The right running form

[Pagani]

We have all looked at runners and said... Wow, they look as if they are just floating as they run. You must realise they are trying just as hard as you. It is difficult to change your form once you are say 20 years old. You need to catch runners at a young age, say 9 or 10 years old. I have had other runners say I look... very smooth a I run but believe me it does not feel smooth to me! Any thoughts.

[Keep-it-ticking Graduate]

Absolutely agree, I look like a drunken sailor trying to cross a ships deck in the middle of a storm. However in another group I belong to a chap there went for specific lessons to change his style and got some quite impressive results, mainly he worked on kicking/ flicking the heel up. That said I don’t whether his change in fitness levels altered at the same time. I’ve often tried changing my style but end up reverting to my old ways.

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate]

what others see and what we feel is very different.

I would say you actually cannot tell how much effort some are putting in, or what their skill level is. Some folk have great, natural form and don't use it to it's fullest potential. Others look ragged but by golly they can either run faster or further than you'd ever imagine.

It's a bit like saying you can tell how intelligent someone is by looking at them.

You can change your form, either improving or losing form quite easily. The wrong shoes, gaining weight, even mental health and emotional state has a huge effect.