"What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognise the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe" - Michelangelo
If you can't run barefoot, you can't run! That's not to say you have to be barefoot on your run, but you want your technique to be the same. Spend a little
time practicing barefoot (in dry conditions) as your feet give you immediate feedback, something shoes are designed to mask!
Most shoes slow you down by interfering with the natural functioning of your foot. Go for a "minimalist" shoe, I personally like the Vivobarefoot brand.
Land your feet under your hips, with your foot already travelling backwards, preferably on the mid-foot. Aim for a light landing with each stride.
Accelerate by leaning forward from your ankles and let your stride open up behind you.
Drive your knees forward rather than you feet. Your lower leg and foot will swing through naturally as a matter of form.
Aim for a cadence of 180 strides per minute. This translates to three strides per second which is easy to measure if you're on a treadmill. Don't forget your
cadence doesn't affect your speed, that's down to the length of your stride which can be increased by leaning forward from the ankles.
Drive your arms back and let them naturally swing back forward. If you find yourself flagging, pump those arms!
Let your head balance lightly on top of your spine. The relationship between your head, neck and back has a big influence on the way you move, so maintaining freedom here
will bring a lightness to your gait.
If you feel out of breath, take longer, relaxed out-breaths and don't worry about the in-breath.
Ditch the headphones! Music will distract you from exploring what your body is doing and being able to bring a conscious awareness to any habits you might find yourself doing. Monitor
your form with every step.
Ignore any emotional attachment to your old running style feeling right. What ever you habituate feels "right" to you.