Question for all you runners!

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cgilles9
cgilles9 Posts: 53 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I am a newbie runner, and am very confused by the proper running technique. You see, I've always thought that the "normal" way of running was to strike on your heel and roll towards your toe as the proper form. I now have this personal trainer that is telling me that I'm supposed to run up on my toes and land on the ball of my foot. I guess I can see how this may limit the impact on my body, but it is so different from what I'm used to. I tried it for a little part of my run last night, but it felt so weird, I had to stop. Obviously it is a new style of running that my body would need time to adjust to, but I wanted to get your advice before I go changing my whole running style.

You should know that I am a good 70 lbs overweight, so limiting the impact on my joints is my ultimate goal.

Replies

  • timboom1
    timboom1 Posts: 762 Member
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    You are going to get all kinds of replies that are going to contradict each other as there are alot of strong feelings about certain running styles. So here is my 2 cents, which has very little to do with wearing shoes, chi running or any other of the current running religions. (Note: I don't have any real opinion, I just think that running is individual and what works for one may or may not work for another.)

    First, you are starting out, so if you go with shoes, get good shoes fitted at a local running store (save money on the second pair after you know they are the right pair.)

    Second, start slow both in terms of pace and terms of miles. You will need to build your heart, lungs, muscles, tendons, ligaments etc... and all of that will go better if you don't do too much too soon.

    Third, I would not worry about foot strike. Worry about foot placement. When you run, you will want to be sure your feet are landing under your center of gravity. This may mean keeping a shorter stride (and going slower as you build) but it will be the foundation of good form for years to come.

    Heel striking is not ideal, running on your toes also can have its problems. Ideally you want to strike midfoot. All that aside, as a beginner, I would not worry too much about, if you are like most runners, as your body adapts, you lose weight and you gain endurance, your foot strike and other mechanics will change and become more efficient without you forcing it.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    In terms of impact heel striking should be avoided (having said that there are a number of world class runners who are obvious heel strikers). I wouldn't necessarily agree with landing on the ball of the foot either, try going for a mid-foot strike (it's more natural and reduces impact) by shortening your stride - your leading foot doesn't extend very far in front of your body.

    If you are going to radically change your stride introduce the changes slowly. Keep the runs a little shorter as your body will need time to adapt to the different running mechanics.

    Personally, I found I gravitated towards more of a mid-foot strike (I was a heel striker too) as a result of running outdoors in the winter. When you're running on snow you have no choice but to shorten your stride (or end up on your butt)
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    Mid foot. I call my gait "frankensteinish" but take comfort in knowing that I'm less injury prone that way LOL. As I get faster though (with a presumably longer stride) I have to watch myself more that I don't start heel striking.
  • jrmartinezb
    jrmartinezb Posts: 147 Member
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    First of all congratulations on starting running!

    I started too a couple of months ago. It definitely got easier as I got less heavy.

    In my experience a midfoot strike is the best. As timboom said, that might mean a shorter stride, but that is ok. I've found that I get tired much faster with long strides than with shorter ones, and i also find it easier on the knees.

    Just my 2cts
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Ideally, you don't want to be landing on your heal. Nor do you want to be landing on your toes/balls of your feet. At least not in terms of good running form. Your trainer may be having you exaggerate your stride/step so you land on the balls of your feet to change your stride/habits, or maybe to help strengthen your foot/calves, or maybe jsut to reduce impact that much more. But from the standpoint of pure running form, you want to be landing with your midfoot (think the backside of the balls of your feet). It will feel weird at first, and it'll likely make your calves hurt too.

    To work on it, try shortening yoru stride so your weight/feet stay under you (don't let your lead foot get too far out in front). Also, try landing more flat footed - your foot shouldn't be pointed up (heel striking), nor should it be pointed down (landing on your toes/balls of feet). Start out on the grass or a treadmill (something softer than concrete) until you get the feel for the "sweet spot" in your stride.

    I completely changed my stride earlier this year and it has really helped with my lower back problems.
  • sabreguy
    sabreguy Posts: 3
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    I have just started also and have no idea about foot strike I just run with a natural gait but i have found
    something that has helped me tremendously. I ordered a music file from amazon which has military
    cadences (the songs they sing while running in formation) nice steady rythems and uplifting words.
    I use very short strides to keep up with the pace almost running in place. I am getting better very quickly.
  • cgilles9
    cgilles9 Posts: 53 Member
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    Thank you so much, everybody! I have never even heard about landing on the middle of your foot; this is why I joined this website! :)

    Also, I'm so glad many of you mentioned the stride. I found myself intentionally elongating my stride, because it seemed like every runner I see has such a long gait. I definitely do not, and it felt so unnatural. That's definitely a relief that I can shorten up my stride, to what feels normal. :)
  • ejwme
    ejwme Posts: 318
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    they've gotten better at understanding shoe design in the past ~40 years or so...

    From what I've been able to gather, the extreme heel strike started as an idea to use the foot to propel the runner forward as fast as posible. If you look at sprinters, that's what they do. So running shoe manufacturers cushed up the heel, so people wouldn't hurt their heel... starting in the 70s or so. Before that, people wore what look like "old school racing flats" - they look spookily like today's barefoot shoes but with a standard toe box instead.

    I started running about 20 years ago, but only started paying attention to shoes 10 years ago. About 10 years ago, barefoot running was pretty far from mainstream - in fact, as an even-gaited runner, I struggled to find shoes that simply didn't adjust for pronation (because I don't do it!). I started moving towards minimalist shoes simply to avoid the whole "stability" shoe market which started to seriously wear on my hips. Moving to those shoes naturally moved my gait from a heel strike on cushy shoes to a mid-foot strike in flat shoes (google "heel-toe drop" and check out the results). Then I discovered I was accidentally following this anti-heel-strike, barefoot trend. First time in my life I'm on trend, go figure.

    Now, in shopping with a friend who pronates like it's her job, I've discovered there are distance running shoes with lower heels even for pronators (so they promote mid-foot strikes, but still provide stability). If you've got a pair of shoes that's older, even if you haven't used them much, and they've got a significant heel-toe drop, you're likely going to find it impossible to achieve a mid-foot strike, because there's just too much shoe in your way. Even if they're not older, if they've got a bulky heel, you're going to struggle. You're lucky, though, because it's now popular enough, and "we" are smart enough, that you've got tons of shoe options to help, no matter what your goal. Local Running Shoe store (NOT Footlocker or other big-box, generic "sports" store) will help you figure out what will serve you best.

    At the same time, going from heel-striking to mid-foot strike is a process. It won't happen overnight. It might involve a couple pairs of shoes with lower and lower drops as you change your gait. Personally, I found it easier to play with my gait on hills - landing on the balls of my feet happens naturally on steep up-hills, heel striking (even in minimalist shoes) is virtually a given on steep down-hills. And you might find achey calves are pretty constant until those little stabilizer muscles build up and start to actually take the impacts. Anything sharp or prolonged, go see a sports medicine doctor.

    Play with it. Pay attention to your body. Like learning to bowl or golf or flip pancakes - if you've never done it before, it will feel awkward, and sussing out the difference between "awkward" and "damaging" can take a lot of trial and error, be patient with yourself. Take it easy, and don't forget that just by putting on shoes (of any kind) and going out the door, you WIN!
  • NikkiSmo
    NikkiSmo Posts: 180 Member
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    I'm somewhat of a new runner myself and I had to laugh when reading your story, because I had no clue there was a "right" way to run either. But I can only imagine when you were out there trying to put all the new forms into place while just trying to run I bet you felt and looked awkard. I know I would have!! That's why I had to chuckle becaue of the mental I just had. Best of luck to you, I used the C25K app and LOVED it. I now run 5 miles every other day and I'm pretty sure I have a heel srtike. You know I will be thinking about all of this next time I run......... ha ha ha

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