The Beauty of Real Running and Why It’s Worth Pursuing

Let me be clear from the start. If you complete a marathon,  whether in 2 hours or 6, I have respect for you. Covering 42.2 km on foot is an achievement.

This post is not about being objectively fast. It’s not about qualifying for Boston, or posting sub-whatever times on Strava.

But I do want to shine a light on something that often gets lost in pace charts and finish-line photos, and that is the feeling of truly running.

What makes it “real” running?

There’s a kind of movement that goes beyond simply getting from point A to B. It’s the moment both feet leave the ground. The bounce. The spring. The way your body reuses energy rather than just producing force.

Biomechanically, running includes a flight phase,  a moment when you’re airborne. It taps into elastic recoil from tendons, hip extension, and coordinated swing mechanics. This is how we evolved to move.

And when that movement is smooth and flowing, it feels good. It feels natural.

What counts as running?

We often think of running as “not walking,” but the truth is more nuanced,  and more useful. Here are three helpful ways to define it:

Physics Definition

Running is a gait that includes a flight phase,  a moment when both feet are off the ground. Walking always maintains contact. That’s the core distinction.

Biomechanical Definition

Running engages your elastic systems,  especially the Achilles tendon, plantar fascia, and posterior chain,  to store and release energy efficiently. It features shorter ground contact times, hip extension, and coordinated limb swing.

Evolutionary Definition

Running is something we evolved to do,  for endurance, persistence hunting, and efficient movement across terrain. Our anatomy is built for it with long tendons, upright posture, thermoregulation, and locomotor efficiency.

Running Gait Types vs Marathon Pace

If we look at how cadence and step length shape running form across different marathon speeds. Here's what the data suggests:

These aren’t value judgments - they are movement types.

You may shift between them during a training week or even a long race. But the table shows how running mechanics evolve,  and when they start to resemble walking more than running.

Understanding the Gait Progression

This isn’t just a pace table, it’s a map of how movement transforms, from walking to truly fast running. Here’s how the body transitions across that spectrum:

Fast Walking - Bounce Walk

There is no flight phase. Mechanics resemble walking, even if the pace is brisk. There might be a slight bounce or forward lean, but the true running pattern is absent. The elastic systems, like the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia, are largely inactive. Movement is driven almost entirely by muscular effort and ground contact is long.

Run-Walk Transition Gait

Some strides have a flight phase; others do not. The movement sits somewhere between walking and running, often used unintentionally by fatigued runners or those at slower paces. While it gets you to the finish line, the body isn’t consistently engaging the mechanics that define running.

Low Flight Shuffle

Flight phase is present but minimal. Stride becomes flatter and shorter. Cadence may be in the 160–170 range, but vertical oscillation and leg swing are reduced. Often a response to fatigue or conservative pacing, this gait has lower energy return and reduced movement fluidity.

Compact Stride Running

Now the elastic systems start to contribute more. Stride length increases slightly, and there's a clear flight phase, though movement remains controlled and compact. Muscle engagement is higher, but some springiness is present. This is where many recreational runners live.

Rhythmic Elastic Running

Elastic recoil is now a major player. The gait is smooth and flowing, with consistent airborne phases and controlled oscillation. Often seen in well-trained runners and elites at submaximal effort, this form balances energy return, rhythm, and control.

High-Elastic Propulsive Running

This is the peak expression of running biomechanics. Long, fluid strides. Short ground contact time. Maximum use of stored elastic energy from tendons and fascia. This form is spring-loaded, powerful, and highly efficient, typical of high level runners.

This isn’t just theory, it’s personal

This isn’t some idealized view of running from a coach’s notebook. It comes from my own experience.

For years, I struggled to break 2 hours in the half marathon. I trained, logged the miles, did the work,  but never quite got there. Then, almost by accident, I stumbled across a book called Pose Method of Running. It opened my eyes to something I hadn’t really considered, that how you run matters just as much as how much you run.

I made changes. I overhauled my technique. I learned to land differently, to use gravity, to run with more rhythm and lightness. Only a few months later, I ran my first marathon in 3 hours and 15 minutes. That’s not a fluke. That’s what happens when your training stops fighting your biomechanics and starts working with them - I actually started to run! NB It’s really not only about the clock; taking ownership of your movement is one of the most liberating and exciting exercises you can undertake as a runner.

The goal isn’t pace - it’s presence.

You don’t need to want to race fast. But you should want to run well. And if you want to run better, you need to learn the movement patterns of running faster. That feeling of lightness, connection, and flow doesn’t come from fancy gear or lab metrics, it comes from how you move.

Want to run more like a runner?

Try this:

• Increase your cadence (more steps per minute)

• Focus on hip extension, let your stride open behind you rather than reaching forward

• Focus on lightness and float,  even for a split second

• Add 4×30 seconds of smooth strides to the end of easy runs

• Go minimalist, try regular sessions barefoot on grass or in thin shoes - you’ll be amazed how your form adapts when feedback comes directly from the ground

• Include more trail running - uneven terrain naturally encourages better posture, quicker cadence, lighter foot strike, and improved running rhythm

Final Thought

This isn’t elitism. It’s exploration. Running is one of the most human things we can do. You don’t have to be fast to race, but you do have to run to really be running. And to run well, you need to be intentional with how you move, not just how far or how often. 

Whether you're chasing a personal best or simply a more joyful stride, let your body reconnect with the movement it was made for.