New Runner - Form/Technique

Hello everyone,

I've recently started jogging on a treadmill 3-4 times a week, I'm hoping to run 5km in one go this evening.

I have no idea how my gait is and I think I'm landing on the heel of my foot, so I want to sort this out now before it's too hard for me to break bad habits.

I also need to buy running shoes and I'd be happy to pay for the analysis so could anyone recommend a good shop and someone that could instruct me in Manchester, England?

Thanks

Runner's Need offers free basic gait analysis to customers buying running shoes. 

It isn't realistic to try to change your gait at a stroke.  It probably takes/ should take a very long time to achieve, as your whole biomechanics need to change - not just your foot, but what's happening to everything connected to it.  You could easily injure yourself if you rush it.

More to the point, some world class runners are heel strikers... why do you want to do this?

Hi questforspeed, thanks for the recommendation.

I understand that it isn't something that will change over night and that isn't what I want to do. I simply want to start off with the most information I can and work towards a better running form to prevent it from being more difficult to unlearn and increasing the time I'm more injury-prone.

I've read in many places that a mid/frontfoot strike is easier on the legs and is more energy efficient, it seems there's some controversy so I will look in to this further.

Both Sweatshop in the Arndale and Up and Running in the Triangle (where the big TV screen is opposite Selfridges) have treadmills in the stores to analyse your gait. 

Try Danny at http://www.fstacademy.com/fst-running/

He runs a 6 week running coaching programme, plus assessments at the start and end, for around £200.

The most useful part of this for me has been the running specific strenght and conditioning work, aiming to improve my alignment. I can really feel the difference - my knees don't drop to the middle as much as before.

I've personally found it very difficult to switch to a forefoot strike, so now we're looking more at a midfoot strike. I injured both calves trying to change too quickly.

I switched to forefoot striking about 4 years ago, and for me it was litterally overnight. No problems. It wasn't intentional, I started using a heart rate monitor and found as most do that trying to keep my heart rate at 60-70% WHR was near impossible without stopping. But I found I could keep moving in some semblance of running by bouncing from one foot to the other on my toes, ie forefoot running...but exceedingly slowly.

I realised this was a more natural way to run, and so carried on.