Run-Down Forums

[Guest]

Thanks for the friendly welcome Dan. Now that I have started in the forum I won't be able to stop. I did get to thinking of a problem that I could use some advice on.
To start, my "natural" running stride seems to be low, meaning not a lot of leg lift, so my clearance is limited.
A few months ago I started doing some trail running with my friends on the weekends, I would say that the terrain was easy to medium in intensity. Well after a couple of months I noticed that my stride had changed,my knee lift was definitely higher, and I was finding it more difficult to run daily. For the last month we have not been trail running and last week while out for my long run ..... miraculously my stride fell back into place. I say that because nothing I did to get it back did any good...it just happened.
Any advice on how I may be able to do both? Or should I just stick to road running?
Thanks Ana

[Anonymously Posted by: 'Ana']

[Dan]

Hi Ana,

You're quite welcome.

Some people seem to be very efficient with minimal knee lift (shuffle style), but it's generally not conducive to running your fastest. What do you mean when you say you were "finding it more difficult to run daily?" Tired, sore?

As I've learned through several years of forcing myself to learn new running techniques/mechanics, what comes naturally often is not better. Trail running is good in that it provides a variety of surfaces, often soft ones, and makes you aware of how you are running. It requires you to run a bit more nimbly and light on your feet, which generally means leaning forward slightly, projecting forward with your knee rather than your foot, and keeping everything well balanced. My guess is you're not used to the extra work required by the higher knee lift. That is one of the hardest abilities to develop. Lots of situps and high knee exercises will definitely help in that area.

Another thing, try mixing up your trail and road running, steadily increasing the amount of trail running as you become accustomed to it. Too much all at once, accompanied by a change in form, might be too much for the body to handle.

Hope this helps,
Dan

[training2run]

I too have a very economical, quiet, almost gliding running style - and as Dan suggest, it probably isn't conducive to really fast running. It does, however, help protect me from injury. Except....

On trails, with a low foot lift, I have to be really careful not to trip over rocks and roots. Even keeping my eyes down, I still take a pretty good fall at least once every couple of weeks, and I'm always covered with bangs, scratches and healing wounds. Fun, fun, fun. Mad Dog Mike www.training2run.com