Fix my running! (Action Packed Footage Enclosed)

Can't tell if it's your shirt or not, but looks like a lot of up and down movement in the hips. Is this something you have noticed, or is it just the shirt?

pretty difficult to see because the videos only show you for a few seconds and you are running on uneven ground. Is there anyone who can hold the camera while you run on a road?

Well, from what I saw, you are doing a heel strike when you run. I can't say for sure if this is causing your problems, but it might not hurt to look into a mid-foot plant running form.

I had injuries and went to a running coach. We spent 5 months redoing my running form from the ground up. I basically had to learn how run. I went from a heel strike to a mid-foot strike.

Let me ask you, when you need to sprint, how do you do it? Do you keep your legs under you, but up your cadence... or you stretch your legs out even future in front of you to really cover the distance?

I would suggest reading Evolution Running or Chi Running. Both of these forms incorporate a mid-foot strike. Might be something to look into?

Please keep in mind... I'm not a coach or an expert. Just a gal who is bored at home on Friday night, who used a running coach to fix some injuries.

Yeah sorry about that, don't really know anyone here and I live in a pretty ghetto complex so my neighbors don't speak much english. I absolutely will get someone to hold the camera as soon as I know they won't run off and try to pawn it




Yeah I could see the heel strike, but it really isn't the plant that hurts, it's the follow through, so it at least feels like the plant isn't my first problem. When I sprint the main difference I know if is that I raise my knees higher to generate more force, the plant point is the same. (I think) I've been trying chi running out for size but I haven't had any success decreasing the injuries, I wanted to post my natural running form on here but I've been working on a mid-foot strike...I just can't practice often because my shin stops me.

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Not sure if it will help, but the one way I can "run" is by focusing on tightening my glutes to pull my legs back. It's the opposite of what I've always heard, but it takes the stress off my shins...damn slow though.

BTW - Thanks for the responses, they're very much appreciated.

It did look like you were putting effort into getting your heel near your butt. It shouldn't be a planned movement, but rather a reaction to you bringing your leg forward for the next stride.

1) YOu are a much better runner than I am

2) It looks asymmetrical, like your left arm swings across the front of your body,b ut your right doesn't. But that could be the funny angle. A shot running directly towards and away would be great.

BTW, I don't know if you planned it this way, but the wall behind you is a great aid when looking for up and down movement, there is a nice horizontal line near your head to follow!

Edited by AdventureBear 2007-06-02 9:51 AM

I figured out how to move it slow motion.  It definitely looks like you're running with a heel strike rather than midfoot like KSH mentioned.

Hey you're right! wow, that's drammatic and I didn't notice it at all. Interestingly my left shin is the only one that had to be iced last night and that's the arm that's going all over the place...I'm definitely going to fix that, thanks! Yes the cinder blocks wall was on purpose, my ubernerdness actually took it a step farther and am using it to plot foot speed throughout the stroke and how it lines up with my speed. From now on if I can find a cinder block wall then I can put the camera at the right distance and I'll have a nice basis for comparison.

I honestly can't find any breaking effect from my landing point (though it's tough to tell with only ~16 fps), and if you look at this video http://letsrun.blip.tv/file/156914?filename=Letsrun-2007HeptagonalG... (choose the quicktime option so you can do slow-mo) they almost all have exactly the same footplant that I do.



Absolutely, just not today Believe it or not I had to ice my left shin from the 5 or so 15 second runs yesterday and it's still sore today.

For the arm swing, a drill I learned from bobby mcgee is to hold 1 lb weights and run/drill with them for short 30 sec runs or strides...it teaches you to be very economical in your arm swing. Your elbow movement back and forth correlates to your knee movements (right elbow back, left knee high) but your forarms should stay at a less than 90 degree angle to your elbow and not "open up" behind you...this can contribute to overstriding. I dont' think you are really overstriding either, but if you could manage the same foot plant with your entire torso head/shoulders/hips in a slightly more aggressive forward lean, that may help a bit too.

OK, this is totally geeked out constructive criticism, and keep in mind I could be talking out of my bum hole, because, like I said, you are a much better runner than I am. but something to consider...

If you label frame #1 where your toe first enters the picture and slow motion forward, the key frames are #10 and #16. Your elbows look pretty good, but if you close the elbow angle so that instead of your hand being by your right hip, it's mid rib cage, that will also help keep your knee angle closed a bit more and prevent overstriding. I take back what I said before, I do think you are overstriding just a tiny hair...but it still looks pretty darn good.

Also draw a line from your head thru shoulders hips and leg at frame #10. It's nice and straight (not bent at the hips) and leaning forward at an angle. DO the same at frame #12 and #13, your torso angle is more vertical. This is right at your foot strike.

What if you concentrated on maintaining that same forward angle throughout your stride?

LIke I said, i could be totally full of it, and if so, please correct me running gurus...

Just my two cents.....
I had shin problems and knee problems until I had my gait analyzed - turns out I was a medium to severe pronator, and buying motion control shoes - Brooks Beast - cured it all. I've now run 15 or so 5ks, two marathons and in between races. Especially if you're a big guy (200lbs or so), pronation is a common problem. Go to a real running store that can analyze your gait.
-Russ

Armed with info from this thread (that my form, though not perfect, is good enough to get me through a minute of running without pain) I went back to the running shoe store that sold me the shoes I was in (asics landreth 3s). I managed to get a more senior fitter this time and he was considerably more thorough about watching me. His conclusion is that I'm a late stage over-pronator so he put me in Asics Gel Empire 2s which are supposed to be made for my problem. The store has a liberal exchange policy so they did a straight swap, which was nice...was expecting to have to cajole a bit. Store was Luke's Locker in dallas btw.

He recommended I wear them around the house for a couple of days before taking them out, which is fine since my shins are killing me from the demo running yesterday and the barefoot demo runs I did in the store. I obviouslly haven't run in them much, but so far I'm pretty impressed...the constant pain I have even when barefoot walking now is pretty much absent when my feet are in the shoes. Here's to hoping!