The Physics of Runninghttp://media.photobucket.com/image/running/danacornett/AnytimeFitnessLogo_running.jpg

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When trying to understand the physics of running it is useful to think of your limbs as pendulums. By doing this, we can understand how the way we handle our limbs when running affects us.

Pendulum
The velocity of a pendulum depends on the length of the pendulum, not on the mass hanging at the end. The shorter the pendulum, the faster the mass at the bottom moves.

Legs
You can think of your legs as a pendulum when running. If you want to increase your speed capablity you want to make you legs shorter so they will move faster in the same manner as a pendulum. This is intuitive as when running a person does not keep their knees locked or their legs hyperextended. Instead, you bend your knees when you run. This allows the body to move faster with a shorter length "pendulum" than if it were longer (by not bending your knees).

Arms
The same pendulum example can be applied to how you hold your arms when running. You do not hold your arms to your side because that maximizes the length of the "pendulum" and does not allow for maximum speed. By bending your arms at the elbow, you can move them faster.

Total Body
Moving your legs and arms faster by bending at the knees and elbows allows for faster total body movement. Faster total body movement means faster running!

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