There are two major issues I had with my running form which were both relatively simple to correct. The first was that I tried to take big steps, which led to tiring myself out and shaking up my insides.
The natural assumption is that, when running you should take big steps. There are various reasons for this ranging from efficiency to "I saw it on TV". I'm here to tell you that this is wrong, and that in fact it is not efficient and that you can cause damage to your joints as well as cause shin splints by taking big strides. Personally, I run with a quick, small stride. There are two reasons for this:
First: I can land more or less flat footed, or slightly toward the front of my foot to cushion my landing, this prevents the huge shockwave my body has to absorb when running with a larger, heel-landing step.
Second: It is more efficient. When you see people run with huge steps landing on their heels, they are actually bouncing their entire body up and down to keep with this running style. They actually have hangtime with this gait, which is something I have more or less eliminated with a sort of "shuffle" that I do.
You don't have to take my word for it: Through the 80's in Australia was held an annual Ultramarathon event: The Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon. This event was a 544 mile run from Sydney to Melbourne. The first year this event was held, in 1983, it was won by Cliff Young, a 61-year old farmer with no previous competitive running experience. His running style, which is similar to the one that I employ, has garnered its own name: The Young Shuffle.
Not that I am going to be running any ultramarathons any time soon, but it is proven to use less energy than a bouncy run, and is better for your joints as well, as there is less shock through your body.
