Final Form Check

Since the start of the year, I've been working with Casey at Therapydia Denver. He's analyzed my running form, given me enough exercises to keep me busy, had me run keeping time with a metronome, and forced me out of my comfort zone. And I am extremely grateful for all of it.

I’ve posted about our sessions a few times - here, here, and here (if you want to catch up). After a few years dealing with a recurring and nagging shin situation - which, full disclosure, is not completely gone but is dissipating - and knowing that my natural running posture is extremely inefficient, when Therapydia offered a run assessment and a handful of follow-up sessions in return for sharing the experience, I couldn’t turn it down.

After my sessions with Casey, my form is more efficient and I’m running a bit faster. When he first watched me run and we looked at the video during the assessment, I almost wanted to hide. As he described it, I was actually leaning back a little. And clearly, backwards is not where a runner wants to go. 

Check out these before and after photos. I'm not falling forward (even though that's how I felt when I started trying this!), but there is a difference in both my upper body posture and my leg drive.

 

I still have to work on building strength in my glutes, but that does take time and it has gotten better, as you can see in the before and after photos below. For a lot of us runners, the last thing we want to spend time on is strength work, but it's incredibly important. And not just when we're in PT, but for forever and a day!

What I hadn’t expected was that by leaning forward, I’m also running a tad bit faster; it's harder to slow down and run at an easy pace. Which can make my sluggish runs feel even more difficult.

One time this didn't bother me was when I ran the Tenacious Ten 10M in Seattle in April and finished with a much faster time than I expected. Although, running at sea level also likely played a role in that finish time.

I’ve enjoyed working with Casey, and it’s been great to see improvements along the way and have a solid plan moving forward (aka: stick with the exercises!). When I told him I had registered for a 10 mile race he was fully supportive and confident that I could do it, which definitely helped me feel more confident in my decision to go after my longest race in years. And it turned out great!

There are 11 clinics around the country and based on my experience - and the feedback of my two friends who’ve now also visited Therapydia - I absolutely recommend them if you’re feeling a little twinge, need help coming back from an injury or just want to get your running form analyzed.

Thanks for coming along with me on this journey. I'd love to hear about yours or answer any questions you have about the experience! Happy running, friends!

This post is sponsored by Therapydia. All opinions are my own.