running form?

What Is Correct Running Form?
There are beautiful examples of “correct” running form all around us. Watch children at play. Notice the perfect efficiency and fluidity of their movement: The natural swing of their arms, the effortless way they lift their heels behind them, and the rhythmic churning of their legs. Watch a video of Haile Gebreselassie. See the ease with which he seems to flow through space. Watch Ryan Hall in motion, a portrait of effortless grace.

It’s true that we each have our own natural form, a stride and body carriage that just comes to us spontaneously when we run. And some would say that whatever that stride may be, we should not change it. They would say that it is unnatural to alter what comes naturally to us. But others disagree.
Cuban-born American running coach Alberto Salazar is known for his passionate enthusiasm for “perfecting” his runners’ form. Salazar assesses every aspect of his runners’ form including arm carriage, foot strike, stride rate, stride angle, and pelvic tilt, and then makes adjustments aimed at improving the runner’s efficiency.
But Salazar works with runners for whom a few seconds gained through efficiency can mean the difference between last place and victory. What about those of us who will never run with such high stakes? Should we be concerned with form at all, or should we be content to run “the way nature made us?”
Well, our observation of children at play can be instructive here. Very few adults run with the ease and efficiency of children. Somewhere along the way most of us lose the easy, joyful running form of childhood and adapt a more plodding and dispirited one. Could we enhance the fun of running by changing our form? And are there other more practical reasons for changing our form?
In a word, yes. Recent studies indicate there could be some benefit to changing at least one aspect of our running form: foot strike. There is some evidence to suggest that heel strikers – runners whose feet impact the ground heel first – are more prone to injury than are those whose feet hit the ground with a mid-foot or forefoot strike. The shoe industry has responded to this research and to runner demand by creating whole lines of shoes designed to accommodate or even encourage a mid-foot or forefoot strike.
And there’s more. Mid-foot and forefoot strikers also tend to have a more fluid, some would say “beautiful” stride and are more efficient as well. In addition, the physiology of our feet and lower legs appears to best absorb the shock of running impact when we employ a mid-foot or forefoot strike. This translates to improvements in both speed and endurance for runners who make these foot strikes a part of their form.
Anyone looking for guidance on changing running form can explore techniques like Pose running and Chi running. Both promote approaches to running form that have helped millions to get more pleasure out of their daily run.
Whatever your decision about your running form – to change or not to change – the most important thing to keep in mind is, no matter your form, get out there and run! Ultimately, there really is no right or wrong way to do it. Enjoy!
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DO YOU PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR RUNNING FORM?