Gilles Clément Koupaki

I recently added street running in the mix of my fitness routine. My running style is about speed, pace, and rhythm. Before jumping into it, I picked up the running gear essentials: a good pair running shoes with shock support, a cool fitness armband, some ear buds, and downloaded the RunKeeper application on my iPhone to assist in tracking my runs.

Long distance running has never been my thing. I prefer to run shorter distances (3 to 6 miles), at a faster pace, and work at keeping my heart rate higher than average. Maintaining high intensity, control and steady breath work during long stretches of extreme effort is what it’s all about for me because it’s the type of training I need for high intensity sports like Basketball and Racquetball.

I began using RunKeeper for iPhone to help track my distances, times, speed, pace, calories burned, elevation, and path traveled on a map using GPS. After each run, my data is automatically uploaded to my RunKeeper personal account on their website for further analysis. (Click the image below to see more details about that run)

Contrary to treadmill running, fast paced street running requires technique and good pace control in order to maintain rhythm through crossing lights, intersections, elevation and terrain changes. Terrain adaptation (concrete or tarmac) is particularly important because it can be stressful on the knees and the back, so don’t over do it if it’s not your style, and don’t forget to stretch before and after every run.