April 2011

[Sweder]

It's not easy running self-consciously though.

Aye, and there's the rub. I tried this to some extent in Connemara. When tired my body resets to the default slouch, making running inefficient and painful. I had to consciously think of the McDougall mantra of straight back, feet below body (and no further forward), arms bent and held high, shorter, lighter tread. As the race wore on this was summarised by one run thought: upright stance. It worked, but as you say, to analayse one's style as one runs is tough at the best of times.

I caught up with Mike Bannister, a quality middle distance runner and member of the Hove ParkRun (pb around 18 minutes), recently. He was interested in my barefoot experiences and announced he was working with the Alexander Technique to improve his running style and avoid injuries similar to those we're talking about. Curiously, having followed an entirely different path, the conclusion we came to is we're aiming for remarkably similar, Tamahumara-style action; upright, shorter stride, more balance.