Running form is a critical component of running well.  It takes effort to learn at first, but it ultimately makes running much easier (and less prone to injury).  Following are the 7 habits of highly effective running form.

Feet

Most runners land with their heel first and roll to the front of the foot.  This causes extreme braking forces in the body.  This slows a runner down and jars the body, which can lead to injury.  The heel touchdown also requires the foot to come down in front of the body, which further puts on the brakes.  The foot should be landing under the body rather than in front of it. 

Timing

The foot should spend as little time on the ground as possible.  A quick step allows for more spring, which moves you faster and reduces jarring on the joints.  You should also aim to be hitting the ground (with each foot) 90 times a minute or more.  There are devices you can use that work like metronomes to help you set this rhythm.

Posture

You want to do what coaches call running tall.  This means a straight line along your spine to the top of your head.  Stand against a wall to get a feel for this–many people are actually leaning back when they think they are straight.  A common form issue when running is to pull the head back, which restricts breathing and damages form.

Head

Be careful to not have the head too far forward or pulled back.  It needs to rest in a straight line with the spine–think about a string pulling you from the crown of the head.  The head is heavy, and if you get fatigued, you may let it come infront of your body.  This pulls on the shoulders and back, increasing the strain of running.  If the head is leaning back, it can also cause a braking force and throw you out of alignment.

Eyes

Looking down can cause you to run heavily.  This causes extra impact on your body and may cause injuries.  Having the head forward can cause slumping, which causes strain on the neck, shoulders and back.  It also tends to shorten the stride.  If you want to look at the ground, keep your head up and look only with your eyes. 

Arms

Some recommend the arms should be at 90 degrees, though the Pose Method recommends having a deeper bend than this.  All sources agree the arms should not cross the body.  This creates a side to side motion instead of front to back.  You want all of your forces moving in the same direction, or you are working against yourself.

Breath

Previously the recommendation was to belly breathe in order to get more air into the lungs.  However, it is critical to keep the abdominals engaged while running to protect the back and maintain form.  Expand the chest to take in optimal amounts of air.  There are conflicting views on nose breathing and mouth breathing.   One source recommends you get air in any way you can, which is quickest through the mouth.  Another school of thought suggests nose breathing is deeper, more calming and helps keep the heartrate lower.  The pace of breathing should be every two(harder runs) or three steps (easier runs).  This means you inhale, right, left, exhale.

Form can require a great deal of attention initially.  However, just like driving a car, it becomes second nature in time.  It is worth the effort to experience more comfort, fewer injuries, and greater speed.

How do you increase your run speed?  Have you ever felt you were destined to be slow?  It may just be your mind that is telling you this.  You will be surprised at how fast you can be when you train for it.

In the past, I accepted the notion that I am slow.  However, now that I am actively working on my speed, I can see that has just been a mindset.  I am getting faster fast.  I even feel it takes more effort for me to run at my previously slower speeds.

Initially I played around with some intervals, just kicking it up a notch here and there.  Now I am getting serious about speed with some focused workouts.  I will discuss the 4 workouts necessary to prepare you for a faster marathon.

Tempo Runs

These runs involve starting at an easy pace, building to a faster pace (30-45 seconds faster than marathon pace), then finishing at an easy pace.  These runs are not long, usually 30 to 50 minutes.  It would look like this:  10 minutes easy, 10 minutes gradually increasing pace, 10 minutes at fast pace, 10 minutes at easy pace.

Fartlek Runs

These runs are unstructured, which is nice for flexibility.  You are running at your easy pace (1-2 minutes slower than marathon pace), and you increase speed when you feel like for however long you want.  These runs can be 3-6 miles — a good way to turn ‘junk miles’ into productive ones.  You can play with different speeds here.  It allows you to listen to your body and respond accordingly.

Pace Runs

These runs are done at marathon pace or 30-45 seconds slower.  These are a little longer, usually 4-10 miles.  They help you get the feel for your marathon pace without going so long that you risk injury.

Long Runs

These do not work on speed, but are obviously the most important training runs of your program.  These workouts go from 6 to 20 miles (some do longer, but it doesn’t seem necessary — I only train to 16 - 18).  This type of run is at a pace 1 - 2 minutes slower than marathon pace.  The point of these runs is to get you used to being on your feet for hours.

You will find that a pace you could only tolerate for 1 minute last week, you can now do for 2 minutes.  You see that your easy pace has gone from 11:00 miles to 9:30 miles.  The body is amazing for its ability to adapt and improve.  It can be the mind that really holds you back.  Whatever you expect yourself to be able to do is usually what you do.  This is not typically your full capacity, though.  Remember, there was a time the 4:00 minute mile didn’t exist.

My program includes each of these training runs, to give me a total of 4 runs a week.  This is an ideal schedule, allowing for plenty of rest to reduce risk of injury.  This also eliminates junk miles — running just to keep your mileage up for the week.  Using these runs in training not only helps build speed, but also keeps things very interesting.

The evidence is there.  You can participate in elite level marathoning at any age.  The former notions of athletes being obsolete after 30 have been completely discredited.

This article:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/16/athletes.comeback.endurance/index.html

from CNN discusses athletes in many sports remaining or reaching elite level in their 30’s and 40’s.  Here are some examples from the article:

• Lance Armstrong is competing in the Tour de France at age 37
• Dana Torres won the Silver in the 2008 Olympics at age 41
• Haile Gebrselassie broke the world record for the fastest marathon in September 2008 at the age of 35
• Quarterback, Kurt Warner at 37, led the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl in January 2009
• Oksana Chusovitina, 33, won a silver medal for the vault in the 2008 Olympics

They didn’t mention it in the article, but I remember being inspired when Constantina Tomescu-Dita won the women’s marathon in the 2008 Olympics at age 38.  I am 31 now–that night (for a couple of hours, anyways) I felt like I could train hard and win the Olympics, too!  While winning anything may not be in the cards for me, I definitely see these examples as inspiration that I have many years ahead of me to improve my performance in the marathon.

Even if you are not elite and not planning to be, this evidence is inspiring.  Being an athlete is not synonymous with being under 30.  The flipside is being athlete at any age can clearly keep you feeling youthful.

If you have never run a marathon, do not let concerns about age hamper your goals.  There is an amazing spread of ages at marathons.  It is very inspiring–especially when someone at least twice your age buzzes past you.  I want to be one of those people someday.