Running Posture

Sunday, April 20, 2014 · Mike Davis

Good morning and Happy Easter! Christ has Risen! Because today is a day of celebration and remembrance, I am going to repost an email that I sent out a few days to our 10K group. This is also nothing new to most of you as I have talked about posture many times, but I feel that it is quite important to stress the importance of running posture often. Here you go... As I have talked about many times, a strong core is a critical component for health running, but there's another factor that is often overlooked. I feel like I have a fairly strong core thanks to a routine that has a lot of core exercises, but it is very easy to waist all that hard work if I don't pay attention to my posture. My strong core doesn't necessarily guarantee proper posture and proper posture is critcal too healthy running. Don't stop doing those planks! Posture is a neurologic function, meaning we have a choice. When I'm tired and lazy I tend to slouch while walking, sitting or running and as I said, I have a pretty strong core. When I work with runners they often get caught up with how to improve their running posture and I tell them the simple way is to focus on your posture when they are not running! How are posture is when we walk, sit and stand is pretty much how our posture will be as we get tired when we run. Align your hips, knees, feet and back of your head when you stand or walk and feel your core lengthening and I mean feel it. Knowing how that feels is critical to correcting ourselves when we get tired or lazy. Practice, practice and practice. Combining a strong core with an awareness will enable you to improve your posture and control your body. Have a great day! Mike