Tell me how to improve my form

[C-Dog]

Here is a video of me running for a few minutes on a treadmill. The speed is 6.0 (10 min/mile) This is not my average pace, but I am trying to run at it. My last 5K (on the treadmill) had a pace of 10:30, and my last 5K in an actual race was an 11:17 pace.



Here are two links:

YouTube Video

Link to download the original (It's 130 MB, but its much clearer)

I noticed a few things while watching. It looks like I bounce more than I thought, and that I might be over-striding a little bit. The foot strike looks mid-forefoot to me though.



Any thoughts, advice or potential drills to try? I have been running barefoot/minimalist since February.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I don't know, C-Dog.  It

I don't know, C-Dog. It looks good to me. I don't see any heel striking, so that's number one. I know my form must look like crap, so I'm not one to comment on someone else's form, but I do know that I haven't been injured running barefoot the way I do, so I must be doing something right. Now VFFs are another story.

 

[capmikee]

Hopefully someone who knows

Hopefully someone who knows more will post eventually, but all I can do is join in and ask for more advice.

jschwab tells me that I look really stiff when I run - like my upper body isn't moving at all. She said you look way more relaxed. I thought I must be some kind of freak, but she says she's the same way as me. What's going on with us? Are we doing something wrong? Or right? In terms of how we approach running, we couldn't be more different - I'm not surprised that I'm stiff because I always overthink everything, but she's a very intuitive runner. So it seems really weird to me that we both have this "stiffness."

 

[C-Dog]

I don't know what to say, I

I don't know what to say, I just try my best to relax as much of my body as possible. I know people my size aren't usually recommended for running, so I always thought it was important to relax to reduce the strain as much as I can. It probably helps that I know I am not running for anyone but myself, I am not even sniffing the winner's circle. So I just run at a speed that I think I can maintain for the whole 5K.

I am pretty sure that I have read that one goal of running is as little up and down movement as possible, so maybe being a little stiff in the upper body is what you want.

 

[Jimmy Hart]

 Ok so this is nit picking a

Ok so this is nit picking a bit but you are right in that you over stride a little. the best way to determine that on video is to make a line where your foot lands and see if your foot is landing under your hips. in your case the answer is no. you are slightly out in front of your body. that is what is causing your bouncing which is there but could also be attributed to the spring of the treadmill to a degree. the other issue is that you are on a treadmill and it is pulling your legs back so it's hard to determine where your real stride ends which makes it look like this pace is too fast for you and causing your form to be off.

my advice is to work on bending your knees a little more when you pick your foot up. i dont mean you have to squat down or anything but when you pick your foot up you will benefit from more knee bend instead of reaching out in front of you. it will allow you to put your foot down right under your hips and take away a lot of wasted effort in your gait.

the looseness in your upper body is great. i love your arms and hands being as loose as they are. that keeps your upper body from having any extra movement that would make you inefficient. all in all you've got a pretty good form that just needs some minor kinks worked out to maximize efficiency.

 

[C-Dog]

Thanks Jimmy.  I will try to

Thanks Jimmy. I will try to get some video not on the treadmill this weekend at the 5K in Lodi I am running.

I will also try and increase my cadence a little, which should reduce the minor overstride I think.

 

[HalfofJess]

Running on the treadmill is

Running on the treadmill is also a bit different than running outside/road.

I have no idea how to judge form, nor do I even know if I have "proper" running form. Don't overthink it and go out there for the love of running. Your body will naturally know what to do. Just trust it.

I feel like sometimes, when we overthink things and overanalyze, it stops becoming a natural motion because we're trying to force it.

The only thing I try to visualize in my mind when I run is WHY I run (and if we were living in cavemen days, it would be to hunt prey or outrun predators). Stalk, stealth and light. Seems to work for me.

 

[Jimmy Hart]

good advice jess.  i'm always

good advice jess. i'm always telling people to just relax and let it do what it will do. cdog's question was how to get the most out of his form which is something i am also very much for. once you get the basic structure of your individual form worked out and comfortable there is a lot you can do to maximize it, make it more efficient, and even go faster if you so desire.

some of use run for pleasure, some for sport, and some for both. either way it's all running to me!