While we are discussing good running form in another thread, I thought I would start another thread about this particular aspect of the subject matter as these threads get buried very easily and quickly.
It is something that I read about in the early days and I do try to keep my footsteps as quiet as possible. Every time your foot HITS the deck hard enough to make a loud SLAP noise, you are hurting yourself.
Play this mind game - pretend that you have broken out of a WW2 prison camp - and you have to get away on foot as quickly as possible - but the dilemma is that you have to do it as quietly as possible otherwise you will be found and shot !! Do this as an exercise for about 20 minutes ( you will find it to be quite tiring) - forget anything else you have heard about - just do whatever YOU have to do to run fast but quiet!!!
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Bazza1234
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I have to confess to always being plugged in. I cant imagine doing naked running now so have no idea whether I am noisy or quiet. I do get strange looks however so I am either noisy or weird!!!
I am on my 3rd weeks now, I must admit it is getting a a lot easier, yesterday I did 30 mins run, at a space of 10. And level 6.5 on the treadmills, I was so pleased with myself that I could run for 30 mins without stopping, but the ankle pain is such a killer, I tried to ignored the pain and push myself, am I doing more injury to my ankle if I don't stopped and rest'mm
This is really interesting Bazza. I'll give it a go next time I run...
Oh surely they'll shoot me... between my steps and my chatting away to the dog I am sure they'' hear me!
Laura gives the same advice on form throughout the podcasts, both C25K and the + - but I've often thought that it may be heplful to have someone looking at you and checking your form - not everyone has good body awareness and while one may realize they are looking at their feet they may not be aware of the alignment or how they keep their arms.
Yoga and Pilates are good to improve form and body awareness, apart from being really good for flexibility and strength.
Does it make sense for a recreational runner running 10-11min miles to be trying to hit 180spm? Probably not, unless that is a quicker pace for him. Just to do the math, if we had a runner doing 180spm at 11min mile pace, he’d have a stride length of just 32inches!
... So, when some running form coach says to increase stride rate to X, what ends up happening is the runner is trying so hard to increase stride rate, he chops his stride a bunch by putting his foot down earlier and landing closer to his center of mass, thus decreasing the overstriding. Nothing particularly wrong with that.
Where we go wrong is in the logic that the stride rate increase is the key. No, it’s not. It’s the elimination of the overstriding. Using the cue to increase stride rate is a way for coaches/runners to reduce the heel striking overstride.
This doesn’t seem like a big deal, until people start taking it to the extremes. That’s when you get the claims of a magic stride rate and the idea that you can NEVER have a low stride rate. Or another bad direction is when you have people who stick to a certain stride rate without variance.
Interesting! From what I picked up from the running technique class I attended this is one of many little adjustments that go into creating better running form. I think trying to increase cadence, or trying to run quietly etc are all means to an end but there's no one single magic fix - it's about being holistic, innit.
Ye s- no one single answer. -- except maybe for one thing. Thinking it ALL through - cadence, foot strike, stride length, quietness, time each foot spends on the ground, heel lift, ankle lean, bent knees-etc -- it seems to me that the MOST important thing is for the foot to land underneath our centre of gravity. Logically, if the foot lands anywhere else - before or behind the centre of gravity - we are imbalanced. The faster our torso and head ( which make up most of our body mass/weight) moves across the surface, the faster our feet have to cycle to make sure that each foot lands underneath our COG. The faster our feet cycle beneath our bodies , the less time each foot spends on the ground, so the less impact.
Have a look at the little stick men running video here newtonrunning.com/run-bette... -- you can speed up/slow down their cadence with the controls at the top
I (try to) run with a forefoot strike as an ex who was very fit (in all senses of the word) and ran a lot said it would be better for my knees as knee pain was always my excuse for not having a go! I don't use the proper minimalist shoes, but a pair of very flat gym shoes which seem to do the trick. I've decided that if (when) I can 'run' for 20 mins I might treat myself to some barefoot running shoes, hopefully that'll happen around Christmas time so started dropping big hints to Santa Although I have had a slight bit of calf pain, my knees have been okay so for that I'm grateful. I am very conscious of my 'running' style and try to be light, look straight ahead and not take large strides, but I do feel a bit of an idiot and often wonder what I look like. Luckily for me I've found a quieter road (I used to go along a very busy road) and the sheep and cows don't pass much comment.
It all sounds very complicated. I tried to run quietly after I read about it first time, but I don't think I can. What I have to do is run straight. I've noticed my left foot has a tendency to turn outwards slightly, and if I don't concentrate on correcting it, I get knee pains the day after a run. Conversely, if I do concentrate I have no troubles. I think it proves we must all be aware of what our own bodies are trying to tell us.
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- and you have to get away on foot as quickly as possible - but the dilemma is that you have to do it as quietly as possible otherwise you will be found and shot !! 
Although I have had a slight bit of calf pain, my knees have been okay so for that I'm grateful. I am very conscious of my 'running' style and try to be light, look straight ahead and not take large strides, but I do feel a bit of an idiot and often wonder what I look like. Luckily for me I've found a quieter road (I used to go along a very busy road) and the sheep and cows don't pass much comment.
Perfect run
7.2km fast asics run
Worst run ever and I have had some bad ones.
Week 9 run 2 complete
Run, Forrest! Run.
