WHEN migrating from the couch to a running trail, Peter Watson, the store manager at North Shore Athletics, advises a smooth, gradual transition.
"Make sure you don't go out and start running in some old shoes that typically don't make you feel any better than they did five years ago when you stopped running," he says.
North Shore Athletics regularly hosts training clinics for runners ranging from beginners to aspiring half-marathoners.
"To see the growth in trail running in our local community it's just mind-blowing to me," says Watson. "It makes it so easy on that miserable winter night to know that there's 60 other people going out to run with you."
Runners need to be mindful of the rules of the road, particularly when visibility is poor, warns Watson.
"There's definitely that lemming sort of attitude, that one person jaywalks the corner and the whole rest of the pack just starts to follow sometimes," he says.
An ardent trail runner himself, Watson guides runners to pay close attention to the service they receive when picking out a new pair of shoes.
"If you walk into a place and you're walking out the door in a couple of minutes with your (new) pair of shoes, you probably haven't got the shoe service that you need. People should be looking at your feet and watching you walk without shoes on, having a conversation about past injuries and history," he says. "Don't forget about that broken leg that happened to you when you were 12 years old because it truly can still be affecting what's going on with your gait."
Helping a customer find the right pair of shoes is aided by an evaluation of body mechanics, according to Watson.
"We're looking at the foot and the lower leg all the way up to the hips," he says. "How is it all working in conjunction?"
For runners looking to minimize injuries caused by poor form, Watson recommends taking some lessons from Curb Ivanic, a self-professed "running nerd" and the founder of corerunning.com.
Ivanic, who earned a master's degree is in exercise science, advises runners to focus on each step.
Every time your foot hits the ground, most of the pressure should be at middle of the foot or the balls of the feet.
The foot should land with slightly more pressure on the outer edge of the foot, shifting until the weight rests on the inner-foot before takeoff, according to Ivanic.
While a slow jogger might be nearly erect, a faster runner should lean forward.
"This lean should involve the entire body and not just leaning forward from the hips," writes Ivanic.
Superior form is sometimes evidenced in a runner whose head is nearly level as she or he moves.
"Too much bouncing wastes a lot of energy and puts added stress on the joints, tendons and muscles," writes Ivanic.
If running causes low back pain, the culprit may be a lack of core strength, according to Ivanic.
Generally speaking, any exercise that utilizes balance causes the core muscles to strengthen.
Tension in the neck may be caused by poor shoulder movement, according to Ivanic, who advises turning your palms upward as you run to relax trapezius muscle.
