RUNNING'S easy - right?
You put one foot in front of the other and go.
Mike Antionades begs to differ. And after a session in The Running School I'll never see it the same way either.
A few minutes into our session at Sports Dimensions in Chiswick, the respected coach and owner of the clinic and gym is already making me see things I'd never seen in myself after 31 years of athletics and a 2:34.10 marathon way back.
A camera looks at my running gait from back and side, and grid lines on the recording show foot plant, arm swing, and how my hamstrings work - or in my case - how they don't.
It's one of the correctional points Antoniades and his team note, and I'm not the first to have benefited from the course.
Last year, there were three things The Running School noticed about Christine Ohuruogu's running style when she came asking for help.
"Two we corrected - one we left alone, because it would have affected her speed," explained Antoniades.
"But we reckon we can do something about that this year if she wants it."
It rather proves the point that if the Olympic gold medallist is not getting the best out of her style - then mere mortals wanting to get under four hours for a marathon can improve in, ahem, leaps and bounds.
But will all that coaching after coughing up £240 for five lessons and additional advice affect natural habits that actually help a runner to relax and perform?
Note Paula Radcliffe's famous nodding head.
The world champion reckons her affectation would cost her more to fix than she would gain - but Antionades disagrees.
"It's a biomechanical reaction to years of running - and it tends to take over when she's tired," he said.
"We all do something like that when we grow tired as well.
"And, yes, an adult correcting a running style can take some hours before it becomes second nature. That's why youngsters are easier to train - they absorb everything so easily.
"But it may also be why kids don't run as much as they should do - they're not taught how to run properly." [25cf] See www.runningschool.co.uk or call Sports Dimensions on 020 8563 0007 for further information.
