A recently released study suggests it’s more important for beginning runners to hit the streets with enthusiasm than to seek advice on techniques, but Gainesville running experts have divided opinions about how to pound the pavement.
Conducted in England and published in the scientific journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the study monitored 10 participants without previous experience and instruction who began running during a 10-week period. It found participants avoided injury and developed comfortable running styles, which enabled each to run faster and farther than before.
Rob Barnes, president of the Gainesville-based Florida Track Club, said focusing on technical aspects of running is like “putting the cart before the horse.”
“Running form is going to change very quickly as you grow as a runner,” Barnes said. “People become much faster and more efficient as they continue running.”
Gainesville chiropractor and marathon runner John J. Johnston said it’s unnecessary to impose guidelines on runners who are just starting out. He said that by critiquing new runners’ style, people risk discouraging them.
“I’m so happy when a person goes from a non-runner to a runner, and I’m hoping they get addicted to it,” said Johnston. “When I hear someone is trying it out, I don’t want to do anything that would get in the way.”
Johnston said analysis becomes helpful at high levels of competition, but at the beginning, newbies will gravitate toward running in a way that’s naturally most comfortable for them.
“All that technical stuff kind of figures itself out,” he said.
But Laura Kubitz, a 24-year-old UF alumna and former member of the TriGators Triathlon Team, said beginning runners should have “at least some instruction” to avoid injuries.
Kubitz picked up running her sophomore year, but she was forced to stop due to plantar fasciitis, characterized by foot pain from overexertion.
Kubitz consulted a track coach, who advised her to work on her form to remedy the issue. She took the advice, adopting a straighter posture and striking the ground with her midfoot instead of toe or heel.
Suzanne Farina, a group fitness instructor at Gainesville Health and Fitness, said the pattern of seeking technique guidance after injury is typical.
Although it never hurts to get pointers, Farina said establishing a habit of running comes first, and motivation is the key ingredient.
“I think that’s the bigger question: What do we have to do to get people motivated to run?” Farina said. “If you don’t do something on a regular basis, you’re not going to want to invest the energy to see if you’re doing it right.”
