It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing

Doo wop doo wop...

Anyway, this post is about an issue that has haunted me since I first started running about 5 years ago. I've kind of put it on the back burner for a while, every so often making a feeble attempt to correct it. But after a string of recent race photos, there's no denying it.

My form sucks. A lot.

The main problem is my arms. They're supposed to be at 90 degrees and swing forward and backward, propelling you forward (duh, right?). But for some reason, I just can't do that. Here's a good example of what I'm dealing with:

Take the Lake 5k, Wakefield

This photo is from the Take the Lake 5k in Wakefield in July. It was taken on the finishing stretch, a section of the race where I usually try to polish my form so I can kick effectively. And this was my result. Yikes. Twisty.

I was showing my dad some photos from the Yankee Homecoming 10 miler on August 2nd and August 7th's Rock n Roll Providence Half Marathon and his first reaction was to comment on my form. He listed the three main problems that I already know about.

1. My arms cross over the center of my body. Big no-no.
2. I lean back a lot. When running, you're supposed to have a slight forward lean.
3. My posture is really tense. I hold my arms too high.

The following picture is the one he was looking at when he made those observations. I don't blame him, to tell you the truth. Granted I was approaching the final 150 meters or so of a 10 mile race and was scaling a slight hill, but still. Come on. Yay mixing metric and English measurements! <-- science nerd.

Yankee Homecoming 10M, Newburyport

Anyway, running form is a hot debate in the running community these days. Analysis of elites reveals that many have similar strides and run with "correct" form (except for anomalies like Paula Radcliffe). Having good form has many benefits. You expend less energy, you maintain proper mechanics, and most importantly, you look like a real runner. 

They say appearances aren't everything, but I think about the way I look running a lot. I don't have the body type of many talented runners (I'm not talking about just muscle-fat ratio). I don't have the chiseled legs or washboard abs. I don't know if I ever will, to be honest, no matter how much I run. But what I do know is that fixing my form will help me be faster.

Falmouth Road Race

Running is still mostly about having fun and achieving what I never thought possible. If, even a couple years ago, you'd told me I'd run 2+ half marathons in 2011, I'd have laughed at you. If you'd told me I'd join Sisu Project and feel at home, I'd have denied it. If you told me I'd train for even longer races...

But the thing is, now that I've done all those things, I want to know where else I can go. Could I someday be a real competitor if I work hard enough at it? Could I be an asset to my team? I feel like my form is holding me back. It only improves when I'm concentrating on nothing but holding my arms correctly, etc. It's really frustrating.

I promise the next post will be more positive/fun to read/not as self-pitying.

Rock n Roll Providence Half Marathon

Here, I'll start of the positivity. The picture to the left is actually not too terrible (although I'm still kind of twisty...)