runners, esp minimalists - changing my stride

jacksonpt

Any tips on how to go about changing my stride?

I'm not a heavy heal striker, but due to some back issues, I want to try to get more weight/impact up on the balls of my feet. Is it just a matter of being conscientious of my stride for a few runs and eventually turning it into habit, or is there more to it?

SheehyCFC

bump - I'm curious about this too (though I am definitely more of a heel striker)

spngebobmyhero

I would say walk conscientiously first to get your stride down and then practice jogging slowly. I wear Toms a lot, so switching to jogging in vibrams wasn't difficult for me. Good luck

CarsonRuns

Count steps. Aim for 180 steps per minute, even up to 200. Quick, short steps will keep your feet under your torso giving you the mid-foot to fore foot strike you are seeking. A word of caution, you may start to hurt in areas that you don't normally feel when you change your stride.

runfatmanrun

I just changed and here is what works for me: Keep the stride short and quick, it will help you land on the balls of your feet. Also I recently read that running barefoot for a short period after your normal run will help, I haven't tried it though. I am still working through it but already notice a difference in knee pain, or the lack thereof and I can run faster for longer. In addition, calf pain will be normal and suck until you are proficient at least it is for me.

runfatmanrun

Count steps. Aim for 180 steps per minute, even up to 200. Quick, short steps will keep your feet under your torso giving you the mid-foot to fore foot strike you are seeking. A word of caution, you may start to hurt in areas that you don't normally feel when you change your stride.

This. I usually hit 170-175 steps per min so I know I have work to do.

BrianSharpe

I'm going to guess you get a fair bit of snow in the winter where you are - run outdoors all year 'round. Running in winter conditions forces you to shorten your stride (or fall on your butt) - that's what got me a mid foot strike.

scottb81

It makes it easier to fore or midfoot strike if you are wearing a shoe with a minimal heel to toe drop.

Also, a running metronome can be used to help in speeding up cadence. Or, if you are using a garmin, the footpod can give you a readout of your cadence throughout a run.

waldo56

Spend a few minutes each week running barefoot on a suitable surface. Unless you have serious issues your body will not naturally heel strike when running barefoot, you will natually run with very good form. Apply these self coaching sessions to when you run in shoes. It doens't need to be long and you don't have to go fast, you are just teaching yourself what the form feels like, it can be treated like a coaching session not a workout.

Over time it helps to take away your crutch, the big poofy shoe under your heel. Not necessarily go to vibram-level minimal shoes, but low drop shoes such as racing flats, or less extreme minimal shoes that don't angle your foot in a way that makes heel strinking difficult to avoid, really help to foster midfoot striking. I have a midfoot strike and run on roads and sidewalks (and am a pretty big guy, even at my goal weight) so I want some shoe under me, but also want relatively flat shoes with no heel to get in the way; Saucony Kinvara's are my shoe of choice.