Your lean while running should come from the ankles and increase with speed, like pressing on a gas pedal. The faster you run the further you lean, all to keep balanced and efficient. The lean forward should come from the ground up, starting at the ankles, not the waist. Stiffen the core, lean from the ankles and land softly and quickly, spending as little time on the ground as possible. Get good at adjusting your lean over various terrain and continually work on “running tall” with good posture in order to be as efficient as possible with your running.
Do this drill early on during your easy runs to work on your form and gain free speed using your body weight, gravity and the “springs” in your lower legs.
Forward Lean Running Drill
Dynamic warm up 5 min: butt kicks, high knee run, skipping for distance and skipping for height.
Main Drill: within your run today, find a pole or tree and get into a plank position with your feet at least 3 feet away from the pole. Feel how tight you can squeeze your core. Make sure the rest of your posture is spot on- shoulders down and back, head tall, one straight line from head to heel. Now run in place lifting your knees high and kicking your heels up under you for 10 steps each leg. Then run push to the side of the pole and run with this lean. Over the next 10 steps slow down by decreasing your lean.
Repeat this 3-5 times during your run today, focusing on speed while leaning. Find a flat section for the drill, so as not to confuse your proprioceptors at first. Get a really good feel for your lean and how it’s affected by speed.