Running- heel first or not?
NadNight
Posts: 794 Member
Runners!! Is there a right way to jog/run? Most people seem to jog heel first but I've seen suggestions that striking mid-foot is the way to go? Will one way leave you more prone to injury or is it just personal preference?
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Replies
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You'll find that it's a bit of a religious war, some very vocal advocates of forefoot strike.
In practice the evidence that I've seen suggests that you go for the gait that's appropriate for you. Some advocate forcing a gait change, but in practice that leads to an increased risk of alternate injuries.
From my perspective I generally advocate a short, quick step that lands your leading foot underneath your centre of mass. That's likely to encourage a midfoot strike, but it's not essential.
ETA: I've also seen some material, albeit with a small sample size, suggesting that by 10K into a race almost everyone was heel striking. Essentially everyone who started with a forefoot strike, had moved away from it in the course of the race.10 -
I suggest not worrying about your foot strike and instead focus on your form. Run upright (no lean forward or back at the waist), take short quick steps (feet should land under you and extend behind you as you push off), and swing your arms with your body (not across it). Doing this will prevent the jarring type heel strikes that cause the most problems.
FWIW - I land ever so slightly on my heel. I can't tell when I'm running that I'm doing it but it is obvious when I have my stride analyzed on video. I personally do not care. A few years ago (before I knew better) I tried to change and paid big time with my achillies (both feet).
Check out this book on the subject. It is very well written and researched.3 -
With regular running shoes, I find it very difficult to not heel strike. I have to really think about it, and it feels awkward, to try anything else.
Now, if you try running barefoot, or with minimalist shoes, you'll find it much more natural to land on the ball of the foot. Most of us are not used to that, so it's important to gradually ease into this type of running (I've been injured by doing too much too soon barefoot). I will say that it's easier on the knees to forefoot strike rather than heel strike, but in my experience, a good cushioned pair of running shoes can limit the impact on the knees.2 -
I naturally run on the front of my foot, because that's the way my body runs best. I visited an exercise physiologist to show me how to run (took it up recently at 42) and he said anyone wanting to run and minimize injury should do so in a way that's comfortable for them, change it and you'll probably get hurt5
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I coach triathlon to kids- we teach foot landing using skipping. You will naturally find that you land midfoot, and then your heel taps the floor. Forefoot overloads the calf and achilles. But it doesnt really matter if you heel strike. It does create braking force, but there isnt much evidence it is detrimental (physiologically) until you are running fast (like sub 6 minute miles). So run however feels natural. I found my heel striking stopped when I went through the process of improving my cadence. It comes bacj when Im very fatigued, but thats fine.1
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One good way to find out about your personal running style is to have a half hour run on a treadmill with bare feet.
The last 10 minutes are "The Truth" (when your brain forgets what it has been taught and you start running on "Auto").
Most likely this will be a midfoot tap. For being the best compromise between shock-absorption (fore-foot running) and relief of achilles and calf (heel).
After finding out about your "personal" style all you need to do ist to find the shoes that support your style best.
A good runner's store will help you here.1 -
I'm a mid foot strike fan. I'd never tell someone to intentionally heel strike. In my opinion, a heel strike and severe over striding that causes excessive brake forces is the big recipe for injury. If your stride is shorter and quicker with a heel strike that quickly rolls to midfoot, I don't think it's that big a deal.0
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Run with the strike that's most comfortable to you. The only thing you have to worry about is keeping your strides short in order to land with your foot under your center of mass (running cadence in the 170-180 SPM range) and to learn to keep your knees 'soft' on impact in order to absorb some of the landing shock with the big muscles in your thigh.
When done properly, good efficient running should feel like you are gliding, not bounding.2 -
Let me add that when the toe-shoe craze hit a few years ago, several people I know got foot injuries while using them. Running barefoot-- even on a treadmill-- is a risk. (Some people might get away with it, however.)
I gathered from a couple of running books that you should develop your own natural stride through repetition. The only thing I've somewhat reinforced is an increase in cadence over what I might naturally fall into. (I push my cadence also in cycling and swimming.)0 -
Try running barefoot. Your body will teach you how to run. Just do it easy at first.3
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The problem with "just do whatever stride feels natural to you" is that when any noob goes to buy "running shoes" they're gonna be sold something with a giant heel block on it. Which is specifically built for heel-strikes. That's been the default for decades.
Flat/"zero drop" shoes are intended for mid- or forefoot strikes but you're not gonna know that unless you've read a bunch of recent running info.
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An excellent book is "Natural Running - the simple path to stronger, healthier running" by Danny Abshire. You can read excerpts of it at this Google Books link. He also has some videos on YouTube -- I've included one below, and you can find the others by typing his name.
https://books.google.com/books?id=fPU5CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT19&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OE1OPzBc04 0 -
feisty_bucket wrote: »The problem with "just do whatever stride feels natural to you" is that when any noob goes to buy "running shoes" they're gonna be sold something with a giant heel block on it. Which is specifically built for heel-strikes. That's been the default for decades.
Flat/"zero drop" shoes are intended for mid- or forefoot strikes but you're not gonna know that unless you've read a bunch of recent running info.
Really? The norm?
I run in these giant heel freaks of nature. I also race in them (as do many others). Even the 'Breaking 2' participants wore these horrid shoes (and they are the fastest half and full marathoners on the planet). They have worked well regardless of what the current recent religion tells you.6 -
I run in these giant heel freaks of nature. I also race in them (as do many others). Even the 'Breaking 2' participants wore these horrid shoes (and they are the fastest half and full marathoners on the planet). They have worked well regardless of what the current recent religion tells you.
These?
I'm not disparaging heel-strikes; they're definitely faster because they allow longer strides.
My point was that 99% of the people you see on MFP saying, "I want to start running via Couch-to-5K; I need shoes!" are gonna go to the store and buy shoes for heel strikes.
And then a bunch of the advice in this thread is "You should run with whatever technique feels natural to you."
Well, if you're starting with heel strike shoes, you're gonna heel strike. And unless you've tried anything else, you're gonna heel strike. So, blah blah blah.
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I've been running for 40 years -- I mostly run mid-foot, maybe slightly heel strike -- but I have a short stride and higher turnover. I'm not a fast runner at all. The only time I get hurt is when I try to push speed by striding longer, not moving my legs faster. You don't need minimalist shoes to force yourself to land mid-foot, just don't stretch your legs out as far, run upright. When you run downhill, feel like you're leaning slightly forward to stay upright, don't lean back. I've never had knee issues, just hamstring and the older I get more aches and pains. But unlike what guy above says, even though I wear standard shoes (even Hokas sometimes which are seriously cushioned, I don't heel strike.) If you have questions feel free to ask.1
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feisty_bucket wrote: »
And then a bunch of the advice in this thread is "You should run with whatever technique feels natural to you."
And in this thread you've got three marathon runners, two of whom are ultra runners. You've got at least one running coach.
There's also some bad advice.I'm not disparaging heel-strikes; they're definitely faster because they allow longer strides
Fwiw heel strike causes some braking effect and can lead to increased vertical oscillation. If one is overriding then it can increase risk of chronic injury. It's very much a short distance gait.
Greater determinants of pace are cadence and push-off, so driven by glute strength rather than leg reach.2 -
I have to say that I think this is a very important subject, because developing good form will prevent long term injuries.
First, let's talk about running shoes. I am obsessed with them. I own just about every brand and type. I recently tried a couple brands of these barefoot running shoes. When I say barefoot running shoes, I mean a shoe that is zero drop, has a flat sole & wide toe box, has no cushioning, and has no arch support. A shoe that allows your foot to feel the details of the ground. This type of shoe is intended to let your feet do the work, and are basically just there to protect the bottom of your feet from harsher surfaces.
Like I said, I have a whole closet full of running shoes ranging from 100 to 200 dollars per pair. Since I started using the barefoot shoes though, I realize that my feet are weak, and my form sucks. I blame it to some degree on all these running shoes that did not allow my feet to do all the work, and did not allow me to develop good running form.
The first thing I learned with these barefoot shoe was that my form changed drastically. I went from being a heel striker to being a forefoot striker real quick. Being able to feel the ground made me realize that heel striking hurts, and my brain automatically made my body change my form to land on my forefoot. At that point it felt like my feet were being shove up to the front of the shoe with every stride, and again, my brain made my body take shorter strides with a higher cadence. At that point I felt like I was striking too far forward on my foot, because I could really feel my calf and Achilles tendon stressing too much, and again my brain made my body adjust to more of a mid foot strike and my heel just tapping the ground after the mid foot strike.
These shoes have also changed my power walking form as well. I strike much more forward on my heel now, where before, I was striking at the back edge of my heel, and now I strike on the bottom of my heel. I also feel much less breaking action in both power walking and running. I am not saying that barefoot running will magically make you a better runner, but I will say that they will allow your brain to make your body change your running form (if you have bad form like i do), and make you realize how important good form is to running and walking.
I would challenge people to just take your shoes off and try running on a hard flat surface for a couple minutes. If you have bad running form, you will know it pretty quickly, and your brain will make your body start adjusting your form too. Take it slow and don't over do it.
At this point my feet and lower legs are killing me, but it's all muscle, tendon, and foot pad pain. I do not feel any of the joint & shin pain that I used to feel. I think it has to do with using my muscles and tendons to absorb the shock (mid foot strike), instead of letting my joints absorb the shock (heel striking), but I'm not a doctor so I don't know for sure.
I am taking it very slow because I feel like I am starting all over again from scratch because I am using different components (joints vs muscles/tendons), and I still feel a little awkward even just walking sometimes. But I feel like my feet, ankles, and lower legs are getting stronger, and I am very aware of my form and constantly trying to fine tune it.
So far, I can run almost 1 mile in these shoes on paved surface, but mostly do 1 minute run / 4 minute power walk intervals over a 3 to 4 mile distance. I will slowly increase as my feet get stronger and am giving myself a year to get to the point I was at running the way I used to run (i could only run 5 miles at a slow pace to begin with).
There is no cost in just taking your shoes off and trying to run for a few minutes. I think it would be an excellent way to evaluate your running form.4 -
Detritus_1965 wrote: »One good way to find out about your personal running style is to have a half hour run on a treadmill with bare feet.
The last 10 minutes are "The Truth" (when your brain forgets what it has been taught and you start running on "Auto").
Most likely this will be a midfoot tap. For being the best compromise between shock-absorption (fore-foot running) and relief of achilles and calf (heel).
After finding out about your "personal" style all you need to do ist to find the shoes that support your style best.
A good runner's store will help you here.
I get where you are coming from, but feel that most people would *kitten* themselves up for days running 30 minutes barefoot on a treadmill.
I'd think for most, a few minutes of this exercise would show one's personal style.0 -
feisty_bucket wrote: »The problem with "just do whatever stride feels natural to you" is that when any noob goes to buy "running shoes" they're gonna be sold something with a giant heel block on it. Which is specifically built for heel-strikes. That's been the default for decades.
Flat/"zero drop" shoes are intended for mid- or forefoot strikes but you're not gonna know that unless you've read a bunch of recent running info.
Do you have any idea of how many elite runners are heel strikers? Zero drop shoes are not for everybody but there's a cult like belief in them in some circles (they must have hired some Apple marketing executives)
OP I subscribe to the use your natural gait school of thought but with the caveat that you should avoid over-striding (ie getting your forward foot way out front and then landing hard on your heel) Try to keep your stride comfortably short (forward foot doesn't go too far forward of your hips) which will promote a natural light heel strike / midfoot strike.
I would encourage you to be open to trying different shoes, just be cautious when going from an 8 or 10mm drop to 2mm or zero (use the new shoes for short slow runs at first to see how you feel) Despite all of the so-called innovations in shoes injury rates among runners have remained relatively unchanged for decades. Most running injuries are the result of doing too much, too soon, too fast - listen to your body and look after little niggles before they become full blown injuries (advice all of us have received and most of us have ignored) and have fun.1 -
feisty_bucket wrote: »I run in these giant heel freaks of nature. I also race in them (as do many others). Even the 'Breaking 2' participants wore these horrid shoes (and they are the fastest half and full marathoners on the planet). They have worked well regardless of what the current recent religion tells you.
These?
I'm not disparaging heel-strikes; they're definitely faster because they allow longer strides.
My point was that 99% of the people you see on MFP saying, "I want to start running via Couch-to-5K; I need shoes!" are gonna go to the store and buy shoes for heel strikes.
And then a bunch of the advice in this thread is "You should run with whatever technique feels natural to you."
Well, if you're starting with heel strike shoes, you're gonna heel strike. And unless you've tried anything else, you're gonna heel strike. So, blah blah blah.
And no one is saying over striding is correct. It is a problem and will cause injury.
What I (and others) are saying is to focus on your stride not on your foot strike. Land under or slightly in front of your body and your foot strike will take care of itself. Purposely changing the way you land will move the force from the part that is used to it to a part that is not. Suddenly putting 3 times your body weight on your achillies and calves several thousand times in a row is not going to be good for you if you've never done it before.2 -
lightenup2016 wrote: »With regular running shoes, I find it very difficult to not heel strike. I have to really think about it, and it feels awkward, to try anything else.
Now, if you try running barefoot, or with minimalist shoes, you'll find it much more natural to land on the ball of the foot. Most of us are not used to that, so it's important to gradually ease into this type of running (I've been injured by doing too much too soon barefoot). I will say that it's easier on the knees to forefoot strike rather than heel strike, but in my experience, a good cushioned pair of running shoes can limit the impact on the knees.
I found this also to be true, when I run in regular sneakers, I found it very hard to toe strike, but when I wore my 5-fingers, I could do either, but wanted to toe strike since I'm a fairly heavy runner.1 -
Ok, so I have been using barefoot shoes for about a couple weeks now, and I have to say...
MY FREEKIN FEET ARE FREEKIN KILLING ME!!!
I can't even get a decent cardio because it hurts too much, and my Achilles tendon is very tender and sore. I have been trying to take it easy and work on my form (which sucks to begin with), and have been focusing on mid-foot striking and just letting my heel touch the ground after the mid-foot strike. I power walk a lot, and at first learned that I was slamming the back of my heel pretty hard (something i did not notice with my cushioned shoes), and have been working on impacting on the bottom of my heel now.
One thing these barefoot shoes have done is expose weaknesses in my form both running and walking, and make me realize that I have to work on that.
I am rethinking this whole thing now. I have a pair of Altra Escalante's, and they are zero drop, flexible, flat with no real arch support, but they have some cushioning. I put them on yesterday and within a matter of hours my feet felt fine again, and my Achilles tendon is hardly sore at all now.
I think now that I will use the Escalante's so I can work on my form without killing my feet, and throw the barefoot shoes on periodically to evaluate my progress.
The up side is that I am learning stuff...:)0
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