Today's topic will be running form. I went to an outdoor recreation conference this past weekend at Wright State University. One session I attended was all about how to improve running form, increasing efficiency and decreasing the potential for injury. Combining knowledge I already had with things I learned this weekend here are some key points to having excellent running form:
1. Have good posture. Stand up straight, looking ahead and not down at your feet and keep that position up as you run. Resist the urge to slouch when you start to get tired. Keep your shoulders from rising up (I have a really bad habit of doing this myself and it creates some painful tension in the neck). Don't stick your butt out: make sure that your pelvis is tucked in so everything is properly aligned.
2. Keep your arms moving straight forward, parallel to your body. Do not let your arms cross in front of you as you run: this not only makes you less efficient and slows you down, but it also causes extra stress on your spine by causing it to do extra twisting motions.
3. Have a little bit of a bend in your knees when you land. This is a huge way to reduce the risk of knee injury. When you land on completely straight knees, a lot of force goes through them causing a greater risk for injury.
4. If you are a heel striker (you tend to land on your heels first and then roll your feet when you run), try to land on the middle of your foot instead. I'm working on the transition myself and it's already helped me improve my running. Landing on your heels has a number of disadvantages. For one, it is inefficient: it slows you down a little bit and uses up more energy than hitting the ground further forward on your foot. It is also another knee injury risk factor, as it puts more force down your leg, through your knee.
5. Make sure you are wearing the right kind of shoes. I highly recommend going to a running shop, where they can asses your gait and the height of your arches.
Having superb running form doesn't happen overnight, so don't give yourself a hard time if you aren't getting it right away. Just keep working on it and you will be on your way to having rocking running form!
Happy training! :-)
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