A few weeks ago, I had thebest run of my life.
It was my once-a-week three-mile route from my NYC apartment to Washington Square Park and back.
The tip was passed along from SELF.coms lifestyle editorZahra Barneswho received the advice whiletraining for her first 10K.
Petar Chernaev / Getty Images
Hearing this got me thinking about my own formand for the first time.
Needless to say, there was room for improvement, and I was aware of that.
Turns out, I wasnt alone in the mistake I didnt know I was making.
Shorter strides and quicker steps.
This places additional stress on your bodyand lets be real, running is already stressful enough.
That’s because youre meeting resistance with every step.
This often leads to an extra (and unnecessary) exertion of energy thats going to negatively impact yourendurance.
This comes down to body mechanics.
Of course if youre experiencingpain while runningits always best to see a doctor to rule out any serious conditions.
Start by determining your current step cadence (thats how many steps/strides you take in a minute).
Then multiply that number by four for your per minute cadence.
(You multiple by four to account for both feet.)
The ideal running cadence is about 160 to 180 steps per minute, explains Campbell.
So, if your cadence was 150, aim to hit 157 to 158 steps per minute.
It will likely feel a bit odd at first but give it time, she says.
Practice makes perfect, and soon it will become second nature.
“You will naturally use a high cadence and land under your body.”
Then start running forward, keeping that high cadence and landing position.
“This can help you establish a short, quick, and efficient stride,” he adds.
As you start to shorten your stride, you might notice that yourhip flexorsbother you a bit.
Eventually, this should go away as they get conditioned for the movement.
Ease into it, practice, and you should see the benefits.
I may not be a marathoner yet, but for me, my improvement is a victory.
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