DO
- Take time to warm up and stretch. This will reduces chance of injury, increase flexibility and make you feel light and loose following your workout.
- Run smoothly without a lot of bounce in your step. Bouncing is inefficient because you spend energy directing your body upward rather than forward. Try
to land with directly on top of your center of gravity and absorb the shock of each step with bent knees. Imagine that you’re balancing a book or other
object on your head. Cutting down on bounce minimizes the threat to joints and can work wonders for your endurance after you get used to it.
- Keep your body relaxed and gaze forward. Tensing up and focusing your eyes at the ground or your feet in front of you can lead to discomfort and poor
posture. You’ll feel better after a run with loose torso, shoulders and neck, and this stance will naturally improve your posture.
DON'T
- Lean or bend your torso forward too much. While a slight forward lean can help keep your spine and pelvis in proper alignment, extreme leaning is bad
for your back and shoulders. Keep an upright position and stay in control of your forward bend!
- Overstride. Overstriding revers to landing with your foot in front of your center of gravity (too far in front of your hips). Some runners reach ahead
with their stride in this way to build speed. A more efficient and body-safe tactic to build speed is to work on faster turnover, not longer stride.
Overstriding can lead to injuries in the ankle, knee and hip that will put a serious damper on your running routine.
- Strike with the heel and/or land on a straight leg. This issue often arises with overstriding. A straight leg cannot absorb shock properly and causes
pressure at the ankle, knee and hip, not to mention the fact that landing on your heel actually reduces forward movement! Do your body a favor and practice
landing solidly on the midfoot, not too far forward on your toes or back on the heel. Your joints will thank you!
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