Great points coach d.
I am not necessarily addressing your points, but just chose your post to reply on.
This is something I have thought of before too. So if an elite at marathon pace is running for example at 4:50 min/mi and we agree this is the slowes pace at the elite running level, marathon pace. At this pace a person can strike with more of a mid-foot to heel strike and get away with it. But he's still running 4:50 pace!
But to run at an elite 5K level and put in 4:20 miles an elite has to come up more on the forefoot area at this faster pace.
Well, for all of those individuals out there who are racing at say 6:00 min/mi pace, is there really a reason the average person needs to worry about coming up on their forefoot when running this pace? Because the 4:50 pace runner is running at a much higher velocity but doesn't do it.
So perhaps you are spot on in recommended strides, drills, hill sprints, etc., (or even some of the Pose drills perhaps serve value in similar means by aiding form development) as helping support good running mechanics, but let your running mechanics fall naturally and not forced. But regardless of the method of form development it appears from those elites who do hit mid-foot to heel, it also means not necessarily everyone has to be, or should be a forefoot, up-on-the-toes striker. An elite obviously doesn't have to be to run at 4:50 pace, so it would seem less likely that an 8:00 min/mi racer should be as his speed doesn't warrant those mechanics of the 4:20 pace guy.