Calling ALL runners, I am looking for some input...

[banslug]

(let me start by saying that sometimes I have a hard time explaining what I'm trying to say/ask, lol)

OK.....I'm curious about something. I've always thought that you run the way you naturally run; that you shouldn't tweak this or that, just kind of RUN. Yes, we buy sneakers to HELP AID our style of running and our running form, but as for the ACTUAL RUNNING, well, it is what it is. The way you swing your arms, the way your feet hit the pavement, the way one knee might turn in or outward....it's just the WAY YOU RUN!

But I've been wondering......can you CHANGE your running form?

The reason I'm wondering this.....I've been fighting and dealing with PF for a while and right now it seems to be kept at bay with just a minor twinge here and there. I just finished my half marathon 2 weeks ago, and for the 3 weeks before (taper), and the 2 weeks since (recovery), I've kept my mileage super low and working on HIIT runs. But I've got some longer races on the far horizon (half in May '10, half or full in Sept '10, and another full in Jan '11) that I'm super anxious to do. That gives me enough time, IF it's possible, to find a way to run longer distances WITHOUT aggravating my PF.

(see? Sorry if I'm not making sense?)

Can I CHANGE the way my foot/feet hit the ground? I can't imagine landing on my toes or outer foot every step, but I know (and have seen) some people run like that.

If you can figure out what I'm trying to ask, can you give me some input on this???

THANKS!

Gayle

 

[horseshowmom]

Yes, there are things you can do to adjust your stride.
I'm on a 2 week lay off from running because of an ankle sprain and I bought the book CHI RUNNING to read through while off. If even 10% of the testimony and claims are true....I've found a miracle cure for running injuries. It is fascinating and fills me with tremendous optimism for my future running. In fact, I'm in SC so I may even check into attending one of their clinics. It was $10 (i think) from Books A Million and after just the forward, worth every penny!
Sorry I don't have more specifics to share yet, but check out the book. It's amazing!

Good luck! I had about a 3 week battle with PF and it was lousy! Never want it again!

Becky

 

[Gayle]

Gayle - Along the same lines as Becky, CrossFit endorses a style of running called POSE. Part of the technique does focus on how your foot hits the ground, as well your posture, etc. It's different. I've tried it here and there, but I'm not a runner so never bothered to really get into it.

They hold weekend seminars on it. CF has some video links about it on their web site: http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html#Run

 

[SRP]

Gayle - I'm not a runner now, but I used to be. I would think there are some ways you can change the way you run, sort of like how you can change your walking form if you want to get into race walking - watching your posture, how you hold your arms and balance your body, and concentrating on how your feet hit the ground.

I've seen lots of people who run with terrible form - arms flopping, leaning too far forward so their knees and shins take the strain, etc. That sort of thing can definitely be changed.

Some people's biomechanics do tend to make them more prone to certain injuries (I'm probably one of them! ). But I think that to some extent, running is just like any other exercise - take weight lifting, for example. You don't just lift weights any old way, just because it seems natural for you. You watch your form, or you wind up with an injury.

Now then, don't ask me HOW to do this. I'm pretty sure it's all about posture, but I'm no expert on the matter. Good luck!

 

[banslug]

Thanks for the input, ladies.

For the 3 months of training for my half, I focussed on 'proper' form as far as where my hips were in relation to my quads, how much I ran with my hammies vs my quads, where my shoulders were, etc. And I felt AWESOME during the entire half. But no matter what I do with ANYTHING above my ankles, I land heel, ball, toe, putting all the strain on my heel.

I'll check out that Chi running, and maybe I'll check with the running store where I buy my sneakers.

THANKS AGAIN!

Gayle

 

[CollinsMom]

Gayle, forgive me if I have asked you this before, but have you ever been to see a physical therapist about your PF? I am so high on my PT right now - after six weeks with that man, I am completely and totally PAIN FREE! I am so impressed with my results I want to shout it from the rooftops!

 

[cindi1]

Gayle - I saw your post last Friday (?) but didn't respond because I was actually going to a Chi Running workshop on Saturday and wanted to be able to share a bit about that.

When I first started running a couple few years ago, I kept quitting because about 2 miles in I would pull one or both calf muscles. Someone recommended Chi Running and by just reading the book and applying 'some' of the principles I was able to switch my form from landing on my toes to what I thought was a midfoot strike. Calf problems are solved! Last May (2008) I started running regularly, ran a 10k that summer, then this spring and just last month I ran half marathons.

I'm planning for a full marathon in May and have had off and on little pains. Most recently my achilles, so I signed up for the ChiRunning workshop (full day event with a trained chirunning coach and a small group of 5) to work on my form.

Turns out I was a heel striker and actually had fallen into a habit of almost leaning backward when I run. He taped us at the beginning and end of the day and for most of us (1 woman seemed to be struggling) there was significant different.

So - I think you absolutely can, but it's not easy and having someone tape you and give you feedback can really help. We don't always know what we do until we see it.

Example: one of the men in our group was having pain always on his right side. We could see on videotape that was more of a heel striker on that side and was almost locking his right knee. In that day, he was able to improve his stride - of course he'll have to keep working on it to keep the improvement.

Hope this helps.

 

[horseshowmom]

Cindi! Thanks for the Chi clinic report! I went to the website and there was one in Charlotte on Saturday which I missed, but there is another one the week before my half. Do you think the energy expenditure is ok to schedule that close to a half? I am so excited to hear your results!
Becky

 

[cindi1]

Definitely Becky - we ran during the workshop, but it was a very easy pace most of the time and when we ran hard (up hill or higher speeds) it was very brief. I doubt I ran more than 2 miles the entire day.

Here are my highlights from the ChiRunning Workshop
The ChiRunning workshop I attended ran from 10-4. We were outside the entire time except at the end when we were reviewing our video tape.

ChiRunning is an approach to running that emphasize alignment and posture (similar to Tai Chi) in a running context. They believe a midfoot strike reduces injury and that their ‘lean’ approach uses less energy than traditional running forms so you can either faster/longer with the same energy output OR you can learn to run what you currently run with less energy expenditure.

The coach is supposed to send us notes from the day, but I have yet to receive them, hopefully I will remember the topics we covered (they may be a bit out order):
- After introductions and a little background, we headed outside to be videotaped.
- Posture – we talked about alignment and posture and did a few exercises to check our posture and learn how to get in position.
- Lean – we worked on lean and the idea that running is more like falling to get the midfoot strike. This included a discussion on the harmful effects of heel striking and running on your toes.
- Gears – gears equate to the amount of lean you have. The more you lean, the faster you go. So we worked on leaning more and less as we ran around.
- Knees – we did some exercises to focus on keeping your knees down and lifting your legs behind you when you run rather than using your quads to raise your knees.
- Arms – we talked about how your arms should swing and how to use them to move forward – this part included a little refresher on alignment.
- Hips – we worked on using the hips like speed walkers do to not waste energy but use the energy in our core/hips to swing the legs
- Body looseners – we went through some dynamic stretches to warm up (these are very similar to what I have done in martial arts classes before)
- Cadence – this was probably the most interesting part for me. We got out a metronome and he watched us to figure out our natural cadence. Then we ran to the beat of the metronome and practiced changing gears to go faster without changing your cadence.
- Hills – up and down. We practiced applying the techniques to going up hills and down hills. We also talked about how to approach hills (up or down) that are too steep.
- Tape again and analyze – he videotaped us again to check the change in our form. Then we went inside and watched the before and after. Out of 5 of us, I would say 4 noticeably improved (myself included) and one woman just kept wanting to lean by bending at the waist.
- Shoes – throughout the day we talked about shoes and what are good shoes for running. Our coach is a big believer in barefoot or minimal shoes and is currently training for a marathon in the Vibram 5 fingers.

For me – there was a definite difference between my before and after. In my before video I thought I was running with a midfoot strike but was actually leading with my heels and even leaning backward. Honestly I looked like I was ready to just stop at any moment – no wonder I’m so dang slow! This is way better than the toe running I was doing years ago which caused my initial problems but still not right (which might explain the other less severe aches and pains I’ve had over the last year and a half). Also in my before video I had bad alignment with my right foot (very common I guess) where I would land with my right toes facing out rather than straight ahead which caused me to roll off my big toe rather than the center of my foot and overpronate – which were starting to give me pain in my Achilles. My after video showed me performing a midfoot strike most of the time (not perfect!) and I was either straight up or leaning forward which was a big improvement over my backward leaning. My right foot was also better aligned. Still – these are things I will need to keep working on, but I feel like the workshop was a huge help and now I have a much better feel for what I need to do. Now I just need to practice!