running form or stride? (Read 673 times)

I was running my 6.25 mile run last Sunday. That is a long run for me. About 4 miles in my feet, ankles, calfs started to hurt. I changed my stride and it helped. I was running a quicker turnover without picking up my feet too much the first 4 miles......... Then I concentrated on bending my knees more on the stride and lifting my knees a little higher and pulling my legs forward with my thighs. My stride got longer and I covered the same amount of ground with a slower turnover. It also stopped the aching in the lower part of my leg. I tried both strides while running a 5K on the treadmill this morning. The longer stride whith my knees bending more and pulling with my thighs was easier on my legs. And lowered my heart rate just a little while keeping the same speed on the treadmill. Seems like this new stride is better, but I really have to think about it while running, or I go back to old stride. Does this sound right? And what is good form (stride?) Thanks' Terry

Go back to the old stride. The changes that you describe were causing you to overstride which is just the opposite of what you should be working toward. Overstriding forces your foot plant out in front of your center of gravity which slows your pace and puts a lot more stress on your legs. It probably felt better on your run because you were using muscles that you don't normally use that weren't fatigued. If you want to learn more about what constitutes proper form I would suggest the book Programmed to Run by Thomas Miller. He does a great job of explaining what good form is and offers numerous exercises and drills to help you achieve it. You'll likely find that even your faster rate is still slower than ideal. Tom

Thanks' I will get the book this weekend. I am sure I am leaving some on the table with poor, or at least not the best form. On another note: I watched the world record 5K run on youtube last night..... WOW 12:39 !!!! Terry