3 Quick tips to focus on your running form

3 Tips to improve your running form

with Margot Manning, Podiatrist, runner, coach

To run faster, stronger and longer is something we all want. 

While training is the best way to do achieve this, focusing on elements of your running form can certainly help.  

Here are 3 quick tips you can think about when you are running. 

Try one at a time so you can practice each one in different running sessions. 

Tip #1:  Lift your hips

Running form faults happen when you fatigue and it is easy to have sloppy movements. 

Consciously thinking to ‘lift your hips’ is a great cue to refocus on how you move and will shift everything into a much more biomechanically efficient position.

Lifting your hips is also the easiest way to stop yourself from ‘sitting’ and overstriding which are two common form faults that occur when you are tired.

Tip #2:  Cadence

Cadence is the frequency your foot hits the ground.  You want it to be consistent and smooth to match your height, leg length and speed.  When doing your speedwork or at the end of a fast run or race,  focus on maintaining your leg turnover to keep your speed, and to prevent overstriding in those final moments when you are tired.  

Tip #3:  Propulsion

Propulsion is your toe off, the moment your back foot and leg push off the ground. The force of propulsion increases your stride length, your float time and improves your landing position. All of these factors make you run faster and reduce the risk of overstriding.    It’s so easy to think that when you have to run faster your legs need to reach further. All this extra reaching does is add strain to your body,  potentially causing a braking force rather than a powerful movement forward. 

There is more to running than a few form tips, but  these three tips can be powerful cues for you to easily think and try to apply while running.  

Running form workshops and One-on-one sessions

Working with runners to run more smoothly and efficiently is something we really enjoy doing in our podiatry clinic. 

Further more, it’s valuable to experiment and trial different form strategies with each of your individual running styles. 

We have three ways to help you with your running form:

1. One-on-One sessions:  Book in for a one-on-one session with Steve or Margot Manning.  This gives you the benefit to have immediate feedback from us as we take you through an assessment and form focused session. 
2. Do Speedwork.  Practicing the different elements of your form while doing faster running is the best way to make change and gain sensory feedback while running.  Come to our Tuesday night sessions for half marathon and marathons, or Wednesday night ‘Beginners’ sessions.   training sessions
3. RUNNING FORM WORKSHOPS:  Come along to our next practical Running Form workshop and Steve and Margot will take you through all the different components of running form drills, cues to think about and techniques while running over different terrains.  

Focusing on your running form is really useful if you are:

• a beginner runner
• continually get injured
• are returning to running from time off or injury,
• to become stronger and more efficient.  

Margot Manning

Podiatrist, Coach, Runner

intraining Running Centre

[email protected]

To book in with Steve contact:  ihealth Medical Centre / to book in with Margot contact:  [email protected]