With good running technique, you run nicer, faster and, above all, healthier. In our podcast “She runs. He runs” we reveal what is important. And why there is no such thing as the perfect running style.
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Pay close attention to joggers passing by. You will probably quickly notice how different everyone runs. Some are very relaxed, some with hunched shoulders and a lot of them are really out of round – as if you were out of balance. There are tons of different running styles. Everyone moves differently and as different as fingerprints are. Now one could easily say: It doesn’t matter! It is also true in many cases. But a large number of runners struggle with niggles and pain. Many of these are triggered by poor running style.
Bad running style can be painful
When I started running, I was stomping. Each of my steps was loud and strong. When I approached pedestrians from behind, they usually moved to the side before they saw me. I didn’t care much about it.
Now, my job means that in my research I repeatedly come across people who are absolute experts in their subject areas. It was the same with Lee Saxby, whom I visited in London. The tall and very thin Brit is one of the best running coaches in the world. We met at a congress where I interviewed him. Now he wanted to show me how he works in practice.
He invited me to run into his “running clinic” in a small alley in the British capital. I admit I was very nervous. Even at school I hated it when I was supposed to be fooling around. But there was no escape. So got on the treadmill. But I didn’t get far. After a minute or two, it stopped me. And said in his wonderful British way: “Well, you don’t run, you stamp – with your heel.”
I rammed my heel into the ground
He was absolutely right, as I quickly saw on a video recording. Every time I ran, I hit the floor with my heel first. The leg is fully stretched, completely robbed of its function as suspension. Instead, all the force of running hit me in the heel. In close-up and slow motion, I saw the shock wave pulling through my leg. It couldn’t be healthy in the long run, I realized that pretty quickly.
Lee Saxby said, “If you keep going like this, you’ll have a real problem soon.” But then he patiently explained to me how I can do it better. Take smaller steps, straighten your torso, keep your head nicely centered and try to land on your metatarsus. Lee dismissed me with the words: “Anyone can run – but it’s an art.”
We talk about this art in the new episode of our podcast “She runs. He runs.” The perfect running style may not exist, but obviously there is a bad one. Which, if not changed, leads to pain and discomfort. How do you make a change? What do you have to pay attention to? And why is the choice of shoes important? We will answer these questions and many more this time.
Changing your running style is difficult, but it’s worth it
Changing your running style may sound like a real challenge to many. If I said it was easy, I would be lying. It was a difficult transition. For weeks I had to admonish myself not to fall into the old routine. Don’t stretch your legs too far. I consciously felt how I came up. That was exhausting. But after six months it ran automatically. I didn’t have to think anymore. It’s been a few years since then – and I’ve never had a real running injury. Was it up to Saxby? Maybe. In any case, I dismissed him with the words: “Run like a Kenyan.” Okay, that was probably a bit of an exaggeration. But today I know what he meant.
