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What is good running technique?

runningtechniquebook.com

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Re: What is good running technique?

#51

Post by franklinho »

rsync wrote: post #43
bsaul wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in the exact same situation as parent. Except i skipped to biking. It seems to me that Foam rollers ( or in my case just stretching on a tennis ball) are good for relieving the pain a bit after you've stopped running. But what do you suggest to stop having the pain in the first place ?

The magic stretch is the one where you lie, on your side, on the edge of a bed. Then, you drape the affected leg (the leg that is on top, not the leg you're lying on) behind you, such that your foot ends up below the level of the bed. You're basically stretching your hip farther than you could stretch it normally, since you can drape it backwards into empty space. Play with it a bit, with different angles, etc. This…

I've actually got an alternative magic stretch that can be done standing (so you can do it in the middle of a run). It involves crossing your legs and reaching over to the side.

Image here: http://www.runnersworld.com/sites/default/files/rt/images/20...

Re: What is good running technique?

#52

Post by trhway »

revelation wrote: post #46
zw123456 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I run at least 5 miles, sometimes 6, 7 8 etc. also varying terrain, indoor, outdoor and so on.

Which, still, doesn't tell us anything. Injury occurrs when you consistently increase your weekly mileage by a considerable margin. Why would you expect injury if you have been running more or less the same every week for years?

>Injury occurrs when you consistently increase your weekly mileage by a considerable margin.

what makes you say that? Probably you just never got any issues yourself and thus applying it to everybody else's situation.

I was running the same route for 13 years and at the age of 42 my knees and feet started to give pain during and aftre running - that made me interested in proper form and, yep, surprise, i was doing it wrong.

Re: What is good running technique?

#53

Post by danboarder »

shamney wrote: post #6
zw123456 wrote: post #4

I ran track in College (1976-1978) an my coach back then taught me correct form. I run at least 5 miles almost every day ever since and have never had a running related injury. I attribute this to learning correct running form early on. If you run more than 3 miles and have any pain at all you are probably doing it wrong.

what is "correct form"? and where is all the research demonstrating its success at preventing injury?

'Correct' is different for each body type. I started running one day a week barefoot (3-6 miles along the beach) and this greatly strengthened my ankles and improved my running form. I think good form comes naturally when running barefoot. I still wear shoes for longer road runs but I now wear zero-drop shoes from Altra with good results. A bit of background - I started running 3 years ago and have built up to running two full marathons (LA and Chicago), lost 40lbs along the way and now running is like a meditation for me 4 mornings per week.

Re: What is good running technique?

#54

Post by sanityinc »

bsaul wrote: post #25
rsync wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's ironic that it is IT band syndrome that caused this reaction, since that's by far the easiest running-related "injury" to solve. There is literally one magic-bullet stretch that will solve it completely - allowing you to go from excruciating "am I destroying my knee?" pain to pain-free in a few days or a week. Just a note: even if you don't ever return to running, that tightness in your hips and your IT is not g…

I'm in the exact same situation as parent. Except i skipped to biking. It seems to me that Foam rollers ( or in my case just stretching on a tennis ball) are good for relieving the pain a bit after you've stopped running. But what do you suggest to stop having the pain in the first place ?

In my experience, stretches and foam roller are both ways to alleviate the discomfort, but they don't fix the underlying problem, which is related to running form and specific muscle weaknesses. When the gluteus medius is weak, or when the lower leg is rotated inwards slightly by the arch flattening, the IT band ends up under excessive tension, trying to keep everything in line. The long-term fix for me was to strengthen my feet to reduce pronation, to do lots of deep squats, and to focus on "firing" the glutes while running.

Re: What is good running technique?

#55

Post by pwr22 »

mikestew wrote: post #48
pwr22 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow, that's a crazy figure (to me anyway). Have you ever written up your experiences anywhere?

It is a crazy figure for high school kids at least (though far from unheard of). But that was back in the day when our heroes ran ridiculous mileage, too. Problem for me was that my heroes were training for 10K meters or more at an international level, not just hoping to make the state meet in the 2 mile. I wasn't pushed by a coach to do so (my coach probably would have had a cow had he known), it was mid-winter and…

Ah, well thanks for sharing here anyway and good luck in May.

Re: What is good running technique?

#56

Post by prestonbriggs »

The book chapter is about form for running fast, but most of the comments are about form for training. In terms of injury prevention, I'd agree that the latter is important, but the book chapter doesn't have a lot to do with this. All the pictures are of people running better than 5 minutes/mile, with some probably running faster than 4 min/mile. But almost all running injuries are the cumulative effect of lots of slower miles, run at 6, 7, or 8 minutes/mil, or even slower (though the difference between 6 min/mile and 8 min/mile is pretty significant). Good form at those speeds is markedly different.

For fun, try to find footage of Kenny Moore running. Looks absurd, so knock kneed, but terrifically fast in his day.

Re: What is good running technique?

#57

Post by prestonbriggs »

prestonbriggs wrote: post #56

The book chapter is about form for running fast, but most of the comments are about form for training. In terms of injury prevention, I'd agree that the latter is important, but the book chapter doesn't have a lot to do with this. All the pictures are of people running better than 5 minutes/mile, with some probably running faster than 4 min/mile. But almost all running injuries are the cumulative effect of lots of sl…

Perhaps more interesting for most is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVH2qOwZd18#t=373 showing an elite runner running at a reasonable pace (perhaps 7:30 - 8:00 minutes/mile), with some commentary.
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