I've heard all of these justifications before, and they do make
a certain amount of sense. But what if I told you there was
one adjustment you could make to your running form that would
really make a difference? Perhaps then you'd be ready to listen.
The
adjustment: straightening your posture. In my opinion, a strong,
upright carriage is one of the most important aspects of running.
Maybe the most important, because so many things follow
from it. Whether you're running 50 meters or 50 miles, here's
what upright running will do for you.
You'll
move as one. When your body is upright à la Michael Johnson,
you'll move forward as one unit, with all your muscles working
in synch. Your muscles won't be wasting energy maintaining balance,
correcting for forward lean and so on.
You'll
run more easily. Upright posture helps keep the whole body in
proper alignment. That's right, it's the ol' "the hipbone's
connected to the thighbone, the thighbone's connected to the
knee bone" routine. When you're in proper alignment, you'll
generate maximum power, which reduces the effort required to
run at any pace.
You'll
increase speed more easily. An upright body allows your legs
to extend maximally with no extra effort. With this kind of
extension, you'll be able to "shift gears" more easily
because you're already in the proper biomechanical position
to do so.
You'll
get injured less. When you reduce inefficient leanings and extraneous
motions, your muscles and tendons will spend less time correcting
these problems. Therefore, they'll be less likely to succumb
to overuse injury.
You'll
breathe easier. When you're upright, you'll get maximum breathing
capacity from your lungs. A forward lean makes it tougher for
you to fill your lungs and use your diaphragm properly. Stronger,
deeper breathing allows you to get more oxygen in and out of
the lungs.
You'll
cut down on side stitches. By encouraging better breathing,
good posture makes it less likely that you'll develop stitches.
Have
I got you convinced that upright posture is important? Good.
Before I tell you some ways to improve posture, you might want
to get a better idea of how you're doing in this department.
Have a friend or family member videotape your running from the
side. If you don't have access to a video recorder, have someone
stand and watch you closely as you run. Are you leaning too
far forward? Too far backward? Are your shoulders hunched? Is
your head slung forward? Once you have something to work with
(and on), it's time to start perfecting your posture.
Be a puppet
When I occasionally have trouble straightening up on a run (such
as when I'm tired), I envision myself being suspended by a string
attached to the top of my head. As I hang there, gravity efficiently
aligns my head (which should be facing forward, not down), torso
and pelvis. I complete the vision by imagining my feet lightly
touching down as the legs go through their smooth running circuit.
Try
this "puppet" visualization the next time you're out
on a relaxed run. It will help you stay upright and light on
your feet, both of which will allow you to conserve energy and
run more efficiently.
Another
visualization technique you might try, courtesy of the great
New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard: Imagine that you have a pulley
attached to the center of your breastbone. The other end of
the pulley is attached by a rope to the top of a low building
one block away. As you run, imagine that the rope is pulling
you toward the top of the building. This will help lift your
chest. Remember, don't lean forward. You want your whole chest
leading the way forward. More
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