Working on stride is important, difficult & can have a certain danger that is inherent. I prefer to pick a course that forces a runner to utilize a more efficient stride but there are some things that one can work on to aid a runner. What follows I say with some trepidation but running is little more than applied physics & one can work on the angles & vectors that facilitate a faster motion.
I would caution that too a degree a certain amount of a flat-foot stride is a good thing for it allows a more rapid turn-over in stride rate. The foot basically, however, is a shock absorber that allows the body to take the pounding in running without it being relayed to other parts of the body. More than anything else that is its function & it does so in general as one lands to a bit outside of the heal & then shifts weight in a bit of a pronation to deflect the shock by rolling the foot to the inside.
It is only in the toe-off motion at the end that the foot acts as a propulsion device. Even here, however, the main force outward & upward is not coming from the foot but rather the other parts of the body. The key, as I see it, is the proper alignment of other parts of the body to aid in this effort. The hips have to be in the right position to facilitate the motion both forward & upward. The arms aid in this as well but a good deal, of course, is going to have to come from the leg muscles.
From here the key is the lifting motion, as a distance runner wants the proper angle to stride both out & upward. It is ineffective if it is too high like that of a sprinter & it is ineffective, if the back-kick is too long, as that wastes motion & allows the body to be in the air too long without sustaining motion forward too long. In theory an angle of 40- 45 degrees accomplishes this effectively.
Working on the form & stride has to be an on-going thing, wherein a runner concentrates on the form & the "feeling" that accompanies it, so that it is natural. A workout on a moderate hill is helpful in facilitating a proper stride, as it forces the body to be more efficient. The hill has to be steep enough to force a certain economy of motion but not too steep to force an excessive knee lift. Likewise access to a beach or an area where there is a moderately deep amount of crushed stones tends to force a more efficient stride that is not wasteful. In this type of terrain the body tends to adapt efficiency more naturally. Once you have worked on it there is nothing like running by a store window to reinforce that feeling & image by doing a 'form check'.
In the end no two feet are alike & all strides have to reflect that. One can only do so much with anyone for we all must make our own compensations for our natural body structures. Also what works for one is not necessarily going to work for another but it is useful on working on both the efficiency & coordination of movement.
Hope that helps a bit.
Coach Leo Collins
