Midfoot Running
May 30th 2011 Posted at Fitness
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I recently started experimenting with different running styles and shoes. This came after noticing that I was predominantly striking down hard with my heels, which was causing knee pain. I reviewed a number of articles online (see below) and also got advice from my physiotherapist. I found that my runners (run of the mill Adidas Adistars) were the cause of my heavy heel, and consequently my knee pain.
To test this, my physiotherapist had me take off my shoes and run barefoot on the treadmill for several minutes. Amazingly, my heel barely ever touched down. My physio explained that when we run naturally, our heels do not touch and that running with a heavy heel produces a big shock through your joints which can lead to all sorts of problems. She recommended first transitioning my running style to the strike with my midfoot and buying a pair of shoes that supported this style of running.
Inspired by her advice, as well as my own research on natural running, I began to train. My regular run is about 60 minutes, for the first 20 I started striking with my midfoot, and then went back to heel striking when my calves became sore. I am slowly working up to the entire run, being careful not to max out my calves and hurt my Achilles tendon.
I also purchased a new pair of shoes, Innov-8s, which have a much smaller drop from heel to ball, to prevent a heel strike. I am now doing about 25 minutes in these at the start of my run, before switching to my old shoes and continuing on.
It will take time to fully transition, but I have already noticed a big difference. While the muscles in my calves are fairly sore after a run, the pain in my knees has subsided.
I really love to run, and want to be able to continue running as I get older, without worrying about damaging my knees or hips. For any runners out there with similar issues, try adjusting the way your foot strikes down. Let me know if it works for you, or if you’ve found something else that has helped.
Research:
Sweat Science: If heel striking is so unnatural, why do apes do it?
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