Lateral Width of Stride

Form Question wrote: Is this even a problem I should be focusing on?

No.

Some would argue it's a good thing and people should be trying to run on a tightrope like you are.

I do not pretend to be any sort of expert on human running form. However, in dogs it is understood that an efficient trotting gait involves "single tracking", where the inner edges of both the left and right feet touch or nearly touch an imaginary center line. It makes sense that the same thing should hold for humans--to be most efficient, you want to push off almost directly under your center of gravity, and not be hopping from side to side.

amkelley wrote:

I do not pretend to be any sort of expert on human running form. However, in dogs it is understood that an efficient trotting gait involves "single tracking", where the inner edges of both the left and right feet touch or nearly touch an imaginary center line. It makes sense that the same thing should hold for humans--to be most efficient, you want to push off almost directly under your center of gravity, and not be hopping from side to side.

I wouldn't put a hard limit on where people should land relative to an imaginary centerline, but it is true that correct running form for people also follows this pattern generally.

If somebody didn't, I would examine what is causing the issue. But anybody who runs a fair bit of mileage will naturally gravitate towards this. It would be very difficult to accidentally hop side to side while running, which is what would be required to have this effect.

It's funny, discovery Channel shows about primates actually have pretty good animations of this, since our hips evolved relative to other primates to rotate and allow us to "centerline track" like this.

Take a look at Kipchoge. He runs like there's a brick between his feet, his feet land at least 3 inches apart, horizontal-wise (and his lower legs torque like crazy thanks to those 4% shoes, you'll see).

These are all good points, thanks for the input. I have thought about how landing under your center of gravity may be more efficient a la center tracking. However the last point about Kipchoge is what sparked my initial interest. When I look pro runners, it seems they run less on a tight rope. It is most prevalent when you look at the upper portion of their legs right at their hips. Instead of their thighs coming down over top of each other at sharp angle, they seem to be striking straight through. This makes it seem like their hips are wider and they run in a more fluid motion rather than on top of themselves (almost like restricting your own motion). Any ideas on this line of thinking?

Form Question wrote:

Hey everyone, I’m looking for a bit of advice on a form “problem” I’ve self identified. When I run, I tend to step over myself; that is my right foot lands to the left of where it would if I were simply standing (that is in the middle of my body) and and my left foot does the same. I essentially run on a tight rope of sorts.

Coolstorybro.

Form Question wrote:

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to fix this?

You don't.

Form Question wrote:Flexibility/mobility or strengthening focus on where?

Nowhere.

Form Question wrote:Simply thinking about it more when I run to practice?

How about RUNNING more.

Form Question wrote:Is this even a problem I should be focusing on?

No.

Form Question wrote:

Thanks!

You're welcome.

Form Question wrote:

When I run, I tend to step over myself; that is my right foot lands to the left of where it would if I were simply standing (that is in the middle of my body) and and my left foot does the same. I essentially run on a tight rope of sorts.

it's called crossover gait and whether it is a problem depends on what you are doing. if you are jogging 23 miles a week in training for a 4-hour marathon then forget it and concentrate on the basics. if you are wearing the wrong running shoes or you do track sessions it can be a problem because crossover gait encourages landing on the outside of your fore foot which develops painful bunions which discourage training or racing in spikes so your times suffer and you give up because putting your shoes on is painful.

the problem is caused by bad posture, weak core, and weak ITB.

assuming you have had no posture damaging injuries like a broken leg or broken collar bone or shoulder, to fix the issue you need to do three things.

1) foam roll the entire upper leg on a regular basis. every day after training if possible. front, back, and all down the outside. if you've not done this before it will hurt at first but persevere and it gets better.

2) work on your core. the ITB is anchored in your core but if this is like sponge cake then when the ITB yanks on it nothing happens. you need a solid core to anchor the top end of your ITB.

3) work on your posture. on a treadmill, at a moderate pace, something faster than easy but not as fast as Tempo. look in the mirror and make sure your head is up and your shoulders are level. hold your hips forward. imagine your hip girdle is a bucket of water. you don't want to tip it forward and have water flop out the front, and you don't want to tip it back and water slop out the back, but hold it level so the water stays in the bucket. concentrate on holding this good position for a few minutes at a time and over time work on extending the run to around 3 or 4 miles if you can bear to run on a treadmill that long. do not think about foot placement. think about hip control and posture and let foot placement take care of itself. this will activate your glutes and your lower core muscles, which then pull on your ITB which yanks your knees out and solves your problem.

there is not a quick fix for this, it will take time, but it can be done.

Cheers.