Is a Stride Analysis Really Worth It? Your Stride Is Like a Fingerprint

“I saw you running.”

Errrr…

“You have a very distinctive stride.”

Still creepy.

“It’s very determined and strong.”

Oh, my gosh you are the sweetest, let’s be friends for life! Funny how you can go from skeptical to love in mere seconds. But this conversation was one that stuck with me as I’ve talked to different running experts and coaches.

Should you change your running form? Should you use orthotics or go barefoot? Cushioned? Minimal? ChiRunning? Chuck it all and run however you want?!

After mulling it all over, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are some components we should all incorporate to prevent injury, but I also think your stride is like a fingerprint. It’s a little different for everyone and uniquely works for you.

This was a great article about it prior to the 2008 Olympic marathon:

“The notion that there is one way to run is not, in my opinion, correct,” said Peter Cavanagh, a professor of orthopedics and sports medicine at the University of Washington.

Constantina Tomescu, the Romanian runner who won the women’s marathon last Sunday, ran with her arms wide, elbows out. Paula Radcliffe of Britain, who finished 23rd here but set the current world record for the women’s marathon in 2003, running in 2 hours 15 minutes 25 seconds, has a head-bobbing style.

Cavanagh said there were only a few aspects of running style that could be modified to improve performance. Each can add only a quarter- to half-percent to a runner’s economy in a race like the marathon.

They two key take away from this an other articles is that:

• Changing your form when everything is working is going to have a very minimal impact on speed and possible negative impacts
• Changing your form if you are injured repeatedly can be extremely helpful

My stride has been pointed out to me numerous times, but never so amusingly as after a run with David. He proclaimed it baffling that whether I am running at 10K pace or marathon pace my stride looks well 100% the same.

While this is a little strange because there is a 2 minute per mile pace difference it’s also an indicator that I’ve found a style which seems comfortable to my body and so long as I’m staying injury free and making progress, it’s not worth continuing to over-analyze it. I asked Sam Khamis, of the Physiotherapy Department at Tel Aviv University, some of the most common questions I receive:

Should I change my stride length?

To increase our running speed we need to increase our stride length or cadence, and even better,  both. Increasing cadence is easier achieved and will not increase the load on our musculoskeletal system compared to increasing stride length. Increasing cadence, while maintaining the knee above the foot at initial contact (shorter step length) is a safer an easier technique to achieve.

“Each athlete has an optimal stride length, so there is no one-size-fits-all rule.”

Using a longer step length requires adequate range of motion especially hip extension.

Running injuries due to sagittal plane abnormal biomechanics can often be due to limited range of motion due to short muscle length such as hamstrings and iliopsoas which limits increased stride length, or weak muscle support of the gastrocnemius – soleus, quadriceps-hamstrings and hip extensors. Therefore, before deciding to change your stride length, be sure you evaluate your ability and your body limitations.

How to choose my stride length?

The best tip I can give which does not include a sophisticated running analysis lab, or any app is to follow these basic concepts:

• If you are hitting the ground with your heels you might be using excessive stride length.
• Knee above the foot when you hit the ground should indicate good stride length.
• If you have mid-foot or forefoot landing, you should be running with adequate stride length.
• Run forwards and not upwards (in other words stop bouncing) with minimal vertical body displacement. Excessive center of mass movement will cause energy waste
• Run with a shorter flight phase. The longer the flight phase the higher the ground reaction force will be when you hit the ground.

Spend more time thinking about your running cadence and you won’t have to worry so much about your stride length.

Where do I land on my foot?

Landing can be either on mid-foot or forefoot; either can be fine as long as we maintain a short stride length while increasing speed by increasing cadence.

This technique requires strong muscle control absorbing the impact phase and muscle power generation at push off. If we choose to increase our running speed by increasing our step length as well, additional muscle control is necessary.

The further we extend our foot reach at foot strike in front of the body center of mass, the more muscle support is needed in order to control the impact phase of absorbing the forces at landing and then pulling the body mass forward.

RUNNING FORM ANALYSIS

Awhile back a company offered me a free analysis for a review, but the information they provided back was not up to par and so I can’t recommend the service.

However, I have since seen a number of these products and think they are worth looking at for someone who is experiencing ongoing injuries.

Things I would expect in a full analysis is a review of the entire form from the front, side and back. Don’t rely on just the ankle shot provided by many running stores, that doesn’t take in to account a whole host of other things that could be happening {since you run with your whole body, not just ankles}.

If you record yourself running here are a few things to look for:

FRONT: arms cross mid-line | head alignment | heel strike or foot strike | elevated shoulders | hip rotation | ankle rotation | tibial rotation

SIDE: Same as above plus arm position | hands | torso alignment | knee height •  turn-over rate | stride length

BACK: Best angle to look for pronation or supination | stride | knee drift | hip drop

Read four simple tips for improving your running form>>

What really matters in a running form analysis Click To Tweet

Summary: Whoa there was a lot of science there and of course more recommended PT work…but really should you change your stride? The pro’s have learned through lots of trial and error that sans injury, their stride is like a finger print. It seems to uniquely fit them and so they let it FLOW.

Why does that matter??

The more brain power you are putting in to focusing on your form, the less you are allowing your body to simply flow which for many people takes away the joy of running and slows them down.

Focus on identifying your weak muscles or potential areas of injury and work on creating strength there instead of worrying so much about forefoot, mid-foot, long stride, short, stride, etc.

RESOLVING IMBALANCES
One of the more common things pointed out is either pronation at the feet or what’s called knee valgus, particularly in women runners, which results in runner’s knee, IT Band pain and other issues. Yes indeed this is another result of WEAK HIPS which is something I’m sure you’re quite tired of hearing me talk about.

In fact, I found that still have this during our visit to the Wingate Institute where a machine watched my movements in slow motion. Since this is so common, I actually addressed it in detail in this post on resolving IT Band. If you notice when lunging in front of a mirror that your knee is falling it at all or you’re having ITB issues check out this post >>

Knees and hips are the cornerstone of issues for most runners, so are there moves we should all be doing?

A couple of moves that will build strength and help us to see any imbalances include lots of stability. Do these in front of a mirror or with a trainer so you can spot when your knee is falling in!

• squat with band around knees and don’t let them fall in (see video example)
• training on unstable surfaces such as wobble board, wobble cushion in order to strengthen our proprioceptive control (in other words our subconscious will learn the RIGHT movement) 
• balancing on one leg and squatting while standing
• exercising the impact/ landing and push off/ power generation phases with plyometric exercises such as jumping and controlling our landing
• progress the jumping exercise by landing on something like a Bosu

Have you ever had your stride professionally analyzed?

Ever tried changing your stride?

READ MORE
ChiRunning vs Pose Method
Maximal vs Minimal Running Shoes
Hip Extension and Mobility for better stride

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