The wrong technique will lead to injury, make your running more of a chore than a pleasure and put unnecessary stress on your joints. Don’t believe me, then watch runners in the park as they go past and describe in one word how they look. Sure, some of them will look easy and relaxed but I suspect tired, heavy or uncomfortable would be the words used to describe many recreational runners. Now you don’t want to end up like them, so this is what you do.
First bear in mind that perfecting a good technique takes a little while, but you don’t need any special skills or talent to get you there. The absolute number one priority and key to getting it right is posture. Sort that out and you’re half way there. Imagine how you feel after a long day at work, shoulders sagging and generally stooping – well, you don’t want to look like that when you run. Aside from looking like all those tired, heavy runners you saw in the park, it is the best way to get strains and shin splints. So stand tall with your head up and look straight ahead. That’s it! Next, lets sort out your breathing. Standing up straight will help but there’s even more you can do. Breathe in through your nose and at the same time push out your abdomen. Breathe out through your mouth – always. It’s called diaphragmatic breathing which, sounds complicated, but it really is as simple as I’ve just described and it relaxes you too!
Getting your arm movement right is slightly less important but it can help your balance and give you rhythm. So it’s worth spending a little time sorting this out because who wouldn’t want better rhythm. Your head is up and looking ahead and not down at the ground, now relax your shoulders. The top runners you see on the TV and at the Olympics bend their elbows at roughly 90 degrees and you should do that too. Although avoid all that arm pumping you see in the 100 meter sprints and instead let any arm movement come from your shoulders.
Finally, if you land on your heel it’s probably wrong but changing too quickly will do more harm than good and leave you feeling sore. Ideally you should land on the mid to front part of your foot but there are so many different theories it’s probably best leaving that for another day. Far more important is where your front foot lands. If it lands too far in front of you then that’s going to slow you down and ultimately cause all sorts of problems. All you have to do is put your foot down right under your front knee. That will sort out your centre of balance and as long as you’re landing as lightly as possible, reduce injuries.
Remember, there is no single great running technique and everyone is different. There are a lot of complex and wonderful techniques out there but it’s really very simple. Get out of any bad running habits you have by making the small changes suggested here and you’ll reduce injury and enjoy your running more.
