Running Technique
Good Technique is Crucial

Running is a skill that requires practice to master. Learning good running technique is crucial to running well, getting faster and staying injury-free. Using the Core Running technique develops an efficient and strong running style.

The Core Running method focuses on seven key running characteristics:

1. Footstrike,
2. cadence and stride length,
3. body positioning,
4. lower limb mobility and elasticity,
5. shoulder movement and arm swing,
6. torso and spinal stability,
7. neck and head alignment.

Each of these characteristics is dynamic and will change depending on the phase of the running gait. Let's take a look at each of these characteristics in detail.

1. Footstrike

Your foot should land on the ground below your hips on either the forefoot or midfoot region, depending on your speed. Your heel will touch the ground however the majority of the pressure will stay on the forefoot or midfoot region. (The exception to this rule is sprinting, in which case, you will be landing on the ball of your foot without your heel making contact with the ground.)

As you land, there should be slightly more pressure on the inner edge of your foot. The weight will shift to the outer part of your foot just before it takes off from the ground. These motions involve a small degree of pronation and supination which are normal and necessary for good foot movement. Read more about foot strike.

2. Cadence and Stride Length

Your running speed is determined by your cadence also referred to as stride frequency (how often your feet hit the ground) and your stride length (the distance between one footstrike and the next).

You can run faster by increasing one or both of these characteristics. In the Core Running method, you keep your cadence fairly constant across all speeds. You increase your stride length to increase your speed.

Research has shown that ideal running cadence is about 180 footstrikes per minute or 90 footstrikes with each foot. With Core Running, we use a range to set our cadence from 170 to 190 footstrikes per minute (or 85 to 95 footstrikes with each foot).

You would use a lower cadence during slower running speeds such as your recovery runs and easy runs while the faster cadence is for speedwork and racing shorter distances. Use the following guidelines to set your cadence:

• 85 footstrikes/minute - recovery and easy pace runs
• 90 footstrikes/minute - regular running pace, races of 5km or longer
• 95 footstrikes/minute - speedwork, races under 5km

(Note: the number indicates total number of footstrikes for one foot.)

3. Body Positioning

You should have a slight forward lean as you run. This lean should involve the entire body and not just leaning forward from the hips.
The degree of lean will be determined by your running speed. At top speed there will be a large degree of forward lean while at slower speeds it will be much less.

The idea here is to keep your body in good alignment as you harness the power of gravity to help you move forward.

You should also be relatively stable in the amount of up and down movement of your body. Too much bouncing wastes a lot of energy and puts added stress on the joints, tendons and muscles. Looking at an efficient runner from the side, you'd see their head stayed close to level as they ran; likewise their hips were level too.

An inefficient runner would have too much up and down movement as they moved through the different phases of the running gait. Staying level-headed is important in running well as it is in life!

4. Foot, Leg and Hip Mobility & Elasticity

Core Running technique harnesses the energy of different forces:

1. Using momentum generated by gravity,
2. force produced by the muscles and
3. elastic energy returned to the ground through the tendons.

The ankle, knee and hip joints need to have adequate mobility and functional flexibility to move freely throughout an optimal range of running motion.

Likewise the tendons need to be both strong and have good elastic properties to act as springs. Doing so decreases the need to the muscles to work as hard and you become more efficient.

5. Shoulder Movement and Arm Swing

The swinging of the arms keeps tempo with the legs so being able to generate a good efficient arm swing will help you with your cadence.

Keeping your elbow bent to 90 degrees effectively shortens the arms so less energy is needed to move them. Your shoulders initiate arm swing so good flexibility and looseness in the shoulders is important.

You want to keep both the arms and the shoulders relaxed to conserve your energy. Keep your hands loosely cupped. If you get tight in the neck then turn your palms upward. This will relax the upper trapezius muscle as you swing the arm.

The arms should not cross the midline of the body as they swing forward so keep your elbows in fairly close to the body.

6. Torso and Spinal Stability

Your hips and lower torso muscles are your core. A runner's core musculature is very important in maintaining proper alignment in the hips and back.

If the core is weak the arm swing can cause the torso to rotate excessively, needlessly using up energy and taking away from forward momentum. The low back can become sore if the core muscles are not strong enough to support good posture. This happens because too much strain is placed on the back muscles to support the spine.

The coordinated movement of one shoulder with the opposite hip creates forward propulsion. The torso links the upper and lower body, left and right sides. The muscles here need to be strong enough to efficiently transfer the forces generated in the different regions of the body.

With proper alignment you are much more efficient in how you use your energy and linking your entire body into a strong kinetic chain.

Good alignment in the torso also helps your breathing by keeping your airways opened up thereby getting more oxygen to your working muscles.

7. Head and Neck Alignment

To help spinal alignment you need to keep the back of your neck long and your eyes looking down the road ahead of you. Think about staying tall through the crown of your head.

Avoid looking down at your feet or letting your head droop. This will create misalignment in the entire spine. It will also constrict your breathing as your airways and lungs will be compressed.

You shouldn't have excessive head motion, either bobbing or rotating side to side. The jaw should be relaxed.

Practice smiling as you run, this will help you relieve overall tension in the body and help you relax using only the amount of energy you need to keep your moving forward. If your jaw is tense or your face is strained it shows you are holding tension throughout the body causing you to burn more energy.

Relax and float!

By focusing improving these seven different characteristics your running form will take hold and you will become a stronger, more efficient runner. You will be Core Running!