Hi,
I am a female recreational runner, not currently affiliated with a team, but looking to get my 5k time under 20 minutes (it is currently in the low 21s...). I recently saw a video of me running from last year, and my form is horrendous. Granted, it was near the end of a race, but the other runners around me looked a lot smoother and more efficient. I realized that I am probably expending more energy than necessary because my form, and that is slowing me down. It was hard to tell exactly what was going on from the short video, so I thought it might be wise to look elsewhere for form correction.
Are there running stores I can go to who will evaluate my form, and if so does it cost a lot? Should I start by filming myself on a treadmill? How exactly does one go about changing form? By now the way I run feels very natural, and if I'm going out for an hour, it's going to be a lot of mental energy to focus on making every stride correct. Do I just have to do that, or are there other techniques?
Also, just out of curiosity, does anyone have any success stories? I really feel like I've hit a training plateau and maybe this is the reason for that.
Thanks!