Filling Out Your Running Form

Yeah, that’s a lame title, ‘The Perfect Form’ was taken. So anyway, we’ve been meaning to discuss running form, because we see in all these races people who kick and flail and do goofy things with their arms and legs while they’re running. Shoe scuffing too, and of course, landing flat on the feet, sounding like cinderblocks being thrown off the roof.

Our favorite one was spotted again last week, a runner we affectionately call the ‘Fast Food Drive Through Jogger’. He takes one of his forearms, usually the left, and swings it way out at the elbow, making a circular motion while moving forward. It looks like he’s rolling down an imaginary car window, and one of these days we’re going to run up beside him and nasally announce ‘Welcome to Burger Dauphin, may I take your order?!’. Well, we’re not that mean, but allow us our evil thoughts. There are many more bad form types (The Modern Dancer, Limp Wristkit, The Washing Machine, et al), which we’ll save for a rainy day.

Anyway, what’s really at stake is running efficiency. The less energy spent on needless kicking, flailing and such, the more energy you have for finishing the run or race. The good news is, when it comes to running, most of us just go out and run without thinking about the process. It’s one of the things that makes running so democratic, just about anybody with the ability can do it. The bad news is that most of us don’t always have coaches, haven’t had someone watch our running form since kindergarten, or we just don’t pay attention to our form so much. Yes, getting from Point A to Point B is fine however you do it, but paying attention to how you get there might help you get to Point B a little sooner and better yet, a little happier. And perhaps… injury free?

Of course, Paula Radcliffe and her weird head roll running style could kick our ass in a race to the refrigerator, but you get the point. It never hurts to check your form.

And because Your Satanic Majesty is like, all up in dem bitches, here’s a link to a Runner’s World article that gets extra Heloise-like about running form.