5 Tips on Alignment

When most runners lace up their shoes and being to train for their first event they usually have a goal in mind. That goal might be as simple as affirming something like:

• "I'm going to run as far as I can today"
• "I'm going to run for 30 minutes"
• "My training plan says I have to hit 4 miles today"
• "This is a speed work day"

Having basic time and distance goals are a vital component of every good training plan, but there's and even more important component that most athletes fail to incorporate. That component is form.

Form should play a key focus in your training plan, because running with good form will help an athlete:

• Avoid Injury (and miss fewer workouts due to injury)
• Conserve Energy
• Increase Speed without Increasing Intensity

For most runners, focusing on form will be new. Coaches often help their clients determine the times and distances they should run, but don't typically discuss "how" to run. If you're working with a coach ask them if they can give you any pointers. If your coach is local, ask them to meet at the track so they can take a look at your stride. If you're working with an online coach, send a video their way (the iPhone has a great slow motion features on it's video camera).

Finally, do a little research of your own. There are plenty of resources that runners can use to help improve their form. Take a look at either the ChiRunning, POSE, or Good Form methods. While each of these programs have their differences (and I'm obviously partial to ChiRunning), they're all focused on getting runners to set their posture correctly and move their body's naturally.

Here are a few tips you can use to ensure your posture is set correctly.

5 Tips for Proper Posture

1. Maintain a straight line between the ears, shoulders, hip joint, and ankles while in a standing stance (or in the recovery phase of your run as pictured).
2. Core strength is key! The only tension you should feel while running is in your lower abs. By keeping your core engaged you'll prevent yourself from folding at the hips. When in this position, you're body will engage the psoas muscles to help lift the legs as you move forward.
3. Keeping in alignment will help your muscles work less. When you're in proper alignment your skeletal system will help support your body weight. This allows your leg muscles to be used for the sole purpose of helping you move forward (not for supporting your body weight).
4. Check if you're in alignment by setting your posture and then looking down and seeing if you can see your shoelaces. Or, you can check your posture line looking at a side view of your body in a full-length mirror. Either way, your shoulders, hips and ankles should always line up. If you're not in good alignment you may notice that you experience some back pain, or tension in your glutes, calves, ankles or feet, as well as possible posterior neck pain.
5. Imagine you're being pulled forward by a cable connected to a giant parasail attached at the crown of your head. It lifts you up as it pulls you forward. Ensure you feel a very slight tension in your lower abs, and you'll move in alignment.

Keep these tips in mind for at least half of every run and you'll be on the path to running efficiently and pain free!