Hi! I have decided to go from clunky heel strike running to midfoot/forefoot and upping my cadence, I really don’t wanna hear arguements for and against it, since it’s already decided.
I’m looking for shoes, could you come with reccomendations?
I’m thinking about Newton Gravity, how are those?
Also shoes for running in the forest terrain, and shoes for running on snow and ice, I assume Newtons might work on snow and ice, but are not very ideal in forest terrain? Would love if you could list up shoes you reccomend. cheers.
Racing flats bought a half size larger then you think is the perfect fit. Shoe Goo areas where the outsole starts thinning out. Start out easy then go easier then you think is necessary. Give it time. Don’t listen to the haters.
Agreed. I recommend starting out with a flat to transition, but not something too minimal. The Adidas Adizero line have a couple of nice options.
I race marathons in the Adios, which would be a great transition shoe at about 7 ounces.The Mana is also a nice shoe that I’ve used in the past. For shorter distances I race in the Adizero Rocket, but don’t think it’s enough shoe for someone making the transition.
If you decide you want to try a true miimalist shoe like the NB Minimus (great shoe), start out with very short runs to avoid the risk of injury. A good flat should allow you to run further in the beginning while working on your form.
I’m having a hard time understanding why a different kind of shoe is needed for midfoot running.
Why don’t you just stop heel striking and up your cadence with your current shoes? Are they making you run in a way that feels unnatural? Do they make you heel strike? Is there something that I’m missing?
I’m having a hard time understanding why a different kind of shoe is needed for midfoot running.
Why don’t you just stop heel striking and up your cadence with your current shoes? Are they making you run in a way that feels unnatural? Do they make you heel strike? Is there something that I’m missing?
jaretj
I have always been running with asics, with a really big heel but I have gotten injured. My running form was quite clunky, I was looking down, and my cadence wasn’t as good as it could, when I tried running barefoot and upping cadence, and using the pose form, I land forefoot/midfoot, but when I tried again with my asics, it feels clunky and unatural, therefore I think I have never ran naturally with my asics. My injury was because of big overpronation while not wearing orthodics. I now started wearing orthodics, but my injury isn’t completely healed (pain in my inner ancle, above where I overpronate).
So I read about this whole minimal thing, and I wanna try that.
I wanna start with complete minimal shoes, no shoes for transition, however I wanna do it with short regular runs, combined with frequent strength training in my calves, and stretching in my achilles. I’m gonna start out in the minimal shoes, and my orthodics in it, then after a while I gonna remove my orthodics, cause with minimal shoes and a natural stride, orthodics are no longer needed right?
I’m gonna buy Newton Gravity for asphalt I think, and it stands between New Balance Minimus and Inov 8 212 for trail I think, how does that sound?
It sounds like you also suffer from post tibias tendonitis. Its something Ive struggled with for a couple of years now. Like you I started in heavy asaics. I made the switch too minimal shoes and racing flats to work on form. It worked, but it was too little support and the problem kept comming back. One thing that I’ve learned from experiance is that your really need to be carefull with this. Atleast in my case, running 100% of the time in totally minimalist shoes was not the answer, as much as I loved how they felt on my feet, it was honestly too little and id get injured very quickly. Ive struck a nice balance with lightweight trainers. They have enough support and cusion with the orthotics for training runs, but are not quite as clunky. Asiacs DS trainers have worked well for me, as well as Saucony Fastwitch 5’s and Mizuno Wave riders. Ive found that these shoes with orthotics can provide me with enough support to get through my training runs. On race day I have no problem switching too minimal flats without orthotics for the race, so you get the best of both worlds. This method also got me through a tough season of college XC in once peice. Some other things that also helped is avoiding hard surfaces. I do 90% of my training on dirt trails. Ive also found that a great way to mimiize impact on my recovery runs is to run on a treadmill at a 6-7% grade. This has allowed me to successfully keep my milage up. Consistency was also key for me. I dont know your running background, but it helped for me to for 3-4 longer runs per week, to 6-7 shorter runs at first. Running 6 days a week was huge, but you have to be carefull to start the milage slow and build up again. Good luck with your injury, PM me if you’d like to know anytihng else, PTT is really annoying!
OK I think I understand where you are comming from now.
Just a note on what I look for in a shoe:
I first started running in the Brooks Beast cuz that is what the running store said I needed. I found that the shape of the shoe looking from the side was very flat, I still think that shape made me slap my foot on the ground rather than have a smooth transition from heel to toe.
After a few pairs of shoes I looked for a shoe that was very curved from heel to toe (again looking from the side) I still think that shape helps me roll from my heel to midfoot to toe much better. I still heel strike but if you look at the wear of my shoes you will see most of it on the midfoot to forefoot.
I really think that changing to that type of shoe helps me run better. Of course I do my best to keep my feet under my body and not overstride but heel striking is part of the way I run and the soft transition between the heel and toe makes my feet feel better.
Minimalist running shoes may help you but give this some thought too.
I’ve been running in minimalist shoes since '06, and have explored many of the main stream brands currently involved in the mid-foot craze. If you are transitioning froma normal shoe to a minimal one, I would highly recommend Saucony’s line (specifically the Kinvara and Mirage). These shoes have a great heel-toe drop, and still feel somewhat like a traditional running shoe. Even if you plan on moving to some of the more extreme styles of mid-foot shoes, this brand will definitely act as an excellent transition shoe for the “heel smasher” trying to get some efficiency without destroying his/her legs.
I’ll second the Mirage. I transitioned to midfoot/forefoot running with these and have been very happy with them although they do tend to lose their cushioning after 200-250 miles(I’m 180 lbs so that probably does not help with the shoes longevity!)
Also I’d look into the Brooks Pureflow. Still lots of cushioning with a similar heel drop to the Saucony shoes.
Okay, say for example, I pick newton gravity for hard surface running, and New Balance Minimus for trail running. I have not been running for 5 months now, and I’m so sick of waiting, I feel like I just have to go with something so I can build up my base again, as I said, I’ll go with orthodics, can it make my situation worse? I clearly had a problem with over striding, as my cadence wasn’t near 180 before.
One more question, I see the all hype about barefoot running etc, is it actually fast? Of course I wanna stay as injury free as possible but I also want to be able to go fast, this isnt just regarding barefoot, but a question regarding minimal shoes too
I would caution you to transition gradually. Start with 1k-1.5k and start slowly. Seriously!
Consider doing some eccentric achilles exercises to prevent injury. The Newton is a nice shoe, but it is VERY different. I have a pair, but haven’t had the time to acclimatize to them since I ran the NY marathon in them in '09. (I’m eyeing the MV2 for next year.)
If you are determined to get the Newtons, consider the Isaac as a first step. It has a moderate heel drop (ramp) of 8 mm.
Or, start with the Kinvara. It’s a bit dead, but has a low heel drop (5mm). Or the Adizero Rocket with ~6mm is a really nice flat with a pretty durable sole. AND, the Saucony A4 is a dream and you can get them pretty cheaply as well (heel drop 4-5mm)
A cheap alternative as a transition shoe would be some Saucony Kilkenny XC flats. They have a 4-5mm drop and you can get them for under $40 to your door. They have a nice firm sole. Then get the Gravity. Or get the Gravity, do 1k, switch to the Kilkenny and do the rest of your run. Gradually add miles to the Gravity.
I’d love to hear more about your PTT tips. I have struggled with it ever since I strained it at IMC in 1996! I have continued to do IMs, but this has been a nagging bugger to deal with. I have been using PowerStep insoles and they seem to keep it moderately in check.
I would caution you to transition gradually. Start with 1k-1.5k and start slowly. Seriously!
Consider doing some eccentric achilles exercises to prevent injury. The Newton is a nice shoe, but it is VERY different. I have a pair, but haven’t had the time to acclimatize to them since I ran the NY marathon in them in '09. (I’m eyeing the MV2 for next year.)
If you are determined to get the Newtons, consider the Isaac as a first step. It has a moderate heel drop (ramp) of 8 mm.
Or, start with the Kinvara. It’s a bit dead, but has a low heel drop (5mm). Or the Adizero Rocket with ~6mm is a really nice flat with a pretty durable sole. AND, the Saucony A4 is a dream and you can get them pretty cheaply as well (heel drop 4-5mm)
A cheap alternative as a transition shoe would be some Saucony Kilkenny XC flats. They have a 4-5mm drop and you can get them for under $40 to your door. They have a nice firm sole. Then get the Gravity. Or get the Gravity, do 1k, switch to the Kilkenny and do the rest of your run. Gradually add miles to the Gravity.
I bought the gravity shoe today, I honestly don’t believe lowering heel drop over time will have any effect, ill combine it with strength training and stretching. I’ll do a 3 km run tomorrow with them, ill see how I feel the day after. I’m going to mostly bike this week anyways, ill increase the distance to 3.5km next time. Ill ressurect this thread in 3 months and tell my progress
I honestly don’t believe lowering heel drop over time will have any effect
Quite an assumption! Take it easy.
Well I don’t see any reason to use lots of money, and doing it more complicated than it needs to be, I have now done these runs:
1st: 3 km run + strength and stretching
2nd: 4 km run + strength and stretching
3rd: 4 km run + strength and stretching
4th: 4,5 km run + strength and stretching
5th: 4 km run + strength and stretching
6th: 5,5 km run + strength and stretching
Gonna do 6 km today, I feel great tbh, on first few runs I started to “feel” it in my legs, but I have progressed so that I only feel it during last km, which I feel is a good indicator that I’m doing it right. to explain it easier, I feel how I was expected I’d feel
I have really liked my Newtons and think they have helped me mostly convert from a heal striker. They for sure make me think about it when running. I try and wear them every other run or for more focused runs (long run, speed work).
