Stricken by guilt, and weighed down by a fully-laden stomach, I awoke Christmas morning with an unshakable urge to get out there and run. Thankfully, my subsequent efforts made short work of my shame and bloated stomach. The most interesting feature of the experience, however, was not the initial and distinctive feeling of being a total freak for donning my running shoes on Christmas morning in the first place, but rather the fact that, as things transpired, I was anything but a fanatical fitness freak. Indeed, I was far from alone out there on that promenade.

To my pleasant surprise, the pavements were actually teeming with runners, joggers and power walkers. I couldn’t help but ponder the progress we appear to be making in terms of the development of a culture for physical activity. Yes, we still rank abysmally in European inactivity statistics, but not everyone is sitting idly by. If our picturesque promenades can sport this many fitness enthusiasts on as unlikely a day as Christmas, then the forecast for a physically active nation is certainly looking bright for this new year and others to come.

Following in the footsteps of the Christmas day crusaders, we can quite literally, ‘run in’ the new year. If you try absolutely nothing else next year for the advancement of your health and fitness, then why not have a go at one of the simplest and most accessible classical physical activities ever? If you would like to give running a go, then the only specialised bit of kit you’ll need is a good pair of running shoes. Combine this with a few good tips from an experienced runner or fitness professional, and you could be up and running with a reliable regimen that provides you with years of enjoyable and trouble-free fitness.

One of the most beautiful aspects of running is its natural simplicity. Anyone can do it. Indeed, our bodies are practically designed to be able to do it. This can sometimes have the adverse result nowadays of leading us to believe that running technique is not that important, or just “comes naturally”. Yes, it should, but spending most of our lives sitting down, developing poor postural habits, and not running plentifully throughout childhood, adolescence and adulthood is distinctly unnatural from the perspective of functional human ability, and duly interfere with our ability to run safely and effectively. So while it is far from complicated, there are a few important considerations to keep in mind.

Run tall, and consciously think about maintaining alignment

Like any other physical activity, if it’s worth doing, then it’s worth doing correctly. Performing too much of anything can cause more harm than good, and more so if you’re doing it incorrectly. Safe technique essentially ensures you are using the right muscles in the right way, improving performance and avoiding placing undue stress on the wrong parts of the body, reducing your risk of injury. Let’s go through the basics first, and if you really want to take your running seriously, we’ll even see how to run a relatively thorough set of diagnostics on the finer details of your style.

First, focus on your overall posture; don’t slouch, stand tall, be proud. This counts as much for your running technique as it does the rest of the time. Keep your arms relaxed and swinging by your sides. Don’t clench your fists hard, as this will create tension throughout the arms and upper body.

Second, consider efficiency in all your movements. There is no need to jump excessively high with each step, or allow any movement in the body other than that required to propel you forwards. Keep reminding yourself to deliberately relax and breathe. Third, think of foot contact with the ground. We used to say, ‘heel-to-toe’ foot action is best, but now we know this to be false. Aim to strike the ground with each step with the middle of the foot, not the heel. The contact should also occur under your body, not ahead of it.

To check you’ve got all this down, you can run some simple tests with nothing but a camera phone and access to a treadmill. If you can’t get someone else to film you, then position your phone on a stable surface at about hip height, first directly from behind, and then directly from the side. In both instances make sure your whole body shows from head to toe.

From the rear view, look at the spine and imagine a straight line running up and down it. The line should be perfectly vertical, and if you extend it up through the head and down through the floor, all your body parts should aligned with it.

Is the head offset to either side? Does any individual foot land closer to it than the other? Look also at the shoulders, are they level, or is one shoulder higher than the other? Is one elbow moving further away from the body than the other? Look at the feet as they turn over, or in other words, as the heel rises and the soles of your shoes become visible, are your feet close to vertical?

Does one foot angle outwards more dramatically than the other? Run tall, and consciously think about maintaining alignment. From the side view we need to see a slight inclination of the body forwards, and check that mid-foot ground contact under the body’s centre of mass.

If you’re heel-striking, practise landing on the mid-foot instead, if you’re bending at the waist, drive the hips forwards and focus on inclining the whole body forwards, and not just the upper body.

matthewmuscatinglott@gmail.com