pace and your...

For urgent help, we turned to Nike+ Run Club Sydney coach Sam Strutt to answer our painfully basic running questions.

How do I land on my feet?

A proper stride and footfall is very important to keeping you injury free and efficient, but the place to start is by ensuring your initial foot strike is just under your hips. If you overstride, your foot will act as a brake and slow you down.

When you are running uphill, focus on staying tall and driving your arms to keep you moving strongly up the hill. Running downhill can be tough on the body, so let gravity help you run smoothly and quickly down the hill—your quads will thank you later.

How should I pace my breath?

There is no golden rule for breathing while you are running, but you should focus on keeping your breathing deep and controlled rather than shallow and erratic.

The aim is to keep your breathing as controlled as possible for the pace you are moving at. This is important to ensure your heart rate doesn't skyrocket earlier than it needs to.

Where do my hands go?

Everyone's individual style will vary, but a rough guide is to keep your elbows at roughly 90 degrees and to move your hands from about chin height, to just past your hips as you swing back.

Imagine you have a line running down the middle of your chest. You don't want your arms to cross this imaginary line, as this will start to throw off your hips and make you less efficient.

How should I hold my body?

Everyone's style varies slightly, but as a rule you need to stay tall, relax your shoulders and arms and think about running as smoothly as possible. Don't let your hips sink down as if you're about to sit, and keep your chest open.

Elite runners look like they are gliding along because they have mastered this posture.

Where should I focus my gaze?

This comes down to form again. Lifting your gaze about 20-30m ahead of you will help you to stay tall and relaxed.

As you run more and focus on your form, you will become more confident and comfortable in this posture and look forward to what's ahead!

How important is stretching before and after a run?

A warm-up is your bridge between inactivity and the pace of the session you plan to do. A good general rule is the longer the bridge, the longer the warm-up.

If you are going for an easy recovery run, just take the first few minutes nice and easy as your body transitions into the run. If you are doing a harder session, make sure to take more time to gradually warm up to the pace you will be working at.

I always suggest a couple of leg swings to help loosen up the hip, knee and ankle joints that are often tighter from sitting down all day.

After the run, your stretching routine is very personal and will depend on what you are training for. I always recommend that people invest in a foam roller for all warm-up and cool-down routines.

RELATED: Six ways to get the best from your foam roller

If I'm a new runner, or returning to running after a long break, what's a good goal to aim for to motivate myself?

If you aren't normally active or haven't been active for quite a while—aim for consistency. Consistency is one of the most important words in any athlete's training, and for a beginner it should be the number one goal.

Aim to be consistent in your training at a level that is realistic and comfortable for you, and build slowly from there. Each individual is different, so training history, sport and injury will be among the factors that determine how quickly you can increase your pace, distance or frequency of training.

If you need some inspiration to keep you running consistently, running with a crew at Nike+ Run Club can be a great motivator. 
