Form guide
Like our feet, our running form doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. My race results have improved as my technique has improved, becoming more natural and efficient, while I’m injured less often. ‘ Most injuries can be traced back to bad technique,’ says Benzie, also a technique geek I’ve been lucky to work with for several years. Surprisingly, a lot of what he’s done to improve my form happens when I’m not running: one of his key lessons is that no-one with bad everyday posture snaps magically into brilliant running form when they lace up their running shoes. ‘ Dynamic movement is largely about posture,’ says Benzie. ‘ That posture is always going to be an extension of our everyday posture – how we sit, stand and walk. So even when we aren’t running, we can be creating a posture ideally suited for propulsion.’
If we have correct alignment in our posture, our skeleton will take the weight of our body. ‘ If we don’t have our body in correct alignment, our muscles have to act as scaffolding to hold us up, rather than working to propel us, which stresses and fatigues our muscles unnecessarily’ says Benzie. ‘To run with good posture, we must build that good posture from our everyday life.’
Posture is especially important for those of us who spend much of the average day seated. ‘ Sitting isn’t ideal, but for many it’s unavoidable,’ says Benzie. The best way to sit is with a lengthened spine – think yourself tall – and neutral/ level pelvis, with your feet f lat on the ground and screen at eye level. ‘ The human head weighs 12lb and for every inch it moves forward it weighs another 10lb. Many of us spend our working day with our heads placing a 42lb weight on our spine.’
Thankfully, you can restyle your own posture pretty effectively. ‘ The fascial system responsible for the elasticity in our body is never more than seven months old,’ says Benzie.
Opening pages: Damian during the Scafell Sky Race. This spread (left to right): the Ice Ultra, in Sweden; the Lavaredo Ultra Trail, in Italy
‘ It’s constantly rejuvenating and as it does this it will re-architect, based on how it was broken down. Similarly, around 10 per cent of our bones remodel each year. This is really exciting, as it means we are basically as good as our last seven months, so we can make amazing changes to both static and dynamic posture.’
Even the best intentioned won’t sit all day with perfect form. ‘ Try to remember to realign every 20 minutes or so,’ advises Benzie. Set a reminder on a watch, act ivit y t racker or smartphone app.