The Biggest Mistake Runners Make When Trying to Run Faster

By Lauren Sok, PT, MPT | Owner, Functionize Health and Physical Therapy

One thing is certain in Dunwoody, runners can be found on every street, path, track, and trail throughout the city. To put it simply, Dunwoodians love to run! And for most of us that means we are often trying to run faster and get better at the sport we love. However as a physical therapist, I see many runners making the wrong mistakes by thinking that running faster equates to taking bigger steps. When I bust this myth, many of my clients are shocked because our natural instinct is to take larger steps as a way to keep up with the faster folks. When in reality, faster running means doing the exact opposite.

Here’s the deal: Taking larger steps leads to what we call overstriding (or landing out in front of your body) and does not make you faster. I’m here to tell you why!

Cadence Reduction: Overstriding typically results in a lower cadence, or step frequency. A higher cadence with shorter, quicker steps is often more efficient and helps maintain momentum, leading to better overall running performance.

Increased Ground Contact Time: Overstriding typically means that your foot lands farther in front of your center of gravity. This increases the time your foot spends on the ground, slowing down your overall cadence and reducing your speed.

Higher Impact Forces: Overstriding often results in a heel strike, which sends greater impact forces through your legs and body. This not only increases the risk of injury but also reduces the efficiency of your running form, as more energy is absorbed by your muscles and joints rather than being used to propel you forward.

Inefficient Energy Use: When you overstride, your body has to work harder to move forward. Often the knee lands in an extended positioning. This extended leg acts as a brake, requiring more energy to overcome the deceleration. This inefficiency can lead to faster fatigue and decreased performance.

Suboptimal Muscle Engagement: Proper running mechanics involve an optimal balance between stride length and cadence. Overstriding disrupts this balance, causing suboptimal muscle engagement. Your muscles and tendons are not able to store and release energy as effectively, reducing your running economy.

The take home: Overstriding leads to inefficient mechanics, higher impact forces, and less effective energy use, all of which can slow you down rather than make you faster. Maintaining an optimal stride length and cadence is key to improving running speed and efficiency.

Let us help you find your most efficient running form! Our team at Functionize Health in Dunwoody works with runners of all levels. We will not only help improve your running form, we can get you out of injuries and pain so you can achieve your best running days ahead. For a limited time, we are offering $99 running assessments with our physical therapists. This one hour video analysis checks out your running form and gives you immediate feedback and tips to improve it right away. All you need to do is reach out to schedule an appointment today: [email protected] or 404-907-4196. Be sure to mention this article to receive the discount!