Think of your running style like your voice. Every person has a distinct sound based on their physical characteristics, their habits and their upbringing. As long as we're communicating, each voice works. But if your speech pattern varies so far from the norm that it can't be understood, you need to change it. And if you want to excel with your voice, such as using it to be a professional singer or broadcaster, you will likely work to make it more effective.
Similarly, every runner has a stride signature suited to his or her unique characteristics. There is no ideal stride every runner should strive to emulate. "Human movement patterns are so unique and so personal, you can't really make blanket statements about what is bad running form or good running form for any person," says Paul Langer, president of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine and a clinical adviser for the American Running Association.
Research on trained distance runners in Australia, published in the 2004 A more effective stride takes hard work and focus, shows that runners tend to be most efficient using their "preferred pattern"--the style they naturally choose, which they have developed based on their bodies and their histories. "Every one of us has some deficiency somewhere," says Lee Troop, three-time Olympic marathoner and coach of the Boulder Track Club. "As we grow and morph, our bodies become accustomed to it. If you look at the Olympic start, you see 100 different runners that all have different form, different styles."
But, as with a voice that doesn't communicate, runners need to change their stride if it doesn't function properly. Runners who are chronically injured need to figure out why. Given the complexity of possible issues, runners with significant injury history should get a professional assessment, rather than trying to modify their stride on their own. "Gait retraining is something that should be done under the supervision of a trained clinician, such as a physical therapist," says Irene Davis, director of the Spaulding National Running Center.
Alternatively, runners who want to be their best leave no stone unturned, including their form, even if they function fairly well now. "I think every runner should be concerned with form," says Scott Simmons, coach of the American Distance Project. He clarifies, though, that it is not about changing to match a certain ideal, but about paying attention to biomechanics, "trying to identify an individual's inefficiencies with mobility, range of motion, specific strength and symmetry."
Before embarking on form improvements, however, note that any change will make running harder at first. "Anything that deviates from a runner's preferred pattern increases metabolic energy costs," Langer says. "You'll feel like you're running slower and working harder." You need to get comfortable with the new patterns and retrain muscles and neural pathways before they become easier, as described in "Mo the Marathoner."
Change also requires a commitment to constant mindfulness. Form isn't something you modify by doing one workout a week. Until it becomes a new habit, it will take over your running and be the focus of every step.
"It's a bit of a journey," elite athlete Grant Robison says. "No matter how many studies you read or whatever somebody says to you, if you're not in a place where you really want to change your form, I don't think it would be good to change it."
We run for many reasons, including to find the time to escape and meditate. You don't want to spend all of that time obsessing over posture and glute engagement. "You have to arrive at that place on your own," Robison says. "If you're not ready to embrace the focus to get dialed in, it just becomes a headache."
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Form Fixes
