Understanding My Stride: How Gait Analysis Helped Me Train Smarter with Miles Ahead PT

I spend a lot of time thinking about how far or how fast I run, but rarely how I run. That changed when I visited Miles Ahead Physical Therapy and Performance for a gait analysis. Instead of guessing what might be causing the little aches or inefficiencies that show up in training, I finally got real insight into how my body actually moves and what I can do to make it move better.

As someone with a long history of injuries, I was curious to see how my gait might be contributing.

More Than Just “Fixing” Form

At Miles Ahead, gait analysis isn’t about chasing a perfect stride. It’s about understanding your mechanics, where your strengths are, where you might be less efficient, and how your body moves through each step.

What makes the Miles Ahead approach different is that it isn’t just visual. Chris, the founder, is a physical therapist, running coach, and lifelong runner. He doesn’t only look at how you move, he looks at why. He connects your gait patterns to your training load, injury history, strength, and long-term goals so you leave with a complete picture of what’s really going on.

The Process: Data Meets Depth

My session started with a conversation, not a treadmill. Chris asked thoughtful questions about my training, racing goals, running and injury history, and any recurring aches or injuries. From there, we did a movement screen to look at mobility, stability, and strength.

Then came the fun part: the video and Runeasi sensor analysis. Using sensors and slow-motion footage, Chris broke down every detail of my stride, from how my hips stabilized to how my feet landed and pushed off. The Runeasi technology even generated a Running Quality Score that shows how efficiently and symmetrically you move.

It was fascinating, and a little humbling, to see my stride in slow motion. My right hip clearly dropped in the video, and the Runeasi data confirmed lower stability on that side.

My Runeasi recommendation:

“We detected a lower stability on the right leg. We recommend working on left versus right stability imbalances to become a more efficient and resilient runner. Perform a combination of running-specific stability exercises to enhance your ability to stabilize while running.”

Insights That Actually Matter

The best part was that the feedback wasn’t about making me run like someone else. It was about helping me run better.

Chris walked me through what the data meant and gave me practical steps I could start using right away, including strength and mobility work, form cues, and small adjustments that make a big difference.

Why Every Runner Should Consider It

Whether you are coming back from an injury, building up for a race, or just want to understand your body better, a gait analysis can be a game changer. It helps you:

• Identify potential injury risks early

• Understand your movement patterns

• Improve running efficiency and performance

• Build a strength plan that supports your needs

This experience reminded me that running well is not about perfection. It’s about understanding yourself as a runner so you can train smarter, stay healthier, and keep running stronger for years to come.

If you are local and curious, I cannot recommend checking out Miles Ahead enough!

Get more info and book your visit at www.milesaheadpt.com or check Chris out on instagram at @milesaheadpt