Maintaining Your Running Form

Maintaining Your Running Form

As the weeks go by in our CrossFit Endurance program, I have been getting some great feedback. By far my favorite is that running is getting easier in the CF WODs. Another one, "running is easier if I focus on leaning forward and maintaining a figure 4." And no, this person was not sucking up. It may be too soon in our training for everyone to feel 100% comfortable with POSE. But, step by step, stride by stride, we are getting there. A wise man (OK, it was Anneke) once told me, "it takes 10,000 reps to become proficient at any olympic lift." The same holds true for running. Each stride you take with quality form will bring you closer to proficiency and speed. I am already seeing vast improvement in your movement - keep it up!

Remember, the feeling you get from a good run (or WOD!) is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running. --Sarah Condor

Here are some good reminders of the basics in CFE. Running with a forward lean and a rapid turnover on your stride should feel easier than doing a slow "shuffle" when you are not using efficient form. This is because the rapid turnover, although quick, if maintained, decreases the impact travelling up through your foot and the rest of your body. This makes for a healthier stride that can alleviate some of the damaging affects often associated with running.

This rapid turnover will still cause fatigue and a decrease in efficiency over time. Paying attention to your stride and cuing yourself to pick your feet up as soon as they touch the ground along with maintaining a good forward lean requires attention to be focused throughout a run (whenever you hear me cueing you for "pull, pull, pull" I am trying to get you to increase your turnover by picking your feet at a faster pace. The better you get at checking your body position for open hips, forward lean, and turnover rate will reflect in how much easier and faster your running gets.