Running Form

more important to land center of gravity than concern yourself with mid foot landing.

strides can help with this.  At this stage of the game, I would just worry about getting your weekly milage up slowly.  form will come with the more miles you put in.  once your mileage is up there, you could incert 10-20 second strides within an endurance run which can help with form.  these are not all out efforts....

focusing on mid foot striking if you are a heel striker can result in injury before it results it better form or faster times.

run mo'

1) 8:42 for a 5K is not "very slow". Not for someone who's been running for 4 months and never run before. Just make sure that if that was your race pace, that your training paces are a little slower. A lot of beginners (myself included) try to go too fast, even if it's easy. Sometimes you have to force yourself to run slower, which sucks, I know, but in the long run, your body will thank you.  

2) Don't worry about form right now. As long as you're not overstriding (as Cusetri said), it doesn't matter. Do what feels natural to you and doesn't hurt. You will find what feels the most natural for you as you train more and your footstrike may adapt - it may or may not be midfoot, but again, if you're not overstriding, that's a good start. If you're concerned about inefficiencies in your stride, have a gait analysis done with video.

Edited by wurkit_gurl 2009-08-27 9:13 AM

If you have access to a soccer field or the infield of a track, or just a long back yard. Take your shoes off and run. That is how you 'should' run. You feet will be your guide, since running is a primary movement most of us run correctly when we take off our shoes, its not until we put on the running shoes with the built heels that our gate completely changes. Add in 10' mins of barefoot running and just run nice and easy, remember this feeling and try to take it the street once you slip your shoes on.

I disagree with a couple of previous posts. I think now is a great time to address form, a new runner is much easier to mold than a runner who is locked into their 'form'. I carry my arms too high and its very difficult for me to lower them which is a SIMPLE correction....its tough to do. I have to focus on my arms at all times.

Doing some youtube searches on running drills....

Great job on your 5K..that is pretty quick for a new runner.

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I did state that a gait analysis might be helpful. However, the general consensus seems to be that midfoot running isn't right for everyone, so there's no point in trying to focus on that specific footstrike if that's not what's natural to you. I've personally found that I do land midfoot, but not by "trying", simply by running more and more. In marathon training last year, that was what came out of running for miles and miles - it is comfortable and feels "easy" for me. However, that may not be the case for everyone. My tri team teaches that midfoot strike is what you SHOULD do, which we know isn't necessarily correct. I'm sure the big dogs around here can weigh in, for the millionth time, on this topic.

There are certain basic elements of running form that are helpful to get checked early on (like not slouching too much, etc). But that's not really what the OP seemed to be asking. And I'll throw in the obligatory "a lot of people, including elites, have weird running forms, and it works for them".

Edited by wurkit_gurl 2009-08-27 9:30 AM

It shouldn't be.

And stop reading triathlon coaching articles on running.  Go read what pure running coaches have to say on the subject.  They know what they are talking about in regards to foot strike.

See Wurkit's posts which are spot on.  Worry more about where your foot lands in relation to your body line, not what part of your foot contacts first.

And people develop efficient running techniques by consistently running for years on end.  There are running "drills" that help with leg turn over and extension but there is debate in the track world as the real value of them for distance runners.  But they are not bad to do in general.  Heel kicks, high knees, bounding, strides, cherry pickers, skipping, etc. are all drills that I do with the young sprinters I coach in the spring (Jr. Strider track team) as it helps them to understand the mechanics of running.

But things like crossing your body line with your arms, excessive arm motion, splayed feet, bent over at the waist and such are things that are easy to notice and easy to fix just by being conscious of your position.

anything specific, or any old search will do?  shoudl the OP pick the one with the most views?  a specific author? 

pretty sure I said to add some strides, (which are exactly what you said, running on a track, back yard) to current endurance runs.

not sure how run more, gradually increase your milage, do not concern yourself with mid-foot striking, rather focus on center of gravity, and add in some strides is bad advice for working on your form. 

If you are really looking into just running form I got some good advice by reading ChiRunning. I am not sure how popular it is with other Triathletes but I found some of the advice that worked well for me on good body positioning and running gait. Most of my emphisis for it was on running in a manner to prevent injury (already have knee issues) so that is what I have done. I will say it has not slowed me down significantly either but granted most of my training runs in the past were around a 9:00-9:15 pace so you are already faster than I.

Good Luck!

Take a look at Chi running.  I got so good stuff out of it just reading through it at the store and still use the basics to remind myself of my form when I out there.  Here's a Youtube video for some basics. 

Thank you everyone for the time you took to respond. A couple questions. What are strides? In respect to over striding and foot landing in center of gravity, do you mean not letting your foot land in front of your body to far?  My time this morning was race pace, I ran a mile warmup and then gave it my best. I have done this every 2-3 weeks to see my progress. Thanks again

I want to add another vote for ChiRunning.  Without that approach/program, there's just no way I'd be running at all, let alone doing a 5K time trial in 7:51 at age 38 which is the same speed (much faster, age adjusted) when I was 25.  It's unbelievable!

If you are looking for form instruction, specific drills and exercises to help you run faster without industry, ChiRunning is the deal.  Several good friends insisted I read it and practice it.  I'm really glad that I finally gave in.  No pain, no gain is a thing of the past, at least insofar as lower leg pain is concerned.

The other resource I've used to get faster is Furman's FIRST program which is not so much about form as about building speed & endurance simultaneously. 

Maybe this will help on the foot landing to far out in front. 

Strides are basically pace pick ups. They go from 50-200m, and pace should be about as fast as you can comfortably hold without losing form.

As far as overstriding, don't worry about it too much. The vast majority of people pick the stride length and turnover that is correct for them at whatever fitness point they are at naturally. As you get fitter and faster, your turnover will start to increase on it's own, if you are following a sensible running program.

Do not confuse heel/mid/fore foot striking with where your foot contacts the ground first. It's where your foot is in relation to your center of gravity. If you want good examples, run down hill. You pretty much almost HAVE to be a heel striker, especially the steeper it gets. To experience more of a forefoot strike, run uphill.

Each time, notice what your upper body does. When running downhill, most people naturally lean back a bit. This puts your CG (Center of gravity) behind your feet. When running uphill, you lean more forward, moving your CG more over your toes.

You're going to hear a TON of people touting newtons, chirunning, POSE, etc etc etc. Almost every method has it's pluses and minuses, it's all about what works FOR YOU. About the only universal is that heel striking is bad, it's a lot of stress on the knees and hips.

John

Thanks everyone for their input and video links. Great stuff. I think I will check out Chirunning.

I didn't see this in the early responses,  but you might try this website: http://www.posetech.com//>
It's great for running form and it has techniques for a number of sports.  Good luck!