D3_Nuts wrote:
Too many people get caught up in body types or weight. If the focus is running, her running will produce the physiological adaptations it needs. I don't look at body types, I look at structure, tone, and leanness around the ankle and from shoulder to shoulder through the neck line. If those areas are fine, the athlete will be fine. Lean body mass is lean body mass, running economy is running economy, and vo2 kinetics are vo2 kinetics. If you are training right all those things fall into place. Yes, females go through other biological changes which change gait and if Mary is experiencing this she will still be fine, but it may take some time.
Al Sal changed her form and while it may look better in real-time, she actually looked better as a freshman and sophomore if you watch in slow-motion. She's a lot tighter now, where she used to be much more elastic.
As for where to look for leanness...the cheeks. Both sets of them. That will tell you what you need to know.