txRUNNERgirl
Here is the skinny on Pose. Pose is not a cult or some crazy theory. It is simply a way to improve your running biomechanics which in turn makes you a more efficient runner. Better biomechanics also means that you are less susceptible to injuries. Period. Running with Pose form does not guarantee that you will not get injured as injuries can be caused by a number of factors. However, the likelihood of getting injured is IMHO reduced.
A few years ago, I was constantly suffering from lower leg injuries. I always thought my biomechanics were fine and I had a friend videotape me. I could not believe how much I was heal striking. Shortly thereafter, I was introduced by a triathlete friend to an exercise physiology grad student who was doing a 4 month study with Dr. Romanov regarding Pose. They accepted me into the study and we met 1x/week for about 4mos. They did all kinds of tests before and after including VO2max, video taping, and a running form test where they attached these styrofoam balls to all your joints so that they could create a computerized model of your running form. During the 4 mos., I struggled in my change. Some people changed their running form almost instantly, but it took me the full 4 mos. Most of the people who changed quickly were fairly new to running. For me, I had to undergo a complete muscular re-education. I was clearly the last to catch on. At the end of the 4 mos., we did the testing again with the styrofoam balls and my form turned out to almost be perfect Pose.
So here comes the most important part. Since then, I have been relatively injury free, but not completely. I did do away with my orthodics and I went to a very neutral shoe. I do not wear flats as I like a more cushioned shoe. Before I used to wear a very technical shoe like the Asics Kayano. Now I generally run in a Nike Zoom Miler. I train in a flat on days where I am running above AT.
Do I think that Pose is some sort of huge breakthrough? No!!!
I think we all ran a Pose like form as we were young kids. If you watch little kids playing soccer on a field, they all run naturally with a Pose-like form. As we got older, we got lazy and somehow started running a little flatter.
I know there are alot of critics out there, but I am sure that none of them really understand Pose. However, if I was to tell you that improving your biomechanics would increase your running performance by 2%, you might be interested in learning more. For a 3hr marathoner, that is almost 4mins of improvement. For an 18min 5k, that is almost 22 secs. Something to think about.