I've always been intrigued at how someone can tell you that you run incorrectly. A certain amount of coaching can help, but honestly everyone runs a little bit differently and what works for one person does not work for another. That is why they make different styles of shoes for different running styles and physical make-ups. I remember running a 10k one time and I swear the girl running about 50 yards in front of me had the weirdest stride I have ever seen. You would not have dared to run within 2 feet to either side or you would have gotten kicked. After thinking about it though, she WAS in front of me so obviously it was working for her.

I have heard the debate made by forefoot strikers that it is more natural and that minimalist shoes are the greatest thing ever. They also think that traditional shoes are the devil reincarnated. Truth is a lot of people are not physically capable of wearing minimalist shoes or running with a forefoot strike.

At one time, I found a brand of shoes that fit my running style and made me run considerably faster. They were light weight and had minimal cushioning. They were great. Until I upped my mileage while training for a marathon. They did not absorb the shock of running 70+ miles every week and I was feeling soreness in my joints and feet. Those shoes were great to a point, but because my circumstances had changed, I needed to change shoes.

Use your internal motivation, and don't make that trainer sad, or else! You're doing an awesome job of making it a part of your daily routine, and not letting a little thing like soreness get in the way of your successes.

I'm with TJ!! There are always things you can do to conserve motion and energy, but how you run, is how you run. I have tried the chi running style and it definitely helped me get back into running, but if I really want to run, I put on my Asics and I run my normal stride. Better running shops will help you find the right shoes for how you run, not sell you a shoe and tell you how to run in it.

The running store I am training with offered a free "smooth running clinic" which I thought really helped me. One thing it brought to my attention was that when I get tired my arms kind of go in wacky swing directions. Now when I feel myself getting tired I focus on swinging my arms correctly and using them effecently.

I like that VWgirl! I would think that arm swinging motions are probably much easier to alter than the natural running motion of your feet/ankles/knees/hips.

Proper core strength has done more for my running form than anything. Dont neglect it!

Also...have someone take pictures of you running, mile 10 of a half marathon is a great place. You will see immediatly where your issues are!

Some people have "high hands", some have low. Some have a "quiet head" others look like a bobble head. Some can keep their stride in a dead straight line, some look like a Woody from toy story....
You can always inprove your stride, but trying to do major alterations can be counter productive and even harmful. If you have wasted motion, try to reduce it (those clinics are great for that), but little bits at a time.

"some look like Woody from toy story"

I like to flail my arms wildly to the side near the finish to a race, it discourages people from passing me. I think i NASCAR they call it blocking.

you should try some bump drafting

Not that i would ever be in front of you, but if I am....dont do that!

Beware, drafting women may get you in trouble

I've never had anyone analyze my stride on purpose, but through the years of track and cross-country, I got plenty of tips. The one that I constantly fight...my mouth is closed most of the time. No matter how often I think about it, I still find my mouth shut and often my jaw clenched. This is after a mile or two, once my breathing has settled in, and I'm no longer gulping for air of course. I chew gum when I run, to help with the cotton mouth, but often times it just ends up sitting idle.

Probably because I get so mad when I run. I also turn red, sometimes I feel compelled to randomly scream. I may have issues, or it could be a side-effect of the supplements, who knows!

Matt, you don't turn green and find your shirts shredded and hanging off of you, do you?

For BankBB... I'd like to see you do this!

http://9gag.com/gag/3689845

Shirts? What shirts?? I do have purple shorts though...

Probably just a coincidence though. Nobody out there would consider me huge, so I'm pretty sure that's not the case.

Blocked as "Tasteless and Offensive"! Now I must see!

LOL! I'll see what I can do about that!! Look for a post on the pushup challenge!

::waits for pushup muffin basket to arrive::

Something about that just sounds wrong.

I will nto be held liable for any injury resulting from this

I promise, I will take it easy on the dough!

My husband told me I ran funny, but since it was coming from him, I usually ignored it.

The first shoe store that I went to looked at my running style and gave me a pretty good shoe. Now that I've stuck with running for over a year (new PR for me, I've been noticing aches and pains and my doctor mentioned a minimalist shoe. That's why I went out shopping for a new shoe. Will try this for a bit and see how it works for me. Should probably also consider getting my gait looked at - my health care provider offers this service.

I'm just looking to avoid injuries as much as I can without resorting to becoming a couch potato.

My daughter's track coaches say she runs flat footed. They teach them to run on their toes for sprinting which she is struggling with. I have encouraged her to run distance, but she has resisted. She has the endurance for it, but not the ambition.

I have this same problem! If you find a way to get her past that, let me know. So far, my only motivation is that I need things to do that don't involve reading depressing stuff or hearing about weddings, or how cute someone else's kid is and why don't I want like a dozen of those??!


Long distance running: For when the rest of life is actually more boring than running is!

My husband told me I ran funny, but since it was coming from him, I usually ignored it.

I have encouraged her to run distance, but she has resisted

Same with daughters.