According to an article I read recently in Competitor Magazine, the more runners think about improving their stride, the worse it will get.
It doesn’t appear that there is any particular running approach, or form, that is common. If you take 10 different good runners and look at them compared to 10 different poor runners, there is really no single common theme that distinguishes the form of the good runners from that of the poor runners.
I am starting to think that I agree with this. I attempted to change my form because I was thinking that my injuries may have been a result of poor form. I read and tried to practice ChiRunning. But months later, I find myself mindlessly pounding about. So much for that. It is HARD to change your ways to the point that you're doing it without consciousness. I think that the body naturally learns to tweak itself.
As an example, I know that sometimes when I get conscious of my breathing, I have a harder time doing it. I'm best off leaving this whole breathing thing to my autonomic nervous system.
As for running, I think that some conscious effort is fine, over a small distance. Enough of that should correct for anything blatantly "wrong" with your running form for the long run (pun intended).
I know when I overthink things it makes them more difficult. I can see the point of that article. Makes sense.
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