Better Way: Running

I've been asking myself "Is there a better way?" in almost every aspect of my life.

About a month ago, I thought about how so many people around me are running half/full marathons. For me, I never really had any interest in running such long distances (nevertheless pay to run...), but I want to know that I could if I HAD to.

It all started before middle school, I was always the shortest kid in the class. In my best attempts to keep up with my peers, I ran with "long" strides. This worked well enough to not complain about my performance. I retired from running after middle school, but I continued to use longer strides as I didn't really grow in height till very late. I wasn't above 5 foot tall till after senior year in high school and weighed less than 100 pounds going into college.

So, I continued running with the same form as I learned as a child. This led to shin splints. This made running less enjoyable.

So I told myself, "There must be a better way."

I did a quick search on proper running form and turns out I was running ineffectively. The past month or so, I've been slowly adopting better form. It's not as easy as just doing it because I'm building up strength in muscles I didn't use before. Killing bad habits is not easy as well. Though, it's definitely more pleasant running without spin splints.

Things I'm working on:
Leaning forward from the ankles
Have a higher stance (higher chest)
Smaller strides
Faster cadence (increase to 180 steps/minute)
Breathing

Here's a running drill video that I thought was good to watch:

There was a better way. Even though I had been running my entire life, there was so much to improve on. I wish I knew earlier, but there is no better time to improve than now.