The 2024 London Marathon delivered exciting results, including a new women’s-only world record by Peres Jepchirchir, who beat current world record holder Tigst Assefa. On the men’s side, Kenenisa Bekele set a new men’s masters world record while coming in second to Alexander Mutiso Munyao. Elite Men I had a videographer at mile 21 on ... Read more The post London Marathon 2024–Bekele, Munyao, Jepchirchir, and Assefa Running Form Analysis appeared first on The Balanced Runner ..read more

Running injuries usually involve inflammation, right? Over our years working one-to-one with clients we’ve found that injured runners often make mistakes in dealing with that inflammation in their efforts to avoid pain and heal more quickly. One of the most common mistakes is to take NSAIDs (non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen, naprosin, acetaminophen, or ... Read more The post Are you taking Ibuprofen? The truth about inflammation for runners. appeared first on The Balanced Runner ..read more

The back of your ankle is sore to the touch, you hobble in your first few steps after sitting, and maybe your achilles tendon hurts when you run too. Back when I had this problem as a young dancer, I felt like a small mouse had sunk its teeth into each of my achilles and was hanging on there ... Read more The post How to Fix Achilles Tendinitis, Tendinosis, or Tendinopathy appeared first on The Balanced Runner ..read more

In my previous posts on The Balanced Runner Keys I started with the feet and worked my way up through the legs, torso, and arms. Today we reach the head, which may seem remote from the main business of running. But how you hold your head when you run in fact determines your ability to ... Read more The post How to Hold Your Head When You Run | The Balanced Runner Keys Series appeared first on The Balanced Runner ..read more

On September 24, 2023, Tigst Assefa flew through the Brandenburg Gate towards the finish line of the Berlin marathon, startlingly fast even at a glance; stunningly fast according to the clock. How? I can’t speak to all the factors involved in her performance. However I can speak to her running form and what it suggests. ... Read more The post Tigst Assefa Berlin Marathon 2023 World Record Running Form Analysis appeared first on The Balanced Runner ..read more

How you should swing your arms tends to be an afterthought when running. You probably think of things like footstrike, core, posture, cadence, and so forth instead. That’s a mistake, since your running form is a whole-body cycle of events driven by your relationship to gravity. And in gravity, the higher up in your body ... Read more The post How You Should Swing Your Arms When Running | The Balanced Runner Keys Series appeared first on The Balanced Runner ..read more

This post was originally written for International Barefoot Running Day, May 6, 2014. Happy Barefoot Running Day! As long-term readers of this blog will know, I run barefoot most of the time but help runners run comfortably in whatever footwear they prefer. The main reason I run barefoot is the enormous pleasure it gives me ... Read more The post Barefoot Running: All Running Form is Good Running Form appeared first on The Balanced Runner ..read more

If you’ve given even a moment’s thought to your running form in the past two decades, it was probably either to your footstrike or to your core.  My previous two posts in this series on The Balanced Runner Keys addressed the issue of footstrike; now it’s time to talk about core stability and running. The ... Read more The post The Balanced Runner Keys Series: Core Stability and Running–Get Your Core in Action! appeared first on The Balanced Runner ..read more

In my previous post in this series I explained how our footstrike obsession interferes with developing better running form and why we must move beyond it. The Balanced Runner Key #2, land with a supple leg, which was the focus of that post, is one alternative sensation that will lead you towards optimizing your footstrike ... Read more The post The Balanced Runner Keys Series: Align Your Foot Below Your Hip in Midstance appeared first on The Balanced Runner ..read more

For years – since roughly 2004, in fact – I’ve been telling people to avoid heelstriking and overstriding, and instead to aim for a midfoot/forefoot footstrike underneath you. In many quarters this is considered to be the very heart of good running form, especially since Daniel Lieberman’s well-known research supports it. For a quick overview ... Read more The post Balanced Runner Keys Series: Land with a Supple Leg to Optimize Your Footstrike appeared first on The Balanced Runner ..read more