shackmantri wrote:
This conversation is fascinating to me. I incorrectly started another post trying to discuss these topics in another thread before reading this, which I may delete.
To paraphrase what I am reading, as I run slower (think long training runs), I need a shoe with padding, ramp, and structure because my slow gate is different than my fast gate. My slow gate typically drive the heel to hit first, where medial post, orthotics, etc. etc. etc. help me the most and protect me from myself.
Question (and I still need education): what happens if I went to newtons (low ramp, high padding) or vff's (no ramp, no padding) for training? Would I be killing myself and my body by running 50 mpw in bare feet? Barefoot Ted and the Mexican tribe would disagree. Conversely, am I killing my body by inserting the artificial structure/[padding of newtons into the equation?
This was not mean to be a brand question but used to make a point. Replace Newtons with low ramp, high padding and vff's with barefeet...
Also, I haven't seen anything on padding - doesn't excess padding hurt you in terms of how acute the shock to the body (according to Born to Run) and/or creating wonkiness in gait/form.
Again, craving an education so I can apply this to the regular consumer.
I responded in the other thread, but here it is again for you:
I'm going to move through this in a piece-by-piece manner:
Here's where we are all the same: we are looking for less vertical oscillation during the gait cycle; we are looking for impact to occur at or slightly behind the knee, rather than in front of it (meaning landing around your center of gravity, rather than behind it); to make this occur, in general terms you will need to have a shorter stride and increased cadence to effectuate it.
Here's where we're different: where on the foot principal point of contact will occur; actual stride length; cushioning preferences.
As such, this will move piece by piece through the ramp/drop, and then on to cushioning.
Ramp Angle/Drop The correct ramp angle or drop for a person is dependent on numerous factors, such as cadence, stride length, and principal point of impact. There is a range of what we could consider to be acceptably "midfoot": some are oriented slightly more towards the heel, and others moreso towards the forefoot. Then, of course, you have your extremes: excessive heel strike, excessive forefoot strike.
No shoe can force you into a principal form. You have to effectuate that change yourself. Your shoes can only do what your body tells them to do. It is possible to have a complete forefoot strike in a shoe with a 2:1 heel:toe ratio. You can heel strike in VFFs, and everywhere in between.
In general, those who are landing slightly aft of midfoot to true midfoot will be able to go towards shoes in that effective zero drop category: think stuff like the Kinvara, or the Minimus product line. Those who are too far forward onto the forefoot, running into troubling Achilles and calf issues, will often times benefit from a shoe with more drop/ramp angle, so that the heel will actually have a light impact, distributing load forces evenly throughout the foot. Those who are completely heel striking? Also will benefit from a more "traditional" shaped shoe.
Cushioning The amount of cushioning a shoe has is a complete consumer preference, to a point. Although we may have been born to run barefoot, also remember that we were not designed with concrete or asphalt in mind. Therefore, all shoes should have a definitive fit characteristic: a relatively wrapped upper in the heel through the midfoot, at which point it opens and allows the toes to splay properly. Almost all vendors (with the exclusion of New Balance these days, believe it or not) have really opened up the fit of the forefoot on their shoes to accommodate as much forefoot splay as possible.
Gauging off of the increase in stress fractures associated with really thin midsoles up here in Portland, ME, we generally will advocate going no lower than the Minimus for every day training. There are exceptions to this, of course. Within each product range (whether in the effective zero category, or all the way to traditional 2:1 ratios), you may find something with more or less cushioning. This is generally to taste.
Pronation Control Devices Believe it or not, but some of us will still fall outside of the general range of "neutral" pronation, even if we are a midfoot or forefoot striker. This can wind up festering itself further up the kinetic chain as an alignment issue, whether it is IT band syndrome, PF syndrome, meniscal issues, shin splints, etc.
There are options available within each category of footwear for this, such as the Kinvara/Mirage, Gravity/Motion, DS Sky Speed/DS Trainer, Green Silence/ST5, etc.
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The key takeaway is that there is no universal type of product that will be effective. Instead, we must continue to take into account the individual at hand, and work with their mechanics and stride to find the appropriate type of footwear to let them run injury free, whether that's a pair of VFFs, Brooks Beasts, and everything in between.
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