So, the best tip I've heard, and what I tell patients who want to minimize who want to minimize injuries, is to pretend like you're running on ice or glass. Try and focus on absorbing the impact of each step and try to distribute your weight evenly so as not to 'break the glass'. I think I first heard it through a TED talk or something, I'll see if I can't dig it up.
Excellent video on natural running form:
<a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zSIDRHUWlVo" rel="nofollow">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zSIDRHUWlVo</a>
I ran track in College (1976-1978) an my coach back then taught me correct form. I run at least 5 miles almost every day ever since and have never had a running related injury. I attribute this to learning correct running form early on. If you run more than 3 miles and have any pain at all you are probably doing it wrong.
POSE method is pretty good for injury avoidance - <a href="http://birthdayshoes.com/introduction-to-the-pose-method-of-running-posetech-an-introduction" rel="nofollow">http://birthdayshoes.com/introduction-to-the-pose-method-of-...</a>
For anyone interested in "good form running", what it means for the human body and the benefits that are associated with it, I wholeheartedly suggest reading up on Daniel Lieberman (he has videos on YouTube about it). His studies about foot strike and gait especially are mind-opening and can really help you achieve good result and avoid some of the running-related injuries.
The book chapter is about form for running fast, but most of the comments are about form for training. In terms of injury prevention, I'd agree that the latter is important, but the book chapter doesn't have a lot to do with this. All the pictures are of people running better than 5 minutes/mile, with some probably running faster than 4 min/mile. But almost all running injuries are the cumulative effect of lots of slower miles, run at 6, 7, or 8 minutes/mil, or even slower (though the difference between 6 min/mile and 8 min/mile is pretty significant). Good form at those speeds is markedly different.<p>For fun, try to find footage of Kenny Moore running. Looks absurd, so knock kneed, but terrifically fast in his day.
I recently developed 'IT band Syndrome' which made me say goodbye to boring/injury prone running and switch to swimming. Best decision ever. Fuck running.<p>I don't know of single runner who hasn't suffered some kind of injury. Again fuck running.
"How should I run" is a question that can only be asked by someone who doesn't run much.<p>That sounds flip and snarky, so let me frame it in a personal way ...<p>Years ago, when I started my martial arts training, I naturally asked a teacher about some details / techniques of a certain kick. He said "do that kick 5000 more times and then ask me that". So I did. And I had no questions to ask about it.<p>That's the beauty of your brain and body interface - you have a built-in mechanism for stripping away extraneous movements and inefficiencies and honing a physical act to the most efficient movement available. It just happens.<p>So when I hear people talk about fine details of running technique, I say "run 1000 miles and then revisit those questions".<p>Pro tip: when your body is most tired is when you'll find the movements that are least important. When you are close to exhaustion, you won't have the extra elevation or the extraneous movement or the inefficient motions - you'll find the path of least effort. So in addition to running those 1000 miles, run some of them until you're very tired.