Marathon Running Form

Running Form

Bad habits in any endeavour are easy to acquire but very difficult to lose. It is better to start off with the correct technique and save on a difficult transition at a later date. Some people may wonder why they should change their running form at all when it has worked so well for them in the past. The two main reasons are energy efficiency and injury.

A bad running form can make a big difference to your chances of getting injured, especially in the lower body. The repetitive strain on the leg joints can soon lead to problems.

Wasting energy by using the wrong form will always cost you dearly in a marathon. You need to be able to focus on a relaxed free-flowing form that doesn’t make unnecessary movements. It is not just the waste of energy but the fatigue that results from it and the poor performance that should convince the beginner that changes may be necessary.

Improving your running form could turn out to be more important than improving your aerobic capacity or raising your lactate threshold. Just a small change in your running form could make a dramatic improvement in your times or reduce your chance of injury. Ensuring that you have a good running form makes the body move more efficiently and so, minimizes the use of energy. Your body only has a finite amount so it shouldn’t be squandered.

A good running form is achieved by having a good arm motion and a good posture of the body. You also need to understand how your foot fall and striding technique need to vary depending on terrain or incline. Once you have managed to incorporate all of these factors together then it is likely that you have found your best running form. This is unique to you and should fit your own physique and abilities.

As with everything else, practice makes perfect and it is practice that will help you to find your best running form. Sometimes you will need to focus on a just one body part such as your arms or head to achieve the desired action. If you are training for a race then speed workouts help your body become accustomed to the mechanics that are necessary for keeping up such a high pace. It will exaggerate your running form and make you more aware of it. This will make it stick in your mind and muscle memory more easily.

Always consider all aspects of your running form and not just each part in isolation. When you are going forward into the hill push the hips upwards. The arms should move with short, quick movements. The shoulders need to be relaxed but not floppy otherwise they roll which wastes energy giving no help to your forward motion.

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