For a lot of us, the winter months consists of cozying up warm with your loved one, drinking copious amounts of hot chocolate, and staying indoors. But, that’s not you, right?! The winter months mean pushing your limits in the extreme weather, and one of the best ways to do this is to go running, because you can feel the burn a lot more with those eternally dipping temperatures. But so many of us don’t run properly, and we could be putting a lot of pressure on our joints. So, with the marathon season slowly rearing its head, how do you really run?

Get Your Form Right
So many of us think that is just about getting our feet moving, putting one in front of the other. But it’s more about getting that form right. You need to repeat the motion as much as you can until it’s fully ingrained in your nervous system. The way to do it is to make sure that the foot strikes the surface with the ball of the foot, nowhere else. Keep your toes pointing forwards. Make sure that the heel is not touching the ground, and when you land your foot, it’s got to be light, not heavy. It’s all about gracefully gliding.

Avoiding Injury
As well as making sure you use your feet correctly, a little bit of knowledge on biomechanics does come in handy. You need to think about your leg working in a circular motion from the hip joint. The thigh moves forward, and the hips and waist need to be steady, this means no side to side moving. Keep your back straight. And remember, it’s about making sure that you are running in proper footwear. Because people believe that running is a very simple idea, people don’t always think about getting the best items to keep them comfortable while moving. This includes chafing tape, as well as sports insoles so that there is a bit of cushion between you and the shoe, especially if you are working on correcting your technique. If you don’t have proper technique, you are going to gradually wear down your joints, so you won’t be running for very long.

Correcting Your Bad Technique
It’s not just the movement part that you need to consider, it’s the psychological expect also. Take inspiration from athletes you admire, and look at their form and technique, but also, it benefits everyone to get some handy visualization techniques going. This may feel a bit strange to begin with, but every sportsperson does it. Picture yourself running with proper form, and keep that vision firmly in your mind, and it will be a mental picture you can take through your practice.

With marathon season coming up, you see more and more people get out into the sunshine, working their bodies to the limit. But if you haven’t got proper form, you could be setting yourself up for some damage, and you won’t be doing yourself any justice. Whenever we go to the gym, personal trainers emphasize proper form before the amount of reps or miles you do, and in running, this isn’t any different!