How To Build The Proper Running Form
There are hundreds of articles espousing the various aspects of proper running form. Many base their recommendations on an analysis of some of the best runners in the world with insights and lessons on what makes them great. These articles are fun to read, but tough to apply for the vast majority of amateur and recreational runners, and of questionable value. Most runners will not have the pure tensile strength or natural physical gifts for many of the technical elements they are asked to do in these articles. We would rather simplify down to what works and make it accessible to help you both improve and reduce risk of injury.
How To Build The Proper Running Form:
Debunk Running Myths
The good news is that there is little need to over-complicate the basic principles that all good runners should have. No need chasing complexity or spending timing on elements that are simply not attainable. Let’s first dispel a couple of myths about running:
Heel-striking is not necessarily bad: It is impossible to read an article about running form without reading about the perils of landing heel first. At the highest level, how your foot hits the ground is not that important. What is more important is where it hits the ground, as well as how long it is on the ground. I have worked with Olympians who land heel first, but then transition to the mid and forefoot very quickly. In addition, their foot lands under the knee and near the line of the hip, avoiding major deceleration and impact on bone and muscle. What is less optimal, is when the foot lands on the ground far out in front of the body. This creates braking and high impact and slows you down. By definition, when the foot does land far out in front, the first part of the foot to touch the ground has to be the heel, hence the label of ‘heel strike.’ This might seem minor, but it is important..
No, you shouldn’t try to land on your toes: There are several ‘methods’ of running that promote aiming to land on the ball of the foot or toes. Supposedly, this gazelle-like spring style running is the secret to success. It isn’t. It is a pathway to injury of calf and achilles. In general, don’t focus on how the foot lands on the ground, instead follow the elements of good form we will map out later in the article.
Don’t chase micro-corrections with pronation and little idiosyncrocies of gait: If you watch a video of yourself running, you might see your feet splaying out a little like a duck, or perhaps you are a tad pigeon-toed. You might ever see a funky little foot flick as your foot leaves the ground. In general, it is better to not chase these little ‘funky elements’ in a technical intervention. Most of these stem from your natural walking biomechanics over many years, and actively intervening carries high injury risk. Leave it alone and focus on the more basic elements, as well as good supporting training that promotes form evolution. The ‘little funkies’ will evolve over time.
Shoes are not the enemy: You may have read that running in highly minimal shoes is your magic solution, but ignore these claims. Comfortable shoes are high value, especially those that limit mechanical stress (well-padded). Any barefoot or minimal shoe running should be reserved for short bouts of nice even grass, not the sidewalks and streets of your neighborhood.
Key Elements Of Proper Running Form
So what should you focus on? It is simple. Here is an easy guide to your running form evolution. Think of these in order:
Establish good posture: Standing tall, with good posture, is central to success in many sports, and it is also important in your running. Many weaker runners tend to ‘hide’ in their running, allowing a crouched style and noodle-like body. Stand tall, proud, and be strong. A long spine, with a straight line between ear, shoulder, hip, and down to ankle is the baseline starting point to proper form. This is a critical reset cue when fatigue sets in, as the first thing to collapse is good posture. Get this right, and you are on the way. If you are 5 ft 8, then your goal is to run like you are 5ft 10, not 5ft 6. Tall, proud, and a long spine.
Get gravity working in your favor: Without allowing a ‘break’ of the posture, and magic straight line of ear, shoulder, hips and ankle, our mission is to get the center of balance in front of your centerline. This means you cannot bend at the waist, or lead with your hips. Instead, you must hinge at the ankle and ‘fall’ forward like the leaning Tower of Pisa. This is subtle, but will create a slight feeling of falling forward. Many folks run by leaning back, with hips forward and chin up, but this promotes a big pulling action and has gravity workout against you. If you fall forward while standing tall, you can then ‘keep up’ with the fall by supple arm carriage and good leg speed.
Dial in the arms: The arms won’t make you run faster, but they sure can slow you down. There are two important cues to think about with your arms:
Keep the shoulders supple. They should be loose and supple like a prizefighter, and carried with a relatively closed angle at the elbow. The mission is to shorten the ‘lever’ here, and allow faster arm speed.
Drive the arms back. Many folk ‘reach’ the arms forward with a swing of the arm that reaches to where they want to go. This creates that issue mentioned before, namely, over-striding with the opposite leg. Running is a pushing sport, not a pulling sport, so drive the arms behind you, then let them return to the front via supple arms.
Of note, arm carriage is more important than many realize. Here is a simple tip for you to remember: arm speed will equal leg speed. Your arms and legs will be in synch, and good running relies on good foot speed. Get the arms right, and fast, and your running will speed up!
Hit the leg speed: This last one will only improve if you have nailed the three key elements above. If you dial in posture, forward lean, and arm speed, then leg speed flows. It still deserves it’s own tip of the hat, however. Your focus in the legs shouldn’t be on the feet, as they are a long way from your brain. Instead, focus on running with your legs, particularly from hips to knee. The femur. Begin to train yourself to retain faster run speed across all elements of your running intensities with power and cadence through the upper leg.
These four elements are the baseline of proper running form. See, not overly complex, no extensive professional runner analysis required. Get these right first and the puzzle starts to come together for you.
Simple Strategies To Retain Proper Running Form
We should define our running success with a simple mantra that every Purple Patch athlete lives by:
Run as well as you can: Great form.
As long as you can: Keep running while form is good, then reset.
As often as you can: String together bouts of good running to build your best overall performance.
Too many athletes drag themselves through a run, whether training or a race, with ever declining run form and technique. They simply cannot retain proper running form without cost getting too high, fatigue creeping in, and bad habits returning. You are better served thinking ‘no bad steps to be taken.’ So how?
Walk. Seriously, walk. Do it strategically.
Your level of running will decide if you can benefit from integrated walk breaks. For the vast majority of us, you will absolutely benefit. These are not walk breaks implemented out of desperation. They are integrated strategically. Here is how you execute:
Establish great running form and hold it.
Keep running while the majority of good form elements stay intact.
As soon as you are feeling form decline, you transition into a purposeful walk.
Your walk break is designed to:
Lower stress
Provide a chance to recover.
Reset body and mind to be ready to go back into running within 20 to 60 seconds.
Walk with good posture, driving arms behind and a nice toe push off. You can then transition back into good form-based running.
Keep repeating the process throughout your run.
Success is when you can retain the same good running in the final third of your run as you had in the initial third. The result will be more enjoyment, less muscular damage and injury risk, and, for many athletes, a faster overall pace (even including our short walk breaks). Compelling, eh?
The final evolution of this is to layer your walk breaks sensibly over terrain, which takes awareness and a little short-term planning. The speed penalty is great if you walk downhill, relative to running. It is minimal if you walk uphill compared to running. Walk breaks are best executed on uphill grades and hills, with a simple goal to run downhill and promote good leg speed.
Over the weeks and months, as you build fitness and resilience, you will require less frequent and shorter walk breaks, but if the Purple Patch pro athletes can embrace walking as a key strategy in training, and even racing, I believe you can too.
Free Download: The Purple Patch Running Tips
You’ve got the strategy on how to build proper running form, but now let’s make take the next step into looking like a pro runner. Download our take-a-way resource on tips from Matt Dixon, and pro triathlete Sarah Pampiano, to elevate your running even further.