running form ?

[Jo-n-NY]

Thank you Wahine, this makes very good sense. In fact I bet outdoors I have the tendance to take too large of a stride just because of the surroundings being larger. I will be more conscience of this when I start which will not be until next week for my new lunch routine since I will be getting sneakers over the weekend and needless to say, will wait until then.

Wow, this section is great for a newbie runner. It is as good as cycling above for the newbie cyclist. I have to consider TE a very "well rounded forum".

~ JoAnn

[Wahine]

There's a really great drill for training your body to land with the foot under the pelvis and it's fun. SKIPPING!! After you warm up for 5 min, skip for 30 seconds, concentrate on landing with your foot under your pelvis and lifting the opposite knee quite high with that foot almost tucked up to your sit bones. The skipping strides should be very short and compact forward to bakc. After skipping for 30 sec, jog for 2 min, repeat until you've got 5 to 10 min left in your workout and then finish off with a cool down of light jogging. this is best done on a track or in a grassy field.

[VeloVT]

I'm totally onboard with the midfoot-striking, not overstriding, increasing speed by increasing cadence thing (Jo, you might want to pick up a copy of Chi Running). Just to be clear though, to increase your speed beyond a certain point, you will have to increase BOTH cadence and stride length -- this is because you can't endlessly increase your cadence, and so you will have to pick up the difference by playing with the other limiting factor to speed... However, it's possible to increase stride length without overstriding by increasing forward lean and increasing the stride "out behind you" rather than by throwing your footstrike way out in front.

[teigyr]

And Wahine, I love the idea of skipping because I was wondering how to change where my footstrike is. I heelstrike and I know I overstride. It doesn't feel like it but I've seen pictures and I do.

So while we're on the subject, what else helps with either running or running stride? Are weights beneficial? What types of stretching is best?

Jo-in-NY, this was a fantastic topic.

[alpinerabbit]

In skipping, how do you prevent landing very hard - something my shins seem to dislike currently?

[Wahine]

...to increase your speed beyond a certain point, you will have to increase BOTH cadence and stride length -- this is because you can't endlessly increase your cadence, and so you will have to pick up the difference by playing with the other limiting factor to speed...

In fact, in Chi Running, once you find your sweet spot/cadence, you should learn to maintain it at all speeds. Even slow running. The change really does come from pushing out the back and swinging the leg through faster with more hip and knee flexion. Elite runners have a cadence of around 88 to 92.

So while we're on the subject, what else helps with either running or running stride? Are weights beneficial? What types of stretching is best?

The best type of warm-up includes dynamic activity that helps to stretch slightly while working on your own personal running faults. If you're a heel striker, marching is good with a focus on high knees and appropriate foot strike, then moving to skipping, then moving to bounding skipping where the focus is the slight forward lean of the body with the push coming out the back. Sustained stretches of tight muscles AFTER running (not before) is also helpful. Strengthening exercises are useful but that's getting really specific and what I would ask one athlete to do I may not ask of another, so I'm ot going there. If you're asking if using weight vests during running is helpful, I personally think it's rediculous.

In skipping, how do you prevent landing very hard - something my shins seem to dislike currently?

Start by just doing fast heel lifts with both feet on the ground. If that doesn't hurt, do it with one leg. If that doesn't hurt you can move to small skipping. The key to any of these is to work on rhythm, starting with slower movement and increasing quickness and foot position under the pelvis. It helps a lot to do it on a softer surface like grass.

[OakLeaf]

As a totally non-serious runner but a formerly serious cyclist, I wasn't completely surprised when I first timed my natural running cadence and found that it's right at 90-95. A little higher than Chi Running recommends, but it's what my legs were used to from cycling. You may find the same.

Wahine, what type of warmup would you recommend for a forefoot striker?