So you want to start running

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Thank you!
THANK YOU!

Bump

Looks like the study was just a poster with no more details than what was in the abstract:
Presentation Abstract


Session: F-31-Running
Friday, May 30, 2014, 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Presentation: 2977 - Footstrike Patterns do not Influence Running Related Overuse Injuries in U.S. Army Soldiers
Location: WB1, Poster Board: 263
Pres. Time: Friday, May 30, 2014, 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Category: 0402. Biomechanics and Neural Control of Movement - sport biomechanics
Keywords: footstrike; soldier; injury
Author(s): Bradley J. Warr1, Rebecca E. Fellin1, Peter N. Frykman1, Shane G. Sauer1, Donald L. Goss2, Joseph F. Seay1. 1U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA. 2U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School, Ft. Sam Houston, TX. (Sponsor: Dr Edward J Zambraski, FACSM)
Abstract: Advocates of barefoot and minimalist running have speculated that there is a relationship between footstrike patterns (FSP) and injuries. Specifically, they assert that forefoot and midfoot-strike (non heelstrike, NHS) patterns result in fewer injuries when compared to heelstrike (HS) patterns. The majority of civilian runners demonstrate a HS pattern, but there is minimal data on FSP distribution between sexes. There are no large studies evaluating differences in injury profiles between HS and NHS. Soldiers in the US Army run as a requirement of their chosen occupation. Due to high musculoskeletal injury rates in soldiers, a better understanding of the potential relationship between FSP and injury could be beneficial to the military services. PURPOSE: To characterize FSP distributions in soldiers, examine differences between sexes, and determine relationship between FSP and training related injury for male and female soldiers. METHODS: 1027 soldiers (26.1± 6 y/o) from five different military bases participated. Each soldier ran through a designated lane at a typical training pace and then completed a survey about training habits and retrospective injury incidence. Two clinicians experienced with musculoskeletal injury classified reported injuries from the prior year as acute or overuse. Multiple footstrikes were recorded in the sagittal plane using a high-definition video camera. The association between FSP, sex and overuse injury (OI) were analyzed using Chi-square tests. RESULTS: The majority of all Soldiers were HS runners (83% v 17% NHS), with no significant difference in FSP distribution by gender (female=232, 85% HS v 15% NHS; male=795, 82% HS v 18% NHS; p =.30). There was no significant difference in the reporting of at least one OI in the past 12 months (15% v 18%, p=.58) between NHS and HS runners. Although women more frequently reported OI than males (27% v 14%, p≤.001), FSP was not related to OI within either sex.CONCLUSIONS: This large cohort demonstrated a similar relationship between FSP distribution and injury, regardless of gender. Self-reported OI did not differ between HS and NHS groups.


Disclosures: B.J. Warr: None.

Well I learned something today. Thank you.

Awesome post...thank you!!!!

Excellent summary! I hope these comments aren't duplicates.

Speed: you should be able to talk when running, unless it is a special interval training for speed, from what I hear. No extreme huffing and puffing other than deep enough breathing to give the body enough oxygen to burn.

Sidestitches: If possible don't eat or drink close to running. Deep breaths during warming up should bring more oxygen to the diaphragm; during running the gastrointestinal tract doesn't get as much blood and so the diaphragm might "clench" to a sidestitch. If that happens, see if walking helps and/or breathing deeply and/or pushing against the hurting spot with a hand. The last option usually helps me. And slow down in general as has been said (yet it has to be repeated), sidestitches are a newbie plague.

Running form and "natural" running: This article is extremely interesting and I hope every runner reads it!
http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-prevention-recovery/the-whole-body-fix

Happy running and please note we have a C25K group!

Thank you

Popping in to testify. I started running again in late Feburary after slacking off all winter (I started running last spring but then screwed up my back in September), and I have never been able to run more than a quarter mile, and by then I'm gasping and wheezing and feeling like my calves were about to stage an armed revolt. Yesterday I decided to slow my roll way, way down - from a 14ish minute mile to a 17ish minute mile - and I jogged a whole mile without stopping for the very first time! And THEN I walked for a couple of minutes and jogged another half!

Thing is, I thought I was going crazy slow the whole time, but turned out I could go slower. Today's my rest day, but I can't wait to get back out tomorrow and do it again - turtles may pass me but I don't care. I'll work on speed later.

I started Week 2 tonight of the C25K app. I am loving it! It's a lot easier then I thought and I wish I had gotten into running a lot earlier!

Only just found this topic; it is great. I have been off running over the winter... too cold, too wet, too busy too good at excuses!!
I have a place on the Great North Run, entered in a fit of enthusiasm watching it on TV presuming it was so oversubscribed I would not get a place. Then I could say I did try.... but I got a place! Now my work load have become much smaller I have time to get fitter.
I have read the posts and realised after so long a gap I cannot run as I did last year. Slow and steady increase.
This topic has been so helpful. Thank you everyone, now it is trainers on and get going.