Welcome to the #RunPainFree podcast! In today's episode, Coach Jessica Marie Rose Leggio debunks the rampant hogwash on familiar running form cues. Stay on your toes, they say, do the pose method says one camp, keep your elbows locked in says another. You've all heard it, yet you're all injured. So Coach Jessica sets the record straight before dropping the mic and walking off the podcast. Yes, this run form nonsense grinds her gears. Here's why…   Thinking about how you run will not improve your running form. Your body is only going to move with its ability to do so.    "The minute you think with your brain, that you can actually tell your body how to move, you already have an injury."   If you don't have a functional movement pattern, if you lack function somewhere and you're overcompensating somewhere else, you're going to have a problem. And your brain has nothing to say about it.   Distance running is a sport.  Get this in your heads, people; distance running is a sport in its own right. But unlike many endurance sports, the only piece of equipment you have to work with is a shoe. Without going down a rabbit hole on stability sneakers, it's your foot that is more important than your shoe. So don't spend hours deciding what the next running gear you need to get to perform better. That's the beauty of running; it's the great leveler for all athletes; that why you see runners from Kalenji winning the Berlin Marathon, not the Tour De France. Seriously, invest in yourself, in your body. As a runner, your body is a tool. Just like a chef sharpens their knives before service, you need to tune up your body for the act of running.    With that context provided, now forget everything you have ever heard about how to run.  Take away lesson Your body knows how to run. Don't other think it, and don't start changing your form because your run buddies tell you to run on your toes. The easiest way to get injured is by forcibly changing the way you run. Keep it easy, breezy, and natural.\   TIMESTAMPS 01:00 – Distance running is a sport  03:26 – Your back story matters 06:43 – Running is a basic human movement 08:43 – Don't overthink it, just run 15-22 – Is your Run Coach specialized in long-distance running?  19:13 – The importance of entire foot function 28:59 – A note on 'over-striding.' KEY LEARNING POINTS · Your body knows how to run, so don't get your mind involved · Stability sneakers will wreck your run form by locking you up from your ankle to your hip · Run coaches that get you to do speed works and butt kicks are trained in track and field, not long-distance running. Avoid them and find an actual long-distance run coach.