I tend to tinker a lot, that’s just my nature, and it has served me well in many aspects of life… even in multi-sport… but it seems to be counterproductive to my running. I’ve been injury-free on the run since January by simply logging a lot of long slow distance runs in neutral shoes (Asics Gel-Lyte33 3) on concrete/asphalt. I’ve gradually increased my volume and quickened my pace. Last week I got a pair of Newton Energy (five lug, forget the exact model) and took them out for a short run. I could feel my form change throughout the run: I was landing on the lugs as opposed to my heels, my posture got a bit more upright, my cadence was quicker, and at the end of four miles my glutes were fatigued. Cool!
On Saturday I ran in a local 5k… on loose dirt and sand. Later that evening, the outside of my left knee just below the knee cap started talking to me. I tried running yesterday and today but pulled the plug both times within the first quarter mile because of the pain. This is inconvenient timing as I have St. Anthony’s at the end of this month so I’m going to just not run the rest of this week and give it another go on Saturday.
In retrospect, running hard in new shoes on an unfamiliar medium was pretty stupid. However, this is not my first rodeo in trying to transition to more of a mid-foot strike. I’ve tried twice previously and both times it has resulted in injury. One time it resulted in what I’m assuming was a minor fracture in one of the bones of my feet (that’s what I get for running too hard, too fast, on concrete in Merrill Trail Gloves) and the other time it resulted in an identical injury to what I know have with my left knee.
My question is this: is there anything to transitioning to a mid-foot strike? Can I stick with my heel strike and have a long and healthy running career (I don’t crash down on my heel, I actually land pretty softly)? Is running just one of those things where you stick with what works (shoes, technique, etc)? Have any of you successfully transitioned your technique or run into problems similar to mine?
Running economy primarily increases with volume (over the years) and with speed/hillwork. Consciously altering stuff can be beneficial, but probably only as a newbie runner since your economy is already bad and you might have bad habits from other sports. Sure thing it is probably good to try to quicken the cadence if you are <80 but playing around with foot strike is not, imo, a good way to go. Run tall, keep cadence up, go hard once a week and do some easy miles the rest of the days and you will be fine. Running is pretty easy to get pretty good at (the real art is getting really good).
Same as the others said. Mid or front foot strike is more a result of good running form than it is a way to enforce it. Run tall, activate your glutes in running and you might result in a mid/front foot strike…or you might not. Doesn’t really matter. The mid/front foot/minimalistic support story of the last years is/was a hype.
The key is good running form. It should come if you run enough. Although there are drills to train running form, balance, etc…
I had some calf problems and a chiro told me to focus on running ‘through my big toe’. Basically he meant to try and visualize and feel the tip of my big toe being the last thing to touch the ground as I push off. Forced my feet to face directly forward and less pigeon toed. Seems to have helped.
So you switched shoes and medium while increasing volume and pace? How did you decide that tinkering with form is the problem?
I try every little trick for running form that I hear, but I don’t define it by any one feature. As a relative novice I’ve noticed that it’s hard to keep half decent form when running very easy (“recovery run”) or when I’m very tired. Other than that, the effort itself never seems to hurt.
I never tried to overtly change my running style. But over the past 4-5 years, my running style has changed. Your body will generally find the most efficient way of doing what you tell it to, the same held true for my running gait and upper body carriage.
I agree - folks generally do better with their ‘natural’ footstrike. I feel I returned to mine (midfoot/ forefoot) after 10+ years of heel striking because I was told to do it that way - I used to be a sprinter but then I was told ‘distance runners heel strike’ …
Years of knee pain and problems ensued.
In 2008 I decided to change - the forefoot/midfoot strike felt SO MUCH more natural to me. However, due to the many years of heel striking, it took me a year or slightly more to fully switch.
I haven’t had knee pain since. Even in a marathon.
I have a friend who has injury issues when midfoot striking. When this person heel strikes, no issues. I believe this is quite telling.
I’ll say this, I never consciously attempted to change which part of my foot I landed on, but I did start thinking about where my foot landed on the ground - in a forewards/backwards sense - relative to my body and my centre of gravity. When I did that, I stopped heel striking anyway, for good or ill. It seems to me that if your foot hits the floor ahead of your COG that isn’t going to contribute very much to your forward motion. Seems easier to push than pull. That sounds more important to me, might be bollocks though.
Whether or not that is a good or bad thing I don’t know, but I improved quite quickly. Which may have been fitness, might have been a bit of economy, might be the new 3 inch split side running shorts I bought… however I do get complimented on my running style and the important thing is to get the ladies looking at you, no?
I’d have to say that Altras taught me how to run correctly. It’s a zero drop shoe so it forces you to land more in the front of your foot. Best pair of shoes I’ve ever owned (Paradigms). I’ve gone over 300 miles and still going strong. Last Sunday was the first time I’d ever gone under 20 minutes in a 5k leg in a triathlon and it’s all because of my Altras.
My question is this: is there anything to transitioning to a mid-foot strike? Can I stick with my heel strike and have a long and healthy running career (I don’t crash down on my heel, I actually land pretty softly)? Is running just one of those things where you stick with what works (shoes, technique, etc)? Have any of you successfully transitioned your technique or run into problems similar to mine?
As always, thanks in advance
Maybe. If you truly aren’t running well, then this may help. You could also find that as you get faster, you naturally transition to a mid-foot strike. Sort of the correlation!=causality argument.
Yes.
Yes. You may find that you can tinker around with shoes and regimen, but you’ll pretty quickly realize what does/doesn’t work.
Run into problems. Achilles didn’t like the change.
-J
I actually transitioned consciously to a midfoot stride. For me personally that seems to have made the difference between being severely affected by pain from my ankylosing spondylitis after 3k and doing 50 milers. But, as is always the case with anecdotes, that gives only anecdotal evidence. Whatever works for you is a better all-encompassing rule of thumb, probably.
Those are awesome questions. I think you are showing you really know your stuff already! Input from a coach/moderately okay runner that didn’t start until later in life:
Footstrike: Don’t worry about it too much. What matters way more is how you get to the footstrike than the moment of impact (I am a definite heelstriker at pace). Which brings me to…
Form: The biggest thing triathletes have trouble with at first is that fast running happens behind you, not in front (so the opposite feeling of cycling). The old analogy I’ve heard is to imagine you are trying to hold a quarter in your butt-cheeks. With each stride at faster pace, it should feel like a whole crap-ton of activity is happening behind your body, with your hips opening up and knees going backward, as opposed to driving your knees upward. When you really get the hang of it, you can almost feel like you’re falling forward while running fast (though not really, it’s just how it feels).
Shoes: My biggest pet peeve. Minimalism is GREAT to teach you how to run and to strengthen the lower legs. But it is HORRIBLE when you start logging enough miles and enough workouts to go fast. I know very few elite runners that do the bulk of their training in minimal shoes. I love the Nike Lunarglide (#sponsorshoutout), but also support Hokas and that sort of thing because at least they are not Merrells or whatever.
In practice: Strides. Lots and lots of strides. I think 100 meter smooth accelerations, even slightly downhill, are the best training tool for almost every runner. It teaches you how to run over time, and it makes you comfy at pace without injury risk.
Anyway, hope things heal up soon! You are awesome!
