Photo Courtesy of Jesica Helgren
Shivering with excitement and early morning chills, the Disney Social Media Moms and Dads buzzed with pre race excitement as we bounced around decked out in our Red runDisney shirts and New Balance kicks. Before we could take off for the run, we were treated to a sneak preview of the new medals that runDisney participants would receive in the upcoming race.
Proper run form was reviewed before we ran.
1. Reset our posture.
Raising our arms overhead, we aligned our bodies by straightening our spines and setting our shoulders over the hips.
2. Mid-Foot.
We giggled as we practiced bouncing first on our toes, then on our heels. The goal was to find the mid-foot point that would give us a safer and comfortable stride. You never want to run with a straight leg, but with a slight bend in the knee.
3. Arms.
The direction of the arms drives our legs. Arms should go in the direction of our feet, hence the forward swinging or pumping of arms as we run. Our arms propel us FORWARD. Also relax. Squeezing your fists takes away energy better used to run. The faster you pump your arms the faster you run.
4. Stride.
Imagine 75 or so people imitating Michael Jackson in the Smooth Criminal video. Leaning forward sans the “Annie are you okay” hook, everyone naturally took a step. Our strides does not need to be so large. Instead we should focus on a comfortable cadence.
Leaning forward, every runner naturally took a step.
We were running!
The more experienced runners moved to the left and Faith Dority, a runDisney specialist, led the less experienced runners with the Couch to 5K beginners program of 30 seconds walk, 30 seconds jog.
Since 1995, runDisney has become one of the largest organizers in the US. Almost every race scheduled for 2013 sold out in record time. The WDW Marathon Weekend is considered “to be the largest race weekend in the United States, with more than 50K total runners*”. The total number of runners at runDisney events increased nearly 10 percent from 2012 to 2013!
For more information about races, visit www.runDisney.com. For more information about better running form, visit www.goodformrunning.com. To see a Disney Story I created about the race, visit http://story.us/story?o=BtkvhqYZE12Q4.
DISCLOSURE:
Disney provided discounted accommodations and park tickets and also provided the most magical experiences and perks. The DSMM sponsors provided product and helped make the magic happen. All opinions magical or otherwise are my own.
*Facts from runDisney.com
Sounds like a cool way to make racing fun. I am going to try the toe/ heal jumping and the leaning techniques.