Foot Strike (Read 1184 times)

My first recommendation would be to go with what seems natural, but it would be strange if your toe struck first. You are right to think of rolling through your foot. A drill I try occasionally on my runs is running as quietly as possible--seems to help efficiency. Also, you might check out this video. Halfway through there is slow motion footage of Ethiopians and Kenyans, and even at their pace, they are still striking in the midfoot--certainly not up on their toes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLg4j4gMzqA

Hey Jeff I don't really mean my toes, more the front ball of my foot. Like when you have track spikes. I think I have been running all these months landing on my heels because I thought thats what I was suppose to do. Could it cause me problems (pain, injury)? Is it something I should stop doing? I'm not sure why I even started thinking about it. DB

Landing on your heels is not, in itself, a bad thing--for most runners it's very efficient to heel strike. But I don't think you should be actively trying to strike with your heel. If it feels more natural to strike on the forefoot, then go for it. I'm more of a mid-forefoot striker myself, but not on purpose; it's just the stride I've fallen into. I'm hesitant to say anything more without seeing you run, but maybe the good folks at your local running store would have some advice for you. Most specialty running stores will have an expert who can check out your stride, analyze it, and at least point you towards a good shoe if not give you some more clear advice about foot strike.

A drill I try occasionally on my runs is running as quietly as possible--seems to help efficiency.

I've been doing this occasionally too. Not sure if it has helped my efficiency yet, but it sure is handy for "sneaking up" on people as I pass them. I give myself points based on how high they jump. Kidding about the points - but I have made a couple people jump.

Your body is actually not built to handle heel striking. Just try to do it while barefoot and you'll see what I mean. Running shoes allow you to get away with it, and it's how lots of people run. But a midfoot strike is healthier and more efficient. "What seems natural" can be misleading, when you're running with completely unnatural technology strapped to your feet.

Well, there's heel striking and heel striking. Check out the video I posted above--from around 1:30-2:00 there's lots of good slow motion "foot"age. If "heel striking" means that your heel hits first, then these guys are heel striking at a pace faster than any of us will be doing our intervals. Like Ed4, I believe that most running shoes do have too much heel, and I do much of my running in racing flats or light weight trainers for this reason. But, I've run 1500 injury free miles this year letting my heel hit the ground first. My foot strike changes a bit I suppose with different paces, but I'm really only up on my toes if accelerating quickly to a pace faster than 15s per 100m. In my training, I am very rarely sprinting all out, as this is something I also rarely do in races... Bottom line--in my non-expert opinion--focus on running smoothly, quietly, relaxed, and efficiently and the foot strike will take care of itself. The foot strike is so interwoven with the rest of the running motion that changing it without changing the rest of your form may be counterproductive.

I've been doing this occasionally too. Not sure if it has helped my efficiency yet, but it sure is handy for "sneaking up" on people as I pass them. I give myself points based on how high they jump. Kidding about the points - but I have made a couple people jump.

Ha, I do this too! I like to pretend I'm in stealth-mode! k

Some of the newer shoes are catering to heel strikers (I happen to be one). I got a pair of NB Zips recently and they kinda force you to NOT run on your heels. Feels odd at first but after a while you are running mid-sole first and not realize it. Folks used to be able to hear me running a mile away. Now I'm pretty quiet and my feet feel much better after longer runs.

Technically, the heel always hits the ground, regardless. And like Jeff said, heel striking first is not bad, the body handles it fine. In fact, when you walk, chances are your heel is hitting the ground first. I know that my foot strike changes based on my pace; the slower I am, the further back on my foot I hit. Overstriding is a different issue, and can be identified by your leg landing out in front of your torso. You will get a heel strike with this as well, but the impact will be greater.