No two runners are the same. This statement is true at the lowest and highest levels of running. Watching Zersenay Tadese, Eliud Kipchoge, and Lelisa Desisa try to conquer the seemingly impossible task of running a sub two hour marathon only further cemented this reality. Each runner ran with such incredible speed (more than 26 miles at a sub 5 minute per mile pace!!!), and yet so differently. This begs the question, should I ever change my own running form, or am I better off running the way I most naturally run?

Running economy is a measure of how efficient one runs, scientifically speaking, it’s a measure of the amount of oxygen utilized at varying speeds. If one person is able to utilize less oxygen while running faster than another, they are deemed more “economical.” While it can be fun to compare ourselves to other runners, for our purposes, as we seek to become better endurance athletes, the question we should ask ourselves is, how can I become a more economical runner? Can I use less energy to run at the same speed as I used to, and thus be able to run...