With all the Newton hooplah over the last few months I thought I divulge a cheap alterantive for the peeps who so want to run on their forefoot rather than being a heel striker. Are you ready for this…drum roll please…HEEL CUPS, yep that’s right freakin heel cups. From the extensive studies that I have done on myself I have found that when I wear heel cups in my runners I naturally strike the ground with my forefoot.
Over the same 5k course I ran with the heel cups in 17:15, without the heel cups I ran 17:30…numerous times seeing as I misplaced my heel cups for the better part of a year, now that I have them back though I feel lighter on my feet and my heels feel much better. Welp that’s all hope this helps.
I’m with you. I’ve been wearing heel cups in my shoes for years because it helps me be a mid to forefoot striker. It seems a bit counterintuitive as the other poster said.
Nahh, the heel cup cants your foot forward in your shoe so like I said you strike the ground on either you fore or midfoot.
Hmm… I’m still not seeing it. If you put a heel cup in a shoe it lowers the heel of the shoe so that it’s the first thing that hits the ground. From that point forward it might transfer weight more forward on the foot, but in the air it does not "cant your foot forward’.
For Irondad…putting the heel cup in your shoe will raise your foot not lower your shoe.
Sneaky…out of curiousity have you video taped yourself to show the difference in foot strike position? I’d be interested to see that. Also, what kind of heel cups are you using? Gel, rigid, cushion?
I want to hear more about this. What kind of heel cup? I’ve seen a few different kinds. Maybe a link to the product? Does it make it really tight in the heel area?
I haven’t video taped myself, but I can feel the very noticible difference. The heel cushions that I am currently using are gel/cushiony I guess. I do not know the name brand, for I got them from the trainer at my college. Bruised my heel real bad doing the 400m hurdles my junior year, still is vulnerable as hell…sorry I digress. Hopefully the ol’ heel will hold up fine this upcoming year, haven’t raced since my junior year…been fighting the war on terror since then…sorry I digress again.
An even cheaper option would be to run with proper form. ie learn to midfoot strike, learn to run with a cadenance close to 90, and learn to not overstride.
It raises your heel when your foot is on the ground, but I would be willing to bet that during recovery (when the foot is in the air), your foot is in the same orientation as it is without the cup, and thus it actually changes the placement of the shoe relative to your foot, rather than changing the placement of your foot in space. And when you put your foot down, I’d also be willing to bet that the cup does not change how your foot approaches the ground, and thus it puts the shoe closer to the ground at the heel, rather than lowering your forefoot, making the heel of the shoe strike the ground first.
An even cheaper option would be to run with proper form. ie learn to midfoot strike, learn to run with a cadenance close to 90, and learn to not overstride.
And can be done the most cheap way of all – barefoot.
I was kind of wondering that same thing hence my curiousity over seeing a video. Whether the cushion just absorbs the impact making it feel like the heel isn’t hitting first.
I’m not doubting that it has helped him, the time difference tells me something has changed allowing him to improve. Whether the heel cup changes something ergonomically in the shoe and therefore changing his stride/cadence I don’t know.
Without seeing a before/after it seems like the heel cup would work to make you more of a midfoot striker if you already had a short stride/high cadence but were still a flat foot/heel striker. Is that possible?
An even cheaper option would be to run with proper form. ie learn to midfoot strike, learn to run with a cadenance close to 90, and learn to not overstride.
For all of you nay sayers, I think you all should try running with some form of a heel cup…considering they are fairly cheap, it would be an easy experiment. I am not doubting what any of you have said negating my thoughts, I am just saying it works for me, whether it is just in my head or what. I have seen the results plain and simple…just a thought though, since the heel cups cant the foot forward when you walk, naturally your foot would have more of a forward movement with heel cups rather than more of an upwards movement without heel cups. That being said, since ones forward propulsion is more predominant with heel cups wouldn’t one land naturally on their fore or midfoot to keep this natural momentum going?
When I get into work today I’m going to do some videotaping on the treadmill and see if I can determine a difference. Not that I think it makes a difference, but what shoes do you run in?
Saucony Grid Tangents, Nike Air Max Moto 4’s, Asics Gel Kayano 12’s, Asics Cumulo Nimbus last years model, nike free. I do my 5K’s and what not it the Free’s and the Tangents.
I have fairly good mechanics when I run, actually my mechanics are pretty damn good, so the poster who said I should work on those has got the wrong guy. Post your findings with the video when you get to them. Do you have one of those Acceleration treadmills? Thet’re pretty tits if I do say so myself…23mph for 6 seconds…might get 24 this year.
I feel the difference more in the racers for the sole naturally is not as pronounced, but I still feel a difference in my ordinary trainers…like I said I just found them after not wearing them for about nine months so I’ll post how the run goes in the trainers tonight.