Today was hot, in the upper 80s, and I decided post-race to run 4 miles instead of the usual 6. As I started out my left knee was bugging me again, but about half a mile in I made a discovery. I felt like I was leaning forward a little too much, almost hunching, and pulled my shoulders back. Instantly that shot my hips forward and engaged my glutes more, with the immediate effect of my knee responding without pain. Eureka!
Knee pain in my past has almost always been related to shoes, but this time I think it's because of my punching bag workouts. The technique, at least as I've seen it on TV and movies, is to bow forward and keep your head down. Great for boxing, not so much for running. During today's run I had to constantly pay attention since the default was to let my shoulders move forward and throwing my body out of alignment. The more I ran straight up over my feet the better my knee felt. I also ran in a new pair of shoes today to break them in, but I can say without reservation that the change in posture is what made the real difference.
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