You Can Run: With Proper Form and Attitude, Anyone Can Run

People often tell me that they "just can't run." Certainly, there are those who can't run because of a medical problem or serious injury. Most of us, however, can run. We just make running much harder than it needs to be. Let me explain what I mean.

Children naturally learn to run and seem to love it. Looking at a busy and active child it's clear that our bodies were meant to run. They run so smoothly with their bodies relaxed and fluid. As we mature we seem to get the idea that we need to tense our muscles and joints when we run, almost as if we are fighting against moving forward. Not only does being so tense make running feel more difficult, but it makes us more prone to injury.

Let's start with the upper body. Tensing the shoulders is a common mistake among runners. This can lead to fatigue in the muscles and possible stiffness the following day. Running is hard enough. We don't need to make it harder by making the shoulder muscles work. Try to relax the shoulders and keep them low. You can periodically do gentle shoulder rolls during you run to make sure you are staying relaxed. Arms should swing forward and back with elbows in and hands never crossing the center line of the body.

Moving on to the lower body, let's think about how our feet hit the ground. Check to see if your feet land straight or with toes pointed in or out. If your toes are pointed in or out at all stress is being put on your knees. This can be easily corrected in most cases. Practice being aware of how your feet land and check them every once in a while during your run.

Since we're on the topic of feet, I'll talk about one of the worst mistakes I see runners make. Many people have a tendency to make their stride too long, causing them to strike the ground hard on the heel with the toe pointed up. They then roll over the foot and push off hard with the toe. This puts undue stress on the ankle and knee joints and is often the cause of shin splints. A running stride is nothing more than gently picking up your foot and placing it down. If you find that you are striking on your heel and pushing off with your toe start by shortening your stride just a bit. Practice walking around with your ankles relaxed. As you pick up your feet just let them hang. Get used to this feeling. Practice landing gently and evenly on your whole foot and making your take off as simple as lifting your foot.

Some of the most important and often neglected muscles to use in running are the core muscles. Keeping the core muscles engaged will help you to maintain good posture throughout a run, especially toward the end when we may feel tired and may start to slump forward. Our bodies should always form a straight line when we are running, without any bending at the waist.

Using good form is as important in running as it is in weight training. Good running form makes running easier, more comfortable, and less stressful on the body. Give it a try today. I bet you can be a better runner than you realize.