Welcome to Blog 3 of the series. If you’re following along weekly, amazing.
If you’re dropping in here now, welcome.
After completing my Level 1 running qualification, one thing became very clear:
Good running technique isn’t about forcing positions — it’s about alignment and ease.
Let’s talk about your head, posture, and breathing.
1. Where should your head be when running?
Simple cue: Look ahead, not down
Your gaze should be soft, about 10–20 metres ahead, not fixed on your feet.
When the head drops shoulders round, the chest collapses, breathing becomes restricted.
Think “tall through the crown of the head”, without stiffness.
2. Alignment: stacking your body
Good alignment looks like:
- head over shoulders
- shoulders over hips
- hips over feet
You don’t need to stand bolt upright. You want relaxed tallness, not military posture.
Imagine a string gently lifting you from the top of your head.
3. Breathing: a gentle reminder
Breathing deserves its own blog (and it has one 😉), but it’s worth repeating here.
Whenever possible breathe through your nose, especially on easy runs.
Nasal breathing helps, regulate pace, improve efficiency, and keep runs truly easy. If this feels hard, slow down. That’s the point.
(I’ve written more about this in my nose breathing blog if you’d like to revisit it.)
Most of my runs right now, especially training for triathlon races which start in May — are easy, Zone 2 runs. They’re not about speed. They’re about flow, form and enjoyment.
That’s where technique really settles in.
4. A simple posture check during your run
Every 10 minutes, ask yourself:
- Can I relax my shoulders?
- Am I looking ahead?
- Is my breathing calm?
Tiny resets make a big difference. That’s how technique sticks.
