Back to Basics: Posture


I have started an eight-week training block to run a faster 10K (6.2 miles). Toward the end of my marathon training cycle, I noticed that my running posture was not as good as it could be. During the taper, I realized that I was not “running tall.” With only a few weeks left before the race, I decided not to change anything with my form, and I promised to take a closer look in my next training block.

In this block, I started right away by evaluating my form and taking cues from my IT (iliotibial) band issues from the marathon. I knew that I needed to work on driving my hips forward. My natural running position is “back in the saddle,” I knew I needed to push forward to engage my core. While driving my hips forward, I found myself running taller. Here is the progression from the week.

Monday, May 29

3 Mile (4.8 km) Recovery Run

I needed to keep reminding myself to push my hips forward and run tall.

Tuesday, May 30

5 Mile (8 km) Run with 2 Miles (3.2 km) at 10 km Pace

I decided to run odd miles easy and even miles at my race pace. This alternating gave me mental check-in points to make corrections to my form.

Wednesday, May 31

3 Mile Base Run

Similar to Monday, I needed a little less reminding.

Thursday, June 1

6x 400m Intervals

Thursday was an interval run day. I was impressed with my running dynamics during the intervals.

Friday, June 2

3 Mile Base Run

I was finally getting the hang of running with better form.

Saturday, June 3

6 Mile (9.7 km) Long Run

I was reminded that six miles is twice as long as three miles. While I utilized better form throughout the run, it was more challenging to maintain the last three miles.

Sunday, June 4

3 Mile Recovery Run

My form naturally gravitated to hips forward and running tall. Even during the times when I needed to slow my pace to keep my heart rate in Z1 (zone 1)

Monday, June 5

5 Mile Run with 2 Miles at 10 km Pace

I ran 2.5 miles (4 km) as a warmup out on the trail. Then I ran 2 miles back uphill at pace and finished with a 0.5 mile (0.8 km) cooldown. Once again, hips forward and running tall felt natural. 

Overall, running with hips forward and running tall feels smoother and more powerful. I will need to keep checking my form week-to-week to ensure that I keep running as efficiently as possible.

What adjustments are you making as you prepare for your next training block? Please share in the comments below.


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