A running form analysis can help you identify bad running form habits. Check out these nine running techniques, including shortening your running stride length and transitioning to forefoot running, to improve your long-distance running form.

(Feature image: Photo by iStock.com/tonivaver)

There’s a lot of talk out there about what good running form versus bad running form looks like. Let’s start this article by making one thing clear: There are good running form techniques that generally lead to increased efficiency, but the running style that’s most efficient for one runner can be different from that of another runner.

Some of the fastest runners over the years have had running forms that look difficult to maintain or as if they use too much energy. We might even consider it to be poor running form on paper. But it works for them and has helped them get to where they are in their running careers.

You’ll find plenty of tips online for improving your running form, including in this article. But before you make major adjustments to your running techniques, consider whether or not it’s necessary.

Here are several reasons it might be a good idea to assess and adjust your running form:

• You’re a beginner runner unsure of how to start. It’s easier to adjust running techniques for beginners before habits form!
• You have running pains or injuries that are not due to your shoes, overtraining, or other identifiable causes unrelated to your running form.
• After increasing your endurance, your breathing is still uneven or too heavy.
• You’re exerting too much energy even during easy runs.

If you don’t fall into any of these categories and your running feels great, my advice is to keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t fix what’s not broken! Changing what’s working for you can create problems.

For those who identify with one of the points above, read on to learn more about the elements of good running form and tips on how to improve yours.

• 9 Elements of Good Running Form
• 5 Tips to Improve Bad Running Form

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9 Elements of Good Running Form

Lean Forward: A slight forward lean in your running stance guides you into your next step. This doesn’t mean keeping your lower body straight and leaning your torso forward. Your full body should be in alignment. Start standing straight, then lean your body slightly forward. Take a short step, keeping that forward lean. That’s the positioning you want to maintain as you run.

Lower Your Shoulders: Stiffening and hunching your shoulders creates muscle tightness and can negatively impact your posture and breathing efficiency. Keep your shoulders lowered and rolled back. You may need to adjust this throughout your run by moving your shoulders up and down to loosen them into a relaxed position.

Relax Your Hands: When you contract the muscles in your hands and forearms, you redirect your blood flow and energy. By relaxing your hands, that blood flow and energy will more efficiently supply the muscles engaged in running. Imagine you’re holding a potato chip between your thumb and your pointer finger — that’s how relaxed your hands should be.

Engage Your Core: Engage your core muscles to maintain a healthy posture. This allows you to breathe easier. Your engaged core also helps absorb the impact when your foot meets the ground and provides energy for your next stride.

Shorten Your Running Stride Length: Longer strides require more energy and often result in heel-striking (landing on your heel). Shorten your running stride length by taking smaller steps, especially when running uphill.

Transition to Midfoot or Forefoot Running: When you land on your heel with your leg straight, you’re essentially putting on the brakes. Instead, focus on landing on your midfoot or forefoot between strides, keeping a slight bend in your knee. This position maintains your forward momentum and lessens the impact on your joints.

Swing Your Arms Naturally: Bend your arms at about a 90-degree angle and let them swing forward and backward naturally as you run, keeping them close to your sides. The more you pump your arms, the more energy you’ll generate, which is why sprinters’ arm swings extend from their hip to their chin (or “cheek to cheek”).

Avoid Over-rotating Your Torso: Over-rotation in your upper body uses energy, which decreases your running efficiency. It can also result in misalignments if it affects the tracking of your other joints and muscles. Lean forward, engage your core, relax your arm swing, and use the power in your hamstrings and quads to carry you through each step.

Keep Your Eyes on the Path Ahead: Looking up at the sky or down at the ground puts stress on your neck and shoulders and is likely to affect your forward lean. Keep your ears aligned with your shoulders and focus on the path about 15 feet ahead.

These tips are simple to follow in theory. However, it’s difficult to perform your own running form analysis to identify which areas you need to work on. Further, as you get tired during a run, you may sink back into old habits. Below are a few tips on ways to assess and improve your running form for long distance.

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Did you know that the wrong running shoes can negative impact your running form? Learn more about how to find the right running shoes for your foot type.

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5 Tips to Improve Bad Running Form

1. Record a video of yourself running to identify bad running form.

You can’t fix what you can’t see. Consider asking a friend to record you as you run. Then review the video to identify which elements of good running form you need to work on. Are your shoulders hunched and close to your ears? Do you land firmly on your heel with your leg straight, leaning backward?

Commit to adopting good running form techniques, and know that it may take several months to change your habits. When you’re ready, record another video to determine whether you’ve improved.

2. Track your cadence to understand and adjust your running stride length.

Most running watches and apps — such as Garmin, COROS, and Strava — track your cadence. Your cadence is how many steps you take per minute. While 180 is often considered ideal for running efficiency, this can be slightly different for every runner. (For example, my average cadence for most easy runs and long runs is 174-176.)

Generally, aim for a cadence between 170 and 180. To increase your cadence if you’re below 170 steps per minute, focus on shortening your running stride length. This means taking shorter and quicker steps.

It’s difficult to heel strike and lean back when you’re running at a higher cadence. Instead, as you take quicker, shorter steps, you’ll more naturally lean forward and land closer to your midfoot.

3. Work on muscle strength to improve your running mechanics and long-distance running form.

Weak muscles often contribute to bad running form habits, including over-rotating your torso and not engaging your core. Consider incorporating core-strengthening exercises into your schedule, either after your run or on days you don’t run.

Improving your core strength helps maintain proper running posture and breathing efficiency. Stronger leg muscles lessen the likelihood of your form breaking down, which can result in muscle imbalances or injuries.

And don’t forget your arms and shoulders! It’s easy to think our arms aren’t involved in running, but they are. Stronger arm muscles that don’t tire as easily help the rest of your body’s running form stay intact.

Read why rotating your running shoes also improves muscle strength.

4. Start running in low-drop running shoes to transition to midfoot or forefoot running.

Transitioning from heel-striking to midfoot or forefoot running can be tricky, especially if you’re used to wearing a running shoe with a high heel drop. Even if you consciously try to land on your midfoot, once you start to get tired on your run — or simply stop focusing on your foot strike — you’re likely to relax back into heel-striking.

To transition to midfoot running, consider adding a low-drop running shoe to your weekly rotation. You can also go straight for a zero-drop running shoe. Low-drop running shoes generally have a heel-to-toe height difference of about 2-6 mm. These and zero-drop shoes encourage you to land on your midfoot since there’s less of a heel.

A word of caution: Avoid transitioning fully to this type of running shoe right away. Start by running only a mile in them once or twice a week for a couple of weeks before slowly increasing the distance. Mild to moderate soreness, particularly in your calves, is normal as you adjust to midfoot running.

5. Work with a running coach to learn good running techniques.

Changing running form habits is not always easy, especially for more seasoned runners who are set in their ways or beginner runners unsure of where to start. If you’re committed to improving your running form to correct inefficiencies but you’re uncomfortable making adjustments on your own, work with a running coach.

A running coach will do a running form analysis to determine what improvements you can make and offer advice on implementing them. Plus, if there’s something else contributing to your inefficiencies, they can help you address it or refer you to a physical therapist.

Read more on reasons to hire a running coach.

Ultimately, the running form that’s most efficient for one runner may look different from another runner. There are a lot of variables in our individual running mechanics. While these tips offer general guidelines on how to improve your form, if you’re breathing efficiently, feeling strong and balanced, and not experiencing any injuries or pain, keep running the way you run!

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical guidance. Before choosing to follow the running advice provided in this article, be sure to consult with your physician about your health and medical concerns. Running and exercising are done at your own risk, including any injuries or health issues you may encounter.

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FOR MORE TRAINING TIPS

Cross-Training Workouts Running Coaches Recommend

Training Tips for Your First Marathon

Your Guide to Running Workouts

How to Increase Your Running Endurance

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