1. Starting From the Top
In order to participate in stride right running, you must find the perfect running form. When working on your running posture, don't forget your head. Try to center your head directly above your shoulders, looking straight forward while keeping the muscle of the face loose and relaxed. If you find yourself squinting in the sun, wear sunglasses and/or a hat. It may seem silly, but keeping your face relaxed and head in the right position will help to improve running stride.
2. Run Proud
When running, try to keep your shoulders loose and relaxed which will increase the length of your body and reduce tension. As you run, shoulders should be free of tension, held low and remain level instead of creeping up to your ears or bouncing up and down or side to side with your stride. While you should run tall and proud, don't over accentuate either. Rolling your shoulders forward or backwards will chance the center of gravity and cause you to waste energy. Just remember, loose and relaxed, shaking out your arms whenever you feel tension creeping in.
3. Get in the Swing of Things
Running works the lower body; however, your arms work to control the tension created in the upper body, so how you swing your arms can affect your overall stride. Keep your hands cupped instead of in a fist and swing in and out instead of across the body with elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.
4. Happy Hips
Because hips are the center of your body, they are particularly important to improving your running stride. Make sure that your torso is held high and your pelvis tilted slightly under which will ensure that your hips naturally fall into the perfect position. You can help to protect your low back, hips and legs as well by ensuring that your feet land with toes pointed straight and directly under your hips with each stride, avoiding rotating the legs in or out.
5. Knees and Toes
Maybe the most important part of running stride is ensuring that your legs never straighten completely. As your foot lands on the ground, the knee should remain slightly bent, reducing impact and aiding in muscle recovery time for a faster stride. Additionally, your feet should never "slap" the ground, instead, exaggerate your ankle movements so that your feet land on the heel, roll to the toe and then push powerfully off the base of the toes. When running form is perfect, your stride will be springy and virtually silent.
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