I took up Racewalking 20 years ago and decided to become a professional in the sport. In the last few paragraphs of this article, their running sounds closer to some of the technique in racewalking, shorter steps, not farther than the hips, head up, etc. If you really want to save your body and have a completely biomechanical efficient workout why not take up Nordic Walking.

I was introduced to it in Portland, Oregon….got my cert in it, and was on my way to another crosstraining adventure. Racewalking is very structured and harder to master, but Nordic Walking is all terrain, and you're guaranteed to get rid of that gut, shoes or no shoes..Your arms are pumping, the resistance using the poles burns up to 40% more calories, and you recruit more muscles in your walk…

I am enjoying using it now on the beaches in the Caribbean..and yes, barefoot!!

…try the trails with poles and your guaranteed to lose that gut!! : )

I am pretty sure the Kenyans dominate them. The Kenyans grow up without wearing any shoes, running everywhere they go.

You are right that you should not be heel-striking. But you really shouldn't be up on your toes unless you are sprinting, as mentioned above. You should be striking with the mid-foot. Barefoot running is helpful for this. But I wouldn't suggest starting this at any distance longer than 600 meters.

You mentioned that you shouldn't land with your feet ahead of your hips, which is true of course. If you keep your head up (which is also good form), you should not be able to see your feet at any time during your stride, regardless of how skinny you are.

The only important thing regarding form you left out is the that you should not clench your fists. It can be helpful to pretend as though you have an important piece of paper in your hand that you do not want to crumple. Also, keeping your thumbs up will help you drive your arms forward, which can be very helpful when your legs don't want to go any more.

Regards,

An Eight-Year Runner from StumbleUpon

Rather, aim to land on the ball of your foot, the area just behind the toes. I began doing this last year while retraining for the 5k and after a week of sore calves I began making noticeable improvements in distance and speed.

Once you're weight is near healthy human, running is a good and fun way to cut unwanted fat when supplemented with a good diet and weight training.

It's called pose running and most professional distance runners employ this and the 'puff puff pirie' breathing method to increase the length of runs while reducing injury.

If this 'natural people running naturally' stuff turns you off, check out what actually marathoners do.