Running form and Biomechanics
Why is it important to have good running form?
When I'm out running, it doesn't matter whether it's road or trail, I always try to focus on my running form. It’s something I strive to achieve and maintain throughout the duration of the run, but it’s hard. Especially towards the end, when I'm tired and occasionally my feet will scuff along the ground. I focus on it because of all the reading I've done about the topic. Everyone seems to say the same.
Improving your running form can help you run faster, more efficiently and comfortably, with less stress on your body and reduced risk of injury and fatigue. It ensures that you get the most out of your run.
So who wouldn’t want to work on their running form if it’s that important? What is it and should you even try to perfect yours?
Running form is a massive topic and nearly every aspect of it is interlinked so it’s difficult to pull it apart but I'm going to separate it into sections. The alignment of your body and the biomechanics of the step and stride.
Proper alignment of your body with a balanced forward posture.
Running form and body posture.
The aim is to run with a tall, upright posture. Your head, shoulders, torso and pelvis should all be stacked inline, one on top of another. If it helps, imagine you have a helium balloon attached to the top of your head, pulling you up. You should also have a slight forward lean from the ankles, not the hips. It's an efficient use of energy that won't result in sore necks and lower backs and will give you a bit of momentum that will propel you forward. It also means that your hips and glutes will be doing a lot of the work, saving your legs from getting too tired.
Keep your eyes up and your chin down. Some runners lead with their chin when they run, especially when tired. This will put a huge amount of strain on your neck muscles and joints . It also shifts your centre of mass backwards and that in turn can lead to over striding. Focus instead on keeping your head in a neutral position by gazing directly ahead. If you’re running up a hill, look at the ground about 10-20m in front of you.
Your shoulders should be down and relaxed to help open up your chest and allow for big deep breaths. Having your shoulders tight up around your chin, shifts your centre of gravity forwards so you won't be able to achieve a neutral spine. It also inhibits a good arm swing.
Keep your core tight. This is an incredibly powerful area of your body, and it’s where a lot of your running strength comes from. Having a strong core will keep your torso stable, help maintain body alignment and stop the wobble when moving your arms and legs. Core strength allows your pelvis, hips, and lower back to work together more smoothly to expend less energy.
Your arms are arguably just as important as your legs and feet when it comes to maintaining good running form. Ensure that your elbows are tucked in and bent at about a 90-degree angle. Don’t clench your fists, your hands should always stay at waist level and the swing should be straight forwards and backwards, not across the chest. Try brushing the waistband of your shorts with your fingers for reference. Your arms will dictate the speed your legs move so don’t underestimate what a good arm swing can do, especially tackling hills!
Biomechanics of Step, Stride and Turnover.
There is a constant debate regarding the best and most efficient running style (e.g. heel strike vs forefoot strike) held by professionals, amateurs and on countless running trails over the past decade. The general opinion these days is that there is no right or wrong foot strike and every runner will have their own type of foot strike depending on their natural style of running. However, there are definite benefits to having a midfoot strike as opposed to a forefoot or heel strike.
The forefoot or toe strike is known as your gas pedal, utilised most during sprinting and short bursts of speed. With your weight focused heavily on the ball of your foot and toes and your heel barely touching the ground, a lot of strain is put through your calf muscle and Achilles. So it’s not great for a long distance run, especially if you’re looking to increase your distance. Save it for that burst of speed overtaking or the sprint across the finish line.
The heel strike is the most common foot strike. It’s where the heel hits the ground before the rest of the foot follows suit to land. Most heel strikers tend to over stride and will drive their run from their legs and feet, not the hips and glutes. By landing heavily on the heel, the anterior tibialis (muscle at the front of the shin) dissipates the energy around the ankle caused by maximal impact to the ground which can lead to shin splints.
The mid foot strike is the happy medium where you land with your forefoot and heel contacting the ground almost simultaneously. Your weight balanced evenly on top of your hips, knees and ankles. It is ideal for longer distance running as it is virtually impossible to overstride and It doesn’t add unnecessary load to your calf or shin.
Overstriding occurs when you strike the ground with your foot in front of your knee, and many runners think that a long stride will increase their speed. But in fact, overstriding acts like a braking mechanism and actually slows you down. When over striding, the foot lands so far out in front of the centre of mass it takes time for the body to move over it and be ready to push off. By trying to land your feet under your body, not in front of it and taking shorter, more frequent strides, friction from ground contact is reduced. Spending more time in the air and landing softer with each step reduces the impact on your ankles, knees and hips making you run faster.
Running cadence (also known as stride rate) is the number of steps per minute you take as you run. In other words, it’s the speed at which your legs churn over as you pound the trails. Research suggests a higher cadence decreases the vertical loading rate and the subsequent stress on your knees, hips and lower back. The recommended rate is currently 180spm (steps per minute) but that is not always the optimal running cadence for all of us. It is affected by many different things – including your body composition, your running style, and the type of workout you’re doing.
Ground contact time (GCT) is the duration of time your foot is in contact with the floor during each stride. As your running pace and stride length increase so your GCT decreases because you spend more time airborne. It is usual that the fastest runners tend to have the shortest ground contact times. Factors that influence ground contact times include the biomechanics of your foot strike and where you land your foot in relation to your body. Perfection would be a mid foot/forefoot strike, directly under your hips. Heel striking and over striding actually lead to a higher GCT as you are effectively hitting the brakes with each step you take.
Should you change your running form?
If you’ve been running for years and don’t have problems with injury or recurring aches and pains, you probably don’t need to alter how you run. However tweaking your form here and there could lead to more efficient running and faster finishing times. It's a slow, frustrating process though and rushing it never works. You may even find you slow down and tire quicker during your normal runs until your muscles have adapted to your new style of running.
If you are interested in changing your running form, start by exploring your running style and perform a head-to-toe inventory while running looking at the basics; relaxed slight forward lean, relaxed shoulders, arms and hands, natural pendulum arm swing, tall torso, and short, quick strides landing under your hips. You can easily do this a few times during any workout. Then pick one part that interests you and focus on it. If you want to experiment with a fore/mid foot landing, start by incorporating short, easy paced 1-2 minute intervals at the end of your runs a few times per week to let your body adapt and learn the new landing patterns.
Finally, strength exercises can improve your running form and performance, too, so don’t forget to include them in your training schedule.