18 Running Form

When you understand the nature of running, you can better understand the most efficient way of running. I believe that running is an inertia activity: your mission is just to keep the momentum. Very little strength is needed to run. The first few strides get you into motion, and your focus is to stay in motion. To reduce fatigue, aches and pains, your body intuitively fine-tunes your motion, so that you minimize effort as you continue to run about every other day, month after month.

Humans have many bio-mechanical adaptations working for them, which have been made more efficient over more than a million years of walking and running. The anatomical origin of efficiency in humans is the combination of the ankle and the Achilles tendon.

This is an extremely sophisticated system of levers, springs, balancing devices, and more—involving hundreds of component parts amazingly well coordinated. Bio- mechanics experts believe that this degree of development was not needed for walking. When our ancient ancestors had to run to survive, the evolution reached a new level of performance.

When we have the right balance of walking and running, a very little amount of effort from the calf muscle produces a smooth continuation of forward movement. As the calf muscle gets in better shape, and improves endurance, you can keep going for mile after mile with little perceived effort. Other muscle groups offer support and fine-tune the process. When you feel aches and pains that might be due to the way you run, going back to the minimal use of the ankle and achilles tendon can often leave you feeling smooth and efficient very quickly.

A better way of running?

There may be a better way to run for you; one that will leave your legs with more strength and fewer aches and pains. The fact is, however, that most runners are not far from great efficiency. Repeated research on runners has shown that most are running very close to their ideal. I believe this is due to the action of the right brain. After tens of thousands of steps, it keeps searching for (and then refines) the most efficient pattern of feet, legs, and body alignment. In my running schools and weekend retreats, I conduct an individual running form analysis with each runner. After having analyzed over 10 thousand runners, I’ve also found that most are running in a very efficient way. The problems are seldom big ones—but a series of small mistakes. By making a few minor adjustments, most runners can feel better on every run.

The big three: posture, stride, and bounce

In these consultations, I’ve also discovered that when runners have problems, they tend to occur in three areas: Posture, stride, and bounce. And the problems tend to be very individual occurring most often in specific areas because of specific motions. Fatigue brings on most of the problems relating to form. Slight over stride, for example creates fatigue, and then weakness at the end of a run. As a tired body “wobbles”, other muscle groups try to keep the body on course, but are not designed for this.

Three negative results of inefficient form:

1.	Fatigue becomes so severe that it takes much longer to recover.
2.	Muscles are pushed so far beyond their limits that they break down and become injured.
3.	The experience is so negative that the desire to run is reduced, producing burnout.

Almost everyone has some slight problem. I don’t suggest that everyone should try to create perfect form. But when you become aware of your form problems, and make changes to keep them from producing aches and pains, you’ll feel fewer aches, smoother running, and experience faster times. This chapter can help you understand why aches and pains tend to come out of form problems—and how you may be able to reduce or eliminate them.

Your own form check

In some of my clinics, I use a digital camera that gives instant feedback. If you have one of these cameras, have a friend take pictures of you running from the side (not running towards or away from the camera) while you run on a flat surface. Some runners can check themselves while running alongside stores that offer a reflection in a plate glass window. The sections below will tell you what to look for.

If you feel relaxed and running is easy even at the end of a run—you’re probably running correctly

Overall, the running motion should feel easy. There should be no tension in your neck, back, shoulders or legs. A good way to correct problems is to change posture, foot or leg placement, etc., so that running is easier and there is no tightness or pain.

Posture

Good running posture is actually good body posture. The head is naturally balanced over the shoulders, which are aligned over the hips. As the foot comes underneath, all of these elements are in balance, so that no energy is needed to prop up the body. You shouldn’t have to work to pull a wayward body back from a wobble or inefficient motion.

Forward lean

The posture errors tend to be mostly due to a forward lean—especially when we are tired. The head wants to get to the finish as soon as possible, but the legs can’t go any faster. In their first races, beginners are often the ones whose heads are literally ahead of the body, which produces more than a few falls around the finish line. A forward lean will often concentrate fatigue, soreness, and tightness in the lower back, or neck.

It all starts with the head. When the neck muscles are relaxed, the head is usually in a natural position. If there is tension in the neck, or soreness afterward, the head is usually leaning too far forward. This triggers a more general upper body imbalance in which the head and chest are suspended slightly ahead of the hips and feet. Ask a running companion to tell you if and when your head is too far forward, or leaning down. The ideal position of the head is mostly upright with your eyes focused about 30-40 yards ahead of you.

Sitting back

The hips are the other major postural area where runners can get out of alignment. A runner with this problem, when observed from the side, will have the butt behind the rest of the body. When the pelvis area is shifted back, the legs are not allowed to go through a natural range of motion, and the stride length becomes short. This produces a slower pace, even when spending significant effort. Many runners tend to hit harder on their heels when their hips are shifted back.

A backward lean is rare

It is rare for runners to lean back, but it happens. In my experience, this is usually due to a structural problem in the spine or hips. If you do this, and you’re having pain in the neck, back or hips, you should see a doctor.

Correction: “Puppet on a string”

The best correction I’ve found to postural problems has been this mental exercise: imagine that you are a puppet on a string. Suspended from up above like a puppet—from the head and each side of the shoulders—your head lines up above the shoulders, the hips come directly underneath, and the feet naturally touch lightly. It won’t hurt anyone to do the “puppet” several times during a run.

It helps to combine this image with a deep breath. About every 4-5 minutes as you start to run after a walk break, take a deep, lower lung breath, straighten up and say “I’m a puppet.” Then, imagine that you don’t have to spend energy maintaining this upright posture because the strings attached from above keep you on track. As you continue to do this, you reinforce good posture, and work on making this behavior a habit.

Upright posture not only allows you to stay relaxed; you will probably improve your stride length. When you lean forward, you’ll be cutting your stride to stay balanced. When you straighten up, you’ll receive a stride bonus of an inch or so without any increase in energy.

An oxygen dividend

Breathing improves when you straighten up. A leaning body can’t get ideal use out of the lower lungs. This can cause side pain. When you run upright, the lower lungs can receive adequate air, absorb the oxygen better, and reduce the chance of side pain.

Feet low to the ground

The most efficient stride is a shuffle—with feet right next to the ground. As long as you pick your foot up enough to avoid stumbling over a rock or uneven pavement, stay low to the ground. Most runners don’t need to get more than 1” clearance.

Your ankle combined with your Achilles tendon will act as a spring, moving you forward on each running step. If you stay low to the ground, very little effort is required. Through this “shuffling” technique, running becomes almost automatic. When runners err on bounce, they try to push off too hard. This usually results in extra effort spent in lifting the body off the ground. You can think of this as energy wasted in the air; energy that could be used to run another mile or two.

The other negative force that penalizes a higher bounce is that of gravity. The higher you rise, the harder you will fall. Each additional bounce off the ground delivers a lot more impact on feet and legs—which on long runs produces aches, pains and injuries.

The correction for too much bounce: Light touch

The ideal foot placement should be so light that you don’t usually feel yourself pushing off or landing. This means that your foot stays low to the ground, and goes through an efficient and natural motion. Instead of trying to overcome gravity, you get in synch with it.

Here’s a “light touch drill”: during the middle of a run, time yourself for 20 seconds. Focus on one item; touching so softly that you don’t hear your feet. Earplugs are not allowed for this drill. Imagine that you are running on thin ice, or through a bed of hot coals. Do several of these 20 second touches, becoming quieter and quieter. You should feel very little impact on your feet as you do this drill.

Stride length

Studies have shown that as runners get faster, the stride length shortens. This clearly shows that the key to faster and more efficient running is increased cadence or turnover of feet and legs.

A major cause of aches, pains and injuries is a stride length that is too long. At the end of this chapter, you’ll see a list of problems and how to correct them. When in doubt, it is always better to err on the side of having a shorter stride.

Don’t lift your knees!

Even world class distance runners don’t do this because it tires the quadracep muscle (front of the thigh), leading to a stride that is too long to be efficient. The most common time when runners stride too long is at the end of a tiring run. This slight overstride, when the legs are tired, will leave your quads (front of thigh) sore the next day or two.

Don’t kick out too far in front of you!

If you watch the natural movement of the leg, it will kick forward slightly as the foot gently moves forward in the running motion to contact the ground. Let this be a natural motion that produces no tightness in the muscles behind the lower or upper leg.

Tightness in the front of the shin, or behind the knee, or in the hamstring (back of the thigh) is a sign that you are kicking too far forward, and reaching out. Correct this by staying low to the ground, shortening the stride, and lightly touching the ground.

Cadence or turnover drill

This is an easy drill that improves the efficiency of running, making running easier. This drill excels in how it helps to pull all the elements of good running form together at the same time. Over the weeks and months, if you do this drill once every week, you will find that your normal cadence slowly increases naturally.

1.	Warm up by walking for 5 minutes, and running and walking very gently for 10 minutes.
2.	Start jogging slowly for 1-2 minutes, and time yourself for 30 seconds. During this half minute, count the number of times your left foot touches.
3.	Walk around for a minute or so.
4.	On the second 30 second drill, increase the count by 1 or 2.
5.	Repeat this 3-7 more times. Each time trying to increase by 1-2 additional counts.

In the process of improving turnover, the body’s internal monitoring system coordinates a series of adaptations which pulls together all of the form components into an efficient team:

•	Your foot touches more gently.

•	Extra, inefficient motions of the foot and leg are reduced or eliminated.

•	There is less effort is spent on pushing up or pushing forward.

•	You stay lower to the ground.

•	The ankle becomes more efficient.

•	Ache and pain areas are not overused.

Walking form

Walking form is usually not an issue when walking at a gentle, strolling pace. But every year, there are runners who get injured because they are walking in a way that aggravates some area of the foot or leg. Most of these problems come from trying to walk too fast, with too long a stride, or from using a race-walking or power-walking technique.

Avoid a long walking stride. Maintain a relaxed motion that does not stress the knees, tendons or muscles of the leg, feet, knees or hips. If you feel pain or aggravation in these areas, shorten your stride. Many runners find that they can learn to walk fairly fast with a short stride. But when in doubt, use the walk for recovery and ease off.

Don’t lead with your arms. Minimal arm swing is best. Swinging the arms too much can encourage a longer walk stride which can push into aches and pains quickly. The extra rotation produced can also aggravate hips, shoulder, and neck areas. You want the legs to set the rhythm for your walk and your run. When this happens, you are more likely to get into the “zone” of the right brain.

3.	Let your feet move the way that is natural for them. When walkers try techniques that supposedly increase stride length by landing further back o the heel, or pushing further on the toe (than the legs are designed to move), many get injured.