Today, I did a bit of running gait analysis on the treadmill 🏃🏻

As an athlete, I always look for opportunities to grow and hone my “craft”. I’ve been a runner for many years now and I’m still trying to refine my running form.

As a flat-footed runner, my tendency is to over-pronate. This means that my feet roll inward as they make contact with the ground. This sounds problematic right? This can certainly lead to injuries overtime if not addressed and accounted for. For this reason, I opt for running shoes that have motion control and arch support to limit overpronation.

There is mixed research on foot strike; i.e. Which part of our feet should strike the ground first?

It’s tricky to give advice on this but most coaches believe in mid- to forefoot strike to reduce impact on your joints, activate the proper leg muscles and lower your risks for knee injuries. However, every runner is anatomically different and therefore needs their own personalized coaching on foot strike.

It’s more important to focus on not over striding, maintaining spinal alignment, and optimizing stride frequency.

Remember to keep your shoulders relaxed, arms naturally swinging front to back (not side to side) at 90 degrees, and core engaged along with your glutes to maintain stability and balance.