Monday, August 4, 2008

Tips on Running Form

There are as many different styles of running as there are runners. Sometimes, what looks like poor running form can work well for a particular runner. The great Olympian, Emil Zatopek, used to run with his head rolling from side to side. This became his trademark: if his coach had trained him to keep his head straight, he would probably never have broken as many records as he did.

Having said that, there are several pointers you can use to make your running more efficient. Just remember that if one of these feels really awkward to you, it may not fit with your particular style. Be flexible.

First, let's talk about posture. The idea is to run tall, with the work being done by the lower body and the upper body relaxed. Think of it as though you were on a horse: the legs do all the work. If your shoulders and arms are tense, you will tire more easily and you're wasting energy on the parts that are not contributing to your run.

The next topic is the feet. If your feet are slapping the ground, you are wasting energy there. Run quietly and you'll feel the difference.

Your feet also should "pull" you along the ground, This means that you will pull back after each foot strike and push forward with a little spring at each toe-off. If you're bouncing, you're probably wasting energy here, too.

Your stride should be comfortably long. Beginning runners, especially, have a tendency to overstride, believing that this will help them go faster. Overstriding, though, puts undue stress on the legs and can lead to injuries. Stretching out your legs with strides once in a while during a run is good, but you should not try to maintain long strides throughout your runs. Running tall, as if there were a string pulling your head up, will help lengthen your stride length naturally.

When running up hills, you'll find that using your arms to "pull" you up the hill can help. Otherwise, your arms will normally be relaxed and moving more or less straight ahead and back. I find that my arms tend to cross over my body, especially when I'm tired, but this is less efficient than having them move straight ahead and back. On longer runs, it's a good idea to let your arms just hang down and flap around for a while every now and then, as it helps to relax the arms and shoulders and get the circulation moving better through the arms and hands.

All this applies after you have warmed up. The warmup phase, the first ten minutes or so of each run, is when your body is getting used to moving. After that, when you are starting to run easier, is when to concentrate on your running form. At first, it's best only to concern yourself with your form during your easy or long, slow runs. If you can concentrate on good form during the middle third of each of these runs, you'll find that it begins to feel natural. Your form, and hence your pace, will gradually improve.

Here's to your great running form!

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