OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE - Stride characteristics & knees

Run with light feet, imagine that you are running on eggshells or thin ice. Don't lift your knees to high or drive drive them forward since this will increase stride length and your feet will land far infront of your center of mass. Extract from previous post (OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE - Hips):
Your hips determines where your center of mass is. That fact is crucial to be aware of when it comes to maximize performance. Think of this: If your foot lands well infront of your hip every time it strikes the ground, your body will decelerate, you'll lose momentum and need to use your muscles to pull your body forward and thorough the motion for next stride

To prevent your feet from landing far infront of your center of mass you will have to increase stride cadance (stride frequency). In other words, a faster stride rate will mean less ground contact and softer landings (less mechanical stress on structures, ex. knees). This technique might be hard to apply at first and like I've stated before, I'm not posting these tips and saying "this is how everyone should run". I'm just sharing scientific facts that has proven to be effective and that I hope my readers will find interesting!

To practice a faster stride rate you can start of by building your running session in shorter periods of focused "lighter" running (intervals). For example, run 4-8 100yard/meter dashes with 30 seconds of rest in between, concentrating on "lighter" footwork. After a few initial practice sessions, increase number of intervals (first) and duration of run to build allow your body to adjust to the new style of running. Remember the basics (refresh your mind by reading previous post on OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE) and avoid to tense up - RELAXATION is key when running!

Next and last post in the OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE series will be the most constroversial and debated subject in running: Foot landing...(I just realized how uninteresting that sound, but for those of you that are runners, or plan to become one, and perhaps have heard about this topic before, you'll have something to look forward to=)...)