Bow-legged; avoid too much crossover?

Hi there! I’m pretty bow legged and have struggled with IT band issues pretty for the last two years. I picked up TCI over quarantine, and after giving my knee a month or so of rest I am 6 weeks through the running transition program. So far it’s going great!
However, with the recent snows I noticed that my footsteps tend to be directly in line, rather than side by side. Is this incorrect, and if so, is there any ways to fix it? I’ve tried running with both feet on either side of a line or crack in the pavement and it feels like I’m loping around; is that correct?

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Eric Orton on December 4, 2020 at 10:00am

If you are crossing your foot step over into the midline of your body, you are probably over striding and landing on the outside of your foot.

So focus on taking shorter steps AND striking the ground using your entire forefoot, not just the outside of the foot. Think about engaging and using your big toe.

One way to feel and practice this is to simply run in place, barefoot. Notice how you naturally strike the ground under you, with a "full" forefoot strike.

Hope this helps and stay patient. This will take time to change.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Karen on December 5, 2020 at 8:45am

Haha! You hit both of those things on the head - just had my husband video me.
Those are very helpful cues, thank you! Cues that are positive action instead of “don’t do” make adjusting so much easier.