Correct Running Form

Some of you may have heard the words "Running Form" before, but what actually is it?  Today, I am going to touch a little bit about that, and explain what it can do for you especially in long distance running.

Most beginners will likely run with a posture shown at the left.  Their body will either be too straight up and out of balance, or some even have their body slanted a little backwards.  Their leg will overstride, and when they land, they will be landing heavily on the heel.  As a result of the heel landing, shocks from the heel will travel up the runner's leg and start to hurt his knee and sometimes waist and back. 

The correct running form

A good running form is what is shown at the runner on the right.  He has a balanced posture, stands tall and gazes forward.  He keeps his chest forward and shoulders back and relaxed.  It is very important that the runner does not bend at the waist, but rather at the ankle. 

The arms should swing with short, compact action and relaxed at all times.  Pump the arms back and forward, and don't swing it side to side.  The elbows should not extend past the waist unless the runner is sprinting. 

Next is a very important aspect of the correct running form, ie the foot strike.  There are a lot of debate about which heel strike is the better one, ie the midfoot strike, the heel strike, the forefoot strike.  After having read a lot about these foot strikes and watched countless videos, I can say for sure that a big majority of the elite runners have what can be considered a midfoot strike.  They land somewhere in the middle of the feet.  Some elite runners do land a little bit behind the middle of their feet but none land heavily at their heel.  So it is important to remember that when the runner lands, he lands softly underneath a bent knee, avoid overstriding and excessive heel strike.

The last aspect of a good running form is the cadence of the run.  Cadence is the number of times you land per second.  Studies have shown that at the most efficient cadence is 170-180 steps per minute.  To calculate what is your cadence, you take a stopwatch and count how many steps you take to run in a minute, that is your cadence. 

Long distance running with good running form

It is very important to have and efficient and good running form when you want to do long distance running.  Every step that you take will magnify to save you energy, or waste it depending whether your running form is good or not.