If you ever get the chance to watch a toddler ambling about with newfound locomotive skills by all means don’t pass it up and pay close attention. There is more to observe than simply a baby’s sheer joy of running and walking.
I had this chance a few months ago when I visited my brother while he was sitting for his grandson.
Baby Hudson is not proportioned like your typical runner. Because, after all, he’s a one year old baby, not an adult. He’s got a long torso with an ample belly and his legs are comically short. But if you can get over just how adorable he looks when he is scurrying about there is some noteworthy stuff going on.
My brother remarked that Hudson’s gait was classic “controlled falling”. An apt description and one that captures three fundamental elements of efficient running form.
Without any formal training that I know of, Hudson managed the controlled fall perfectly. His torso stays tall and he leans a bit with his upper body so as to create forward momentum (posture). His legs cycle rapidly with each new step perfectly timed to keep his center of mass moving forward rather than crashing into the floor (cadence). And with each stride his foot came down directly beneath his center of mass (foot strike). He would have been better off if his arms didn’t flail about every which way but still.
And of course he was smiling. Or more like it, chuckling gleefully. Dude’s a runner.
4. Form
The overarching product sold at a running store is the sport of running and the store’s customers are best served by sales associates who know their product.
Some customers are newbies and are thirsty for tips on how to get started. Some are injured and would like advice on how to become healthy again and to avoid injury in the future. Still others are experienced and healthy and want to run faster.
I thought I knew running when I started at West Seattle Runner but I quickly found that my knowledge was woefully inadequate and outdated. Our customers deserved better.
So in my late 50’s I decided that I must learn how to run.
Studying up on proper running form seemed like a good place to start.
There are many sources of running information on the internet. One that I have enjoyed recently for its simplicity and clarity is McMillan Running (mcmillanrunning.com). Some of what follows in this section is reinforced by information on that site. I’ve also picked up much from the owners of WSR, Lori and Tim McConnell, and the store’s manager, Ferguson Mitchell.
Education can be both demoralizing and empowering. For example, though my research indicated that my running form was barbaric, it was clear that there were exciting upgrades within reach.
Some might argue that there is more to it but I would assert that getting a solid grasp of these three qualities — posture, cadence, and foot strike — gets you most of the way there.
Posture
As is the case with most sports, inefficiency is to be avoided. I would classify inefficiency in running form into two broad categories: 1) wasted motion that does not contribute to moving the runner forward and 2) motion that puts the runner at risk of injury.
Good running posture mitigates much of the inefficiency of wasted motion.
Runners should stand tall with a slight forward lean at the ankles that sets off the controlled fall.
When runners slouch in the torso or sag at the hips the legs get crammed into a tighter vertical space. To make room for the legs to swing through their arc, extra effort is needed from them to drive the body’s center of mass upwards. This vertical motion does not contribute to moving the runner forward and thus represents a wasteful expense of energy.
Running tall also helps keep a runner’s lower legs straight up with less side to side motion and less bending laterally at the knee both of which are wasteful.
Similarly, a tall posture discourages arm swing that crosses the midline of the body out in front of the runner. That’s a sideways motion that does not help move the body forward.
Besides improving one’s running speed, the next two qualities address the risk of injury.
Cadence
A runner will generate up to three times their body weight with each stride. That is a lot of force that can do damage if not managed. Cadence or the number of steps taken per minute is a way for a runner to govern this force. Quick, light steps produce less impact stress than long, heavier ones.
Someone recently measured the cadence of elite runners and they all came in at about 180. Thus 180 steps per minute became the cadence gold standard. You can download runner’s playlists with songs that race along at 180 beats per minute to serve as a musical metronome to set your feet to. Think just about any Ramones song.
McMillan Running states that it is more likely that the ideal cadence varies depending on the runner and is likely to be in the range of 170–190 steps per minute.
It’s often suggested that a runner should maintain the ideal cadence whether running slow or fast. I’m not so sure. Experience suggests that a higher cadence means a faster pace.
I personally struggle with cadence though I have improved in the past two years. Yet, troglodyte that I am, I typically lumber in at around 160 steps per minute. But on my best half and full marathons I’ve managed to crank it up to 165 to 170 steps. On sprints I can get up to about 170 to 175 but I don’t think I ever have done 180 for any extended period of time.
Foot Strike
A common error of long distance runners is over striding wherein the foot strikes the ground too far in front of the body’s center of mass. It is especially prevalent when a runner tries to run faster by throwing her steps farther out in front of her. This is a classic cause of knee pain.
Rather, the runner should always have their feet land directly below them in line with their center of mass. A misaligned center of mass generates torque that wrenches the knee thus causing pain. To go faster, the foot should continue to land in the same place but with the stride pushed out longer behind the runner.
These three elements are not independent. Proper execution of one of them can pull others into line. For example, if your cadence is rapid you’ll likely get the foot strike right for free. That’s because if you are moving your feet quickly enough they won’t have enough time to get into an over striding position.
It’s relatively straightforward to get these elements under control when you are fresh. However, and this is a big problem of mine that I continue to work on, as the miles pile up one’s form can get sloppy.
Runners notoriously pay inadequate attention to muscle development in the hips, butt, and core. When these poorly developed muscles tire and weaken on long runs, posture suffers, efficiency drops, and risk of injury increases.
It’s a maintenance task that one needs to tend to throughout a marathon and especially during the last 10–15 miles. I like to keep the reminders coming with self-scolding: “Stand up straight, don’t slouch, lift up your hips, pick up the cadence, don’t over stride.”
Training Status
My training is going well. This week I did a 20 mile run on Friday and a 15 miler on Saturday with no ill effects. I’m finding that as long as I run slowly for the first long run and then eat enough afterwards then I’m fairly well recovered in time for the second one.
Next week I plan to run back-to-back 20 milers as an approximate simulation of Chicago and Boston. Should be interesting.
COVID watch: Delta still rages around the world and some of the Majors are making adjustments. Specific details by city are listed below.
Berlin: The tour operator I am working with is now requiring all participants to be vaccinated or show proof of recovery from COVID-19 within the last six months. Europe uses digital COVID passports and may not accept the easily forgeable CDC cards that the US uses so the tour operator is determining the best way to show proof of vaccination for folks such as myself.
London: Although COVID continues to surge in the UK, there are no entry restrictions for vaccinated travelers at the moment. The US State Department is advising against travel to the UK, however, but not prohibiting it.
Tokyo: No change: Tokyo 2021 is still restricted to only residents of Japan. I have been offered a deferral to Tokyo 2022 to be held on March 6 which is an acceptable compromise though I would so much prefer the original plan.
Chicago, Boston, New York: Chicago has just announced that they are requiring vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test for all runners. They are also requiring facemasks in Grant Park prior to the start and again after runners cross the finish line. Masking during the run is not required as of yet. I suspect that Boston and New York will follow suit shortly with similar requirements.
As you may already know I am a charity runner in the London, Boston, and New York marathons this year. If you share the passion that the Michael J Fox Foundation and I have for finding a Parkinson’s cure please consider contributing to any of the WMM I am running in as a member of Team Fox (links below). All donations are meaningful and greatly appreciated.
fundraise.michaeljfox.org/boston-marathon-2021/joesgottarun
fundraise.michaeljfox.org/londonmarathon2021/joesgottarun
fundraise.michaeljfox.org/tcs-nyc-marathon-2021/joesgottarun
