In the last couple posts, I talked about using a pull motion instead of a push motion in running. Analyzing my own running, I believe I have been a push runner for years. Over the past few months, I have tried different running schemes waiting for my running form to naturally improve. It hasn't. I also notice this with other push runners at my gym - they are still moving at the same pace as they were months ago. I don't know if the pull runners are getting any faster, but as a group the pull runners are all faster than the push runners, and this doesn't seem to change.
Consequently, I feel like I am going to have to force my body to run efficiently. I did this today, focusing very intently on pulling my foot up (trying to kick myself in the rear, so to speak). This running style felt good, but I could really only keep this form up for a lap or so. What was interesting was that with each separate lap I did, my times got better. I felt equally tired at the end of each lap, but my results were unequal - they slowly improved each time. It appeared that even within this session, my body was adapting to the new running form. This phenomenon doesn't seem to happen with push running - it can become harder to even maintain the same speed over a number of intervals.
I am just going to bite the bullet and only run in a pull manner for the time being. It must be better to run some separate laps in a pull manner than a mile or two in a push manner. Better to make the switch to an efficient running style than trying to speed up an inefficent one.
