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Jun
10
Written by:
Chris Gibson
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 5:51 AM
I started playing around with my running form the other day. I've been doing a lot of reading about how poor form can lead to injuries. I'm sure there are lots of things wrong with my form, but the one thing I really want to work on his my foot strike. There are basically 3 different ways for your foot to land--strike--the ground:
* Midfoot Strike
* Forefoot Strike
* Heel Strike
Like most new-ish runners and those that have never had any real training/coaching, I use a heel strike--I land right on the heel. This is bad. That constant jarring can really jack up your knees.
A person with a forefoot strike basically lands on the ball of their foot. If your heel never touches the ground, you are a forefoot striker. You will see this in sprinters. Nothing wrong with striking like this, but I don't think it comes natural for most of us.
That leaves us with a midfoot strike. A midfoot strike is when your heel and the ball of your foot hit the ground at the same time.
I tried it out for the first time on my 8-mile long run on Sunday. It seemed to go very well. I had to really concentrate because my foot wanted to keep going back to the heel strike. I found that if my mind wandered, I would land with the heel again. Other than that, I think my first real effort went great. After the run, my ankles were really hurting, but I think this is normal when you first change your foot strike--the body has to get used to it.
Yesterday on the treadmill, I made another effort. That one didn't seem to go as well. I found it difficult to do and I kept going back to the heel strike. I am headed outside in the morning and we will see how that goes.
What about you? How does your foot strike? Any questions or advice? Thinking of working on your foot strike?
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3 comment(s) so far...
Re: Foot Strike Stuff
Great post Chris! Got a question for you... I run on a treadmill a couple times a week. Although by the time I'm done I'm happy I got the cardio workout, I always dread getting started. The first 5 minutes are always the toughest, and I find as I get older that it's mostly because my knees hurt so much until they get warmed up. Do you have knee pain? If so, any advise on home remedies, warm up exercises, or over-the-counter supplements that can help ease the pain and get me to the much more comfortable experience from the start of my run?
Thanks,
Mike
By Mike on
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 6:55 PM
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Re: Foot Strike Stuff
Hey Mike,
I gotta tell you, the first mile of any run I do pretty much sucks. Even though I love running, just getting started (and with our humidity that means getting up at 5:30 is dreadful). I am always slow and wishing I was still in bed.
The dreaded knee pain. Knee pain is what led me to this post. I ALWAYS had knee pain after a long run. For me, I think it was my foot striking. Now that I have switch to that midfoot strike and have run like that 5 or 6 times, I don't seem to have that knee pain anymore. I actually have a followup post I am writing that might give you some more info.
Let me ask you this. Have you ever been fitted for running shoes? meaning, are you wearing the right type of shoe for your foot? If you don't know, go to Fleet Feet in Edmond and have them evaluate your foot. It is free and could make a world of difference. The wrong shoes can lead to pelvic pain, knee pain, and all kinds of injuries.
By Chris Gibson on
Thursday, June 11, 2009 11:58 AM
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Re: Foot Strike Stuff
I just have some Nike running shoes... We took our daughter there to get fitted once. I'll have to check it out. I was diagnosed with a left leg that's about an inch shorter when I was in the army about 12 years ago. I'm supposed to wear a lift, so I should see about doing that on a more consistent basis (like actually doing it). Thanks for the help and I'll look forward to your next post.
By Mike on
Saturday, June 13, 2009 8:38 AM
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