Shoes for better midfoot striking? (Read 728 times)

Last night I had a mostly crummy run, but the stretch where I concentrated on landing softer and more on my midfoot, instead of my heel was the most comfortable, fastest bit of my run. I think in the coming weeks and months I want to "play" a bit more with my form and see if that might have a positive effect on my speed, injuries, and effort. I'm currently rotating between 3 shoe models--NB 767, 1222, and Asics Kayano 13. All of these shoes have the pretty standard thickly cushioned heel. The things I've been reading suggest that a shoe with a less dramatically chunky heel can really help with midfoot landings, which seems pretty logical. I have seen discussions around the net of runners wearing flats, lighter-weight performance trainers, Newtons, and even running barefoot (not gonna happen here--our roads are in bad shape, often covered with glass or sharp gravel...and then there's always that Winter thing to contend with). Anyhow, the only shoe I have seen that even comes in a wide width is the NB 902, which is actually a shoe I had considered purchasing right before my outer arch tendonitis issues reared-up (which I subsequently healed by wearing a shoe with better arch support and later added arch supporting insoles to my existing shoes) and I was concerned that it wouldn't have the stability or cushioning that I've found the best luck with--but it appears that midfoot striking seems to solve a lot of issues with foot injuries in previous heavy heel strikers, as well as some pronation severity (as a heel striker I have been told by the guy at the running store I bought my last pair of shoes at that my pronation looks pretty moderate). I'd likely still buy something like the NB 1223 for longer runs, at least until I figure out if midfoot striking would even be a form technique that works for me. But I see so many people who have had similar issues to mine (shin splints, overly tight calves, CCS, patella problems) who have found these injuries to be greatly reduced by learning to not heel strike. Thoughs, suggestions, BTDTs? k

Not heel striking can make a lot of difference. By shortening your stride so you hit midfoot you can sometimes actually go faster because you are "braking" less than you do when you heel strike. You will just have quicker foot turnover and a shorter stride. The 902 is going to have slightly less support than the 767--it has a dual density medial posting to help prevent over-pronation, owever, the 902 is lower profile with a thinner sole and will tend to feel like it has less cushion than the 767. Another possible option for you would be the 858--it is due out 9/1, same as the 1223, and is somewhere between the 767 and the 1223 in terms of support. It is cheaper than the 1223 (it's $105 I think). Let me know if you have any other questions or if you need help tracking down a shoe.

The winter shoe is nice. I'm planning on getting the Asics Arctic Winter Runner for my winter shoe (Maine has pretty nasty winters too). Last winter I used an old pair of NB 879's with a bunch of short sheet metal screws that I attached to the outsoles myself. It worked pretty well but I think I am going to do the real thing this time. But it's still summer so no more talking about winter....