Running economy

*note....(see previous comment)

Took your questionnaire.

The notion that it's *not* possible to judge running efficiency by looking at gross biomechanics seems totally at odds with the reality I live in. Try the following thought experiment:

Imagine the runners in an elite 10k or marathon (Olympics if you like) are asked to jog at 10min/mile pace. Imagine the range of running forms you might see. Lots of over-striding? High, wild arm swing? I think not. Mostly guys who look bored and hardly moving.

Now go to a local 5k and watch the finishers coming in at 30+ minutes (which was middle of the pack for the race I ran this morning). In this later group you'll see a *huge* variation in technique which will make the elite group seem like technique clones of each other in comparison.

Do folks really imagine those very, very clear gross biomechanical differences between those two groups are unrelated to their relative efficiencies (however you want to define it) at that pace? Seems unlikely to me. Of course if you're a d1 coach and only seeing the top 1% of runners of course the differences are going to be much smaller (and perhaps not usefully visible). And I'm not suggesting the 30 min 5k'er would benefit from mimicking elite technique (in many cases it would be morphologically impossible).

But to say it's not possible to look at technique and make an informed guess about efficiency across the total population of runners seems very myopic.

..and I took the survey and am various interested in the results...

Best of luck. Interesting idea.

Great comment. Thank you for keeping it classy. Your incite is refreshing.

Anyhow, your comments are exactly why I am gathering this information (among other reasons). Indeed, it may be impossible to judge economy through observation. However, the sheer number of running styles one can see on a daily basis at least merits some consideration as to how each style relates to economy. Just a simple question. We'll see if there is a reasonable explanation.

Thanks again.

Cool idea; hope it works out for you.

Completed the questionnaire.

Research has been extensively done by Dr. McGreggor and Dr. Kram and many others. A simple search pubmed will give you many studies trying to identify certain kinematic characteristics that produce better RE. Anyone who routinely measures RE knows that athletes with visually terrible form can have good running economy and vice versa.

Doc, thanks for keeping it civil!

Hey, there. Thank you for the comment. I Know of each of these authors and Dr. Kram recently posted a comment/discussion concerning arm movement and running performance that generated some good...debate?

Dr. Kram has produced some quality work. I was surprised he ruffled so many feathers with that post. However, unfortunately, the typical LetsRun.com response is negative and bias toward individual opinion/experience.

Your comment, on the other hand, is not offensive, negative, or bias. Your suggestion of researching both Dr. McGreggor and Kram is appreciated (though I have already done so many times).

I certainly agree with you about the degree of variance seen in runners of both good and bad fitness.

However, (you should refer to a few of the other longer posts and my replies to them), my goal is to see if any major trends exist (eventually; this research alone will not answer this) and if they do, recommend them to others. If none exist, then great...maybe?

Hopefully something worthwhile can be found that can help the casual runner get better without a great effort.

We also want to see if the kinematic (as you put it), characteristics mentioned in the research are similar to the characteristics coaches/experienced runners mention as important for achieving optimal running economy (if there is a such thing). As mentioned previously, the videos are a vehicle for achieving this.

Anyhow, the long-term goal of this project is to take some of the concepts found in the laboratory (of which many runners seem to be opposed to trusting...based on the responses to Dr. Kram's most recent post) and see how they stack up to what is being recommended and/or observed in the field.

That may or may not address your comment appropriately, so please email or post another comment if you would like further clarification.

Thanks again!

*Biased

Things that I think are important for good running efficiency:

Low body fat obviously

Good range of movement in the feet and ankles.

Plenty of endurance work, speed endurance work and pure speed work.

Good core strength.

Keeping the hands and wrists loose and not rigid or closed in a fist.

Comfortable, light and flexible shoes that allow easy landing, foot plant and push off.

High degree of muscle throughout the body stiffness during the stance phase and relaxation of the body during the flight phase.

Head up, shoulders back, torso upright or slightly leaning, with no slouching.