Running with pain in your knees, hips, and/or back can make you want give up running. But what if you changed one thing while running that could possibly make the pain go away. That one thing might be changing how your feet are landing. If you are a runner who is considering changing the way your feet land while running, this blog might be helpful. Scientific research lately has been finding similar results that basically advocate for a mid-foot landing while running. The synopsis of if their findings is the least amount of impact to the legs and body are recorded with a soft, bent knee and landing with the legs underneath the body. Runners who experience knee, hip, and back issues might find these types of discomfort become a thing of the past if they changed the way their feet land. It is not uncommon for people with history of such ailments attending a ChiRunning workshop to express they are not experiencing any discomfort while learning to be mindful with their stride placement.

So how does one go about changing their stride pattern?  It should be a gradual process and done with a mindful approach.

The first thing is becoming accustomed to where your feet are in comparison to your body. I know this might sound funny at first but do you know when your feet are directly underneath you?  If you have not been practicing mindful movement it might take some time to feel it. The best way while standing in good running form is to pick up your feet by lifting your ankles up and then relax letting them return to the ground. Repeat this until it becomes ingrained into your muscle memory. Next run in place again by just lifting your ankles and allowing them to return on their own. Key things here are to not push off the ground and your knees stay facing down when they bend. Feel the connection to your upper body by connecting ankles, hips, and shoulders every time your foot returns to the ground. Again, add this feeling to your muscle memory.  Once you are sure you have it committed, begin moving forward, not changing anything but adding a slight lean from your relaxed ankles. Now feel for your feet so as to keep them landing underneath your body. Do not let your stride open up in front of your body. You should feel your feet landing underneath your hips.  If you’re unsure, go back to running in place. Once you have the feel try moving forward again. You will probably have to repeat this several times if running with a mid-foot stride is new to you. I find most clients who are new to this stride pattern will start with the shorter stride but will gradually return to their former stride if they are not persistent in what they are doing. So, when practicing developing the mid-foot stride, occasionally returning to running in place for a check in is recommended several times during your run. Eventually you will be able to tell when your feet are in line or sneaking back out in front.

Several other checks you can do are never swinging your feet in front of your knees or when you glance down you should never see your shin.

While the above are just a few steps to learn how to change your stride pattern, I strongly recommend that you have a video analysis of your running form from time to time to see if you are making progress. ChiRunning instructors are able to do this and most of the time they are included in a workshop. If you went to a doctor and said it hurts when I do this he would tell stop doing it. So, doesn't it make sense to adjust the way you’re moving so that you run for the rest of your life pain free?