We runners generally have a terrible form and commit the four major ‘S’ transgressions -- slouching, swaying, shuffling and splaying. Most runners often slouch, let their head droop and move with their shoulders hunched.
The simplest fix for this problem, is to gaze straight ahead, eyes scanning the horizon, which may prove to be a trifle difficult, given the numerous hazards and distractions on the roads. Runners, who have access to a treadmill, can observe their running form in the mirror and make subtle corrections to their posture by observing their reflections in a mirror. For this, the selection of the right type of treadmill is important too. Sadly, most treadmills come with bulky monitors, which obscure the view of the runner’s lower body. However, it is possible to locate a few treadmills fitted with sleek dashboards, thereby permitting the runner to observe, study and correct their stride.
While running on a treadmill, make eye contact with your reflection. Make sure your head is relatively still and not bobbing to either side. The neck should be relaxed, shoulders straight with chest open to facilitate free breathing. Your hands should be relaxed, bent at about 90 degrees at the elbow and shoulder. They should swing straight, back and forth and never across the chest. Fists should be lightly clenched, as though holding a couple of flowers.
Now, lower your gaze to the torso. The core should remain vertical and the hips should be stable without swaying from side to side. Imagine the hips to be the bows of a ship. Swaying from side to side would cause the ship to drift off course. Similarly, swaying your hips will result in your energy being wasted and furthermore, the instability of the core can cause injuries to your spine. The runner can gradually stabilise and eliminate the sway of the hips, by focusing on this aspect while running on a treadmill.
Legs and feet should move forward and back, parallel to the axis of travel. It is common to see runners with their feet pointing out or with the ‘splayed feet’ gait. Running with the feet splayed, can result in groin injuries.
A runner’s ideal stride should see the foot land near the ball of the foot, with the weight immediately transferred to the heel, and rolled onto the toe and spring away. The rhythm should be ‘ball, heel, toe’. Runners tend to shuffle when they are exhausted and lose their rhythm. The sound of the foot landing on the belt of the treadmill, should be rhythmic, not jarring and never a shuffle.
Treadmill running is invaluable for interval training. A typical workout, comprising of a four-km goal pace, can be easily and accurately performed on a treadmill. Speed intervals 4x100 metres stride can be difficult to execute on an open road. Whereas in a controlled environment with a treadmill, this speed interval can be satisfactorily performed.
Strength training involves running over rolling hills, a terrain not available in most metros in India. The treadmill offers inclines, and therefore, makes it possible to simulate rolling hills, at least to some extent.
There are high-speed treadmills with open architecture, but these machines are quite expensive. Such machines are generally used for determining an athlete’s lactate threshold levels, VO2 max-reading, and thereby determine the optimum heart rate zone at which the athlete should train and race. Most recreational runners either don’t use heart rate monitors or shelve their heart rate monitors as an unnecessary accessory. But runners, striving for top form, may want to pay attention to their heart rate zones too, which they can arrive at after conducting tests while running on a treadmill.
