I dont know if you’re seeing this all over your socials feed…

But the running form police seem to be OUT IN FORCE. And I can’t avoid it.

But most importantly, I can’t ignore it. It’s that BAD and WRONG.

So yes, we’re dipping our toes into running form (again) but it’s because I’ve been hearing so much…RELIEF…from you all.

I’ve seen recent comments on my Instagram videos thanking me for debunking the “perfect running form hype”

...because it would literally leave some runners SCARED to run.

So I think it’s worth it to spend a little more time debunking what actually matters with your running form, especially because I want to pull back the curtain.

My running form IS NOT PERFECT, ok?

Even as a doctor of physical therapy and a runner of 16+ years.

You’d think I’d have it all figured out by now right? And sometimes, I proudly think think i do

**cue the “expectation vs reality” trend**

I think I’m running like a smooth, strong Kenyan. And then I look at the video I’ve taken of myself running on a treadmill and I’m an overstriding, high-oscillating mess.

True story. I blushed. in the gym. and wanted to become one with the treadmill belt.

Like HOW could this be my job and I’m so dang bad at it?

Because I’m human, too.

Because our brains and bodies respond differently to running every single day.

I’ve been recently going down the PT-research running-form rabbit hole and I’m happily surprised to see that some of my own thoughts on running form mistakes are supported by the literature.

Now this might come as a major shock to you:

but MUSCULAR strength does not equate or immediately translate to better or improved running form.

…wait for it…

Being strong like a runner helps you run longer, faster, better with LESS FATIGUE. It helps your body handle the loads of high paces and more miles…

BUT running form SNAFUs are most likely brought on by neuromotor control issues. Read: your mind-muscle-body connection.

This is WHY on some runs you feel like a graceful grazelle and other runs you feel like a new born giraffe who has no idea how to put one foot in front of the other.

So yes, we still need strength training like a runner to prevent injury, to ward off fatigue, to help build what we call tissue tolerance…

but we cant forget about what I think is the coolest part: how our brain and body coordinate movement together.

So in this week’s blog post I wanted to spell out the 3 biggest running form mistakes I look at with my running-patients in the clinic and also with my one-on-one coaching runners.

And I’ve actually done this recently with one of my runners (shout out Amanda!). She was a trooper and took a piece of chalk to her treadmill so we could figure out what all was contributing to her lateral (outside) hip pain.

Because she needed running-specific strength. But she also needed feedback on her running form.

That’s what I want to show you in this week’s blog post: how running form is just one more part of the overall picture to becoming the best runner you can be.

It’s not 90% of the picture! You don’t have to obsess over it.

So let me pull back the curtain.

Let’s simplify this, debunk the fear, and break down these 3 big running form mistakes: what they look like, the signs to watch for so you can make sure you’re NOT doing them, and the joints, tissues, and injuries they affect the most.

All so you can run more confidently without the fear of every foot fall becoming a running injury that threatens to eat you alive.

Marie Whitt, PT, DPT //@dr.whitt.fit

P.S. Also I'm not leaving you hanging. At the end of the blog, I give you the ONE small change that fixes all three without obsessing over “perfect form,” plus a bonus cue for cross-over gait. It's LITERALLY this simple!

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