Long Distance
1. Start: mid foot strike, 3/4 swing (very comfortable)
2. 2nd Quarter: mid foot strike, full swing (normal)
3. 3rd Quarter: mid foot strike, pull back, full swing (normal)
4. Last Stretch: toe strike, pull back, full swing (fast)

I tried this out during my long distnace run last week. I had mixed results but it was a very good learning experience.

First off the overall time was slow by about 5-6 minutes. Of course the blistering heat between 10:30 to 11:30am did not help my cause.

What I found beneficial was the emphasis on mid foot striking. This became intuitive as the run progressed and I did not feel as tired because my heels were almost never in contact with the ground. The toe striking towards the last quarter was also good.

However the 3/4 swinging and the subsequent full swinging of the arm was to my detriment. I actually started to slow down more as the motion felt off-key with the leg movements. It also tired me out eventaully to the extent that I could not sustain the degree of swing.

Another offset to the run was the pull or kick back. After an initial burst of speed, it actually retarded my pace throughout the 2nd half of my run.

Thankfully I let myself experiment with a forward lean for the last mile which worked in making my leg cycling movements easier.

In all I would change my philosophy of Long Distance running to something like this.

Long Distance
1. Start: forward lean, mid foot strike, usual swing (comfortable)
2. 2nd Quarter: forward lean, mid foot strike, open stride, usual swing (normal)
3. 3rd Quarter: forward lean, mid foot strike, open stride, 3/4 swing (normal)
4. Last Stretch: forward lean, toe strike, open stride, 3/4 swing (fast)