With the pose method of running am I right in thinking you are basically running on your toes? (ie no heel strike but on the toes all the time?)
I’ve been back to a shoe store and the sales assistant explained to me that no shoe manafactuer caters for someone who runs on their toes as oppossed to a heel strike. Of course he had spikes for this but according to him there is no such thing as running on your toes over 400 meters.
He went through all the different brands and how they cater for a heel strike and then wheter they roll on to the toe straight away or if they pronate they have different brands. So is it true that no one runs over 5k in the pose method?
I don’t think you should ever be landing as far forward as your toes, more around the ball of the foot.
Its still difficult to find shoes which allow you to run in this more natural way. I find in "normal"running shoes I run well if I am running quite fast but at a moderate pace the dam high heal catches the ground first and forces a heal landing.
I suspect running shoe designers are mainly closet drag queens who feel we all need to be wearing high heals all the time.
Your best bet is probably race flats or puma H-streets I think thats what the pose sight reccomends. Others use aqua socks.
Which ever way you go take it easy, I am keen to move to more minimal shoes to allow me to run more naturally. However twenty years of slamming my brand name heals into the ground is going take some time and patinece to undo.
At this stage I am still in "normal"running shoes with orthotics, I currently use Vitruvian Proportion II shoes which I buy over the internet. They’re cheap and work very well for me, they also feel a lot more "natural"than some of the more expensive bricks I have run in the past.
I am also doing a bit of "barefoot"well actually in aqua socks (from the warehouse) for glass protection and that seems to be helping strengthen the muscles in my feet.
I hope soon to start doing some running in race flats, with orthotics, then eventually drop the orthotics.
I hope in time to be running injury free in a very minimal shoe. I expect this will however take quite some time, possible a couple of years.
In the past I have found shoe science very good, but I think they will try to put you in a “traditional running shoe”. I don’t know of many/any shop assitants who understand what pose/chi/barefoot running is all about.
In Auckland there is a running shoe store right between The Orca Shop and Avanti Bike Shop. I forgot the name of the shop or the street. But look up the address of The Orca Shop and the running shop is literally next to it. That is where u want to get ur running shoes.
I run in a minimal shoe - Nike Waffle Racers. These have very little heel raise. I just got my second set - and the wear pattern on the first set is most pronounced on the heel. If you asked me to describe it while running though, I feel most of the impact at the mid-foot. I tried conciously running on the balls of my feet (i.e. more pose-like) and ended up hurting myself. I was successful, however, when I just ran and let the foot fall as it wished - with the only caveat being to keep my foot strike at 90 steps per minute (per leg - i.e. every 10 seconds I take 30 total steps). It takes a while to build up the muscles in the lower leg, but it is the only way I have been able to run without developing shin splints or knee pain.
Agree on the Proportion IIs. They have a low heel rise for a training shoe (9mm vs 12mm for most) and the have a very flexible forefoot. They’re also fairly light in feel and actual weight (~10.5 oz) for a trainer. Besides, the price $60 including shipping is great.
I am not connected with Vitruvian other than the various shoes I have bought for me and my family.
“The global change in running mechanics associated with 12 weeks of instruction in the pose method resulted in a decrease of running economy in triathletes.”
Note one of the authors of this study is George Dallam, Hunter Kemper’s coach.
That is, POSE may change the site of your running injuries from the knee to the ankle/achilles. I guess a change might be good…
Also from this study, "The running speed for midfoot running (3.06 ± 0.42 m·s-1) was greater than for Pose running (2.90 ± 0.37 m·s-1) (P = 0.001). "
Dr. Noakes wrote in his running club (Celtic Harriers) newsletter, “We have not shown that the Pose Method makes you run faster or that it reduces risk of injury…these are the very questions we’ll be researching over the next two years”.
So, his first study shows no improved speed from forcing gait changes. I’d be surprised if the subsequent studies show anything to change this conclusion…
POSE discussions are like whack-a-mole, only not as much fun.
Just curious, have you ever given it a go? I’m just wondering if you are calling bullshit on my running style from the bleachers or if you are speaking from practical experience.
There’s the problem. When you have trained yourself to run a certain way (not necessarily the right way) for many years, you can’t expect to make a complete adaptation to a new method in 12 weeks.
I agree with your points, but this quote in the Pose website is funny:
*...This Pose Method is something that has been tremendously valuable to me personally, to our team and is definitely the clearest, simplest way to teach an athlete to run efficiently.* **George Dallam,**
"Also funny is you thinking you’re landing mid-foot and wearing the heel out "
Well, let me re-iterate that I do not believe in Pose.
My point was just that I don’t feel the heel strike - but when I look at the bottom of my shoes they show I am heel-striking. In otherwords, I believe it is nonsense to try NOT to heel strike.
But then again, what the hell do I know…I’m an aerospace engineer…
Any Pose “study” has to be done over 12 months, 12 weeks doesn’t even get you started.
I clearly remember reading that Noakes study said that impact to the knee was reduced by something like 35-50% but he couldn’t reccomend it until further study
You know, its funny. I never knew about the “Pose” running style until I visited this site, but have always ran on what I’d characterize as “my toes,” which is probably really the balls of my feet. I always figured I was doing something wrong, as every shoe review, etc. talks about a heel strike.
In trying to run with a heel strike, I was plagued with achilles heel issues. Since adopting what feels more natural, those problems have cleared up. Also, I switched out of a structure shoe to a the Asics DS Trainers, which I feel give me a good mix of shock absorption for pounding down heels, and also some cushion in the forefoot. I haven’t read any Pose literature, so I don’t know if this is the wrong type of shoe for this or not, but it works for me.
Any Pose “study” has to be done over 12 months, 12 weeks doesn’t even get you started.
I clearly remember reading that Noakes study said that impact to the knee was reduced by something like 35-50% but he couldn’t reccomend it until further study
oh do please read my posting before responding…
The quality of argument from Pose propenents is deteriorating…
Doug,
I agree with your points, but this quote in the Pose website is funny:
…This Pose Method is something that has been tremendously valuable to me personally, to our team and is definitely the clearest, simplest way to teach an athlete to run efficiently.George Dallam,former Head Coach
USA triathlon National Team
that is funny. I’ve seen George run, and he isn’t POSing…
Just curious, have you ever given it a go? I’m just wondering if you are calling bullshit on my running style from the bleachers or if you are speaking from practical experience.
only thirty-one years of running/coaching experience. When I criticized POSE based on that, I got grief for not having citations. Now the studies are there, so I don’t have to rely on anecdote and my reasoning (which, I am happy to say, was fully justified in every detail by the studies).
I’m not sure why POSE advocates always take it personally. It’s not a criticism of you, it’s a criticism of a training method that has no basis in scientific theory or experience. Perhaps I can save someone from injury and wasted time - that’s all I’m trying to do, no other dog in this fight.
