Once a bastion for elite runners, running form assessment—and the related tweaking of minor maladies—has now made its way to runners of all ages and ability. Why? Well because making a few small adjustments can benefit anyone's time and reduce the chance for injury.
Here are four of the most common biomechanical weaknesses and how to improve them.
The Problem: Overstriding
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Signs: Pounding feet, tight hamstrings, feeling tired quickly
Many runners have issues relating to overstriding, which occurs when a runner's foot strike is well in front of your body's center of gravity. In other words, your feet should impact either directly beneath the hips or only marginally in front of your mass.
By keeping your feet "underneath you," you will reduce the amount of contact time on the ground, thereby increasing your overall cadence (the number of times your feet strike the ground in a given period).
Additionally, a slightly shorter and more frequent stride rate allows athletes to enter the final 1/3 of distance races with less energy expended.
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