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When I am teaching a class, my ratio of cuing movement changes to nagging about technique and body alignment is about 1:5. Looking out over my participants and noticing poor alignment or unsafe technique usually dictates the points I nag about bring up. But even working out on my own, I tend to hear the same nagging voice in my head, reminding me to: lengthen my spine, or pull in my abs, or soften my knees, etc. While running, I use that nagging voice in my head to examine my stride and make adjustments that might make my run less painful me more efficient. Here's what I do...
Feet: I won't even address the debate of heel strike or ball strike - so strike aside... am I putting my feet down softly or am I literally "pounding" the pavement? If I can hear my foot plant, I tell myself it's too much and try to lighten it up. Are my toes and knees aligned and pointing straight ahead? I found running on a treadmill helped me learn to put my feet down in a more straight and even manner as opposed to kind of weaving my way down the sidewalk.
Belly: Just as this is a huge
Shoulders: Like most people, my shoulders seem to climb up as I work hard. I deliberately lift them up, roll them back, and then down and think about trying to keep them there. Visualizing trying to put my shoulder blades down into my back pockets and creating some length across my collar bones seems to help. This is the stance I try to use whether running, weightlifting, or doing pilates.
Spine: Mentally drawing lines between my hips and each shoulder and trying to put a little tiny space between each vertebrate helps me keep my shoulders down and back and my belly pulled in. I try to imagine a little string tied to the top of my head pulling it toward the sky. This helps prevent that natural tendency to hunch over when I get tired. Just keep thinking: run taller.
Arms: I have a habit of swinging my arms from side to side across the front of my body. This is a waste of precious energy that I really need to help propel me forward. Keeping my arms bent at about 90 degrees and focusing on a back-and-forth motion rather than side-to-side is a challenge. I try to think about putting my elbows behind me. I also occasionally run a few steps with my arms fully extended at my sides. This looks ridiculous but feels good. :)
Hands: I've noticed (in cold weather especially), I tend to clench my hands into tight fists (likely in an effort to keep my hands warm despite wearing gloves). Again, this clenching is wasted energy. I remind myself to relax my fists as if I'm holding a couple of cotton balls in each hand and I don't want to squish them. Occasionally I open my hands as if stretching my fingers.
Head: I tend to look down while running. I don't know why. Maybe I am trying to deny how much further I still have to go... I have to constantly remind myself to look forward: raising my eyes to the horizon. This helps keep length in the spine and neck. Also, I find as soon as I look down, I tend to relax my belly. I tell myself there's a string tied to the back of my eyes and going down to the back of my belly button. When I lift my eyes to the horizon, I imagine that string pulling my belly button in and up.
Another tip I use in fitness classes which is also really helpful while running: imagine the whole front of your body being "laced up" similar to a shoelace: it starts at base of your hips and criss-crosses back and forth across your pelvis, then your tummy, and finally your chest. Tighten that lace and keep it nice and snug.
Sorry to be such a nag. Happy running!