How You Should Swing Your Arms When Running | The Balanced Runner Keys Series

These runners are a great example of how you should swing your arms when running.

How you should swing your arms tends to be an afterthought when running. You probably think of things like footstrike, core, posture, cadence, and so forth instead. That’s a mistake, since your running form is a whole-body cycle of events driven by your relationship to gravity. And in gravity, the higher up in your body … Read more

The Balanced Runner Keys Series: Core Stability and Running–Get Your Core in Action!

core stability for running should really be called "core action" because it's the movements of the core that are important

If you’ve given even a moment’s thought to your running form in the past two decades, it was probably either to your footstrike or to your core.  My previous two posts in this series on The Balanced Runner Keys addressed the issue of footstrike; now it’s time to talk about core stability and running. The … Read more

Balanced Runner Keys Series: Land with a Supple Leg to Optimize Your Footstrike

Two views of stiff vs. supple legs just before footstrike

For years – since roughly 2004, in fact – I’ve been telling people to avoid heelstriking and overstriding, and instead to aim for a midfoot/forefoot footstrike underneath you. In many quarters this is considered to be the very heart of good running form, especially since Daniel Lieberman’s well-known research supports it. For a quick overview … Read more

Good Running Form: Learn to Become a Balanced Runner™

if you've ever watched children playing, you've seen good running form

Would you like a simple set of guidelines to good running form that would help you feel healthier, faster, more efficient, more joyful, and more naturally connected to the world around you? Although human movement is complex and each person’s body, history, and learning process is different, I’ve been working on formulating the basic keys … Read more

How to Run Downhill

Colin and Donnie run down Salisbury Crags

It’s one of the hardest kinds of running. You may think running up the hill was tough, pumping your arms, shortening your strides, and breathing hard. But what’s tough about uphill running is the level of effort, which is the kind of challenge one accepts in exercise. You expect to have to put in a … Read more

Barefoot Running: All Running Form is Good Running Form

All barefoot running form is good running form...

This post was originally written for International Barefoot Running Day, May 6, 2014. Happy Barefoot Running Day! As long-term readers of this blog will know, I run barefoot most of the time but help runners run comfortably in whatever footwear they prefer. The main reason I run barefoot is the enormous pleasure it gives me … Read more

How To Tell If You Overstride

Sometimes it's hard to tell if you overstride.

One of the questions we hear all the time from runners is, “How can I tell if I overstride? I’m not sure what I’m actually doing when I run.” Reading about running form, watching YouTube videos, and so forth may help you become well-informed about running but it doesn’t improve your ability to feel your … Read more

Use Senses Instead of Sensors

Here’s a resolution that will transform you as an athlete more than anything else you could do. I realize if you were going to set a New Year’s Resolution for your running this year you’ve probably already done it. But as of today you’ve still got 357 days left in the year, so it’s not …

Drafting to Reduce Drag: the Effects of Air Resistance on Runners

runner in a headwind behind blowing grasses

Alex Hutchinson recently wrote about a study showing significant benefits from drafting behind other runners to reduce drag, or air resistance in a marathon. In a real-world situation it would amount to a savings of somewhere between 3-4 minutes due to less energy spent pushing yourself forwards–whether you’re Eliud Kipchoge, Brigid Kosgei, or simply a … Read more