Lots of differing opinions from those of McDougall. I read “Born to Run”, was sold – even made a pair of custom Luna Sandals. Then read Jack Daniels ( http://amzn.com/0736054928 ) and others.
There’s another study I can’t find which has photos of marathon runners dating _way back_, and the majority of them are heel-strikers.
The conclusion I’ve drawn from a lot of reading – everyone is different and there’s no ‘correct’ way to run that applies to everyone. Don’t force your individual body into a form it was never meant to be in.
I think you’re right. There’s not a “right” way to run, but there are better and worse ways for different body types and those with different goals.
The article talks about how Roberto Salazar was a world record holding heel-striker who was often injured. The happy medium for must runners is going to be to find a way to run that allows them to enjoy running while minimizing injuries.
I’m going to give the 100-up technique try and see what happens.
I honestly didn’t give them enough of a chance – I hated the strap between my toes. I may have done better with VFFs, but something in me resisted buying them when I felt like I could modify my form to some degree just by concentrating on midfoot strikes, which I find I do anyway. The primary reason I considered it was, like McDougall, to prevent getting as many injuries as I had been getting. I think minimalist shoes would be the best option for me if experiment again.
I’d encourage everyone to experiment with anything and everything – POSE, Chi, etc. – and even if you don’t follow any of those techniques to the letter, you take good things away. Just don’t be discouraged if expectations set up by guys that sell books aren’t met. I loved “Born to Run” just for the stories about the Tarahumara. I’m looking forward to the book that Micah True ( http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=18905 ) is supposedly working on to see his perspective. (He’s shod 😉
If you have less knee pain, your form is probably better. But it may also be that your body is simply becoming stronger.
An opinion I’m forming is that people like myself attribute aches and pains to bad form when it may actually be that your body is taking longer to adjust than you expect. Your cardio endurance increases faster than your muscles, tendons, and bones. Our systems adapt in this order – cardio first, then soft tissue (muscles, tendons), then bones. So new runners typically build up their cardio, and then get excited – and feel like running farther and faster than their muscles/tendons/bones are prepared to run, which commonly results in tendonitis, shin splints, stress fractures, etc. Same thing happens in reverse when you stop – cardio goes first, then muscle fitness, then tendons, then bones.
Aging is also an issue that causes confusion I believe. I ran track in HS, ran casually in college, run about 15-20 mpw after college with work buddies, then stopped in 1995. When I restarted 3 years ago, my mind was confused by what it thought my body could still do, but no longer could. I pushed too hard, too fast, etc.
I do think form is important, but it’s not a silver bullet. We’re all so different I think people have to discover what works best for them by playing with foot-strike, cadence, stride, etc.
I’m indifferent when it comes to all of the hullabaloo about running form and footwear. I see successful runners with all types of running form and types of foot plant. While I think we should all work to gain or maintain good running form, my opinion on running form and foot plant is that the most important running form/foot plant for you is the one that keeps you healthy. I was a mid-foot striker (often considered to be a more “correct” foot strike) but was hurt all the time. Now I’m a heel-striker and am healthy. Many people are the opposite. It doesn’t matter as long as you stay healthy.
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
Lots of differing opinions from those of McDougall. I read “Born to Run”, was sold – even made a pair of custom Luna Sandals. Then read Jack Daniels ( http://amzn.com/0736054928 ) and others.
Some others articles I have bookmarked:
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=23216
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/01/09/youre_crazy/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17685722
There’s another study I can’t find which has photos of marathon runners dating _way back_, and the majority of them are heel-strikers.
The conclusion I’ve drawn from a lot of reading – everyone is different and there’s no ‘correct’ way to run that applies to everyone. Don’t force your individual body into a form it was never meant to be in.
How did your body respond to running in the sandals?
I’ve been running in five-fingers for three years now and I love them. Not sure my running form is better, but I have less knee pain.
I think you’re right. There’s not a “right” way to run, but there are better and worse ways for different body types and those with different goals.
The article talks about how Roberto Salazar was a world record holding heel-striker who was often injured. The happy medium for must runners is going to be to find a way to run that allows them to enjoy running while minimizing injuries.
I’m going to give the 100-up technique try and see what happens.
I dismissed this too quickly – before I read the article. I’m going to give this 100-up a shot too – can’t hurt. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve been doing it for a few days. I like it. We’ll see what it does for my splits in a few weeks.
I honestly didn’t give them enough of a chance – I hated the strap between my toes. I may have done better with VFFs, but something in me resisted buying them when I felt like I could modify my form to some degree just by concentrating on midfoot strikes, which I find I do anyway. The primary reason I considered it was, like McDougall, to prevent getting as many injuries as I had been getting. I think minimalist shoes would be the best option for me if experiment again.
Here’s a great blog for minimalists – http://www.runblogger.com/ . And shazam! – here’s the article I was searching for – http://www.runblogger.com/2011/06/foot-strike-in-running-how-did-runners.html
I’d encourage everyone to experiment with anything and everything – POSE, Chi, etc. – and even if you don’t follow any of those techniques to the letter, you take good things away. Just don’t be discouraged if expectations set up by guys that sell books aren’t met. I loved “Born to Run” just for the stories about the Tarahumara. I’m looking forward to the book that Micah True ( http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=18905 ) is supposedly working on to see his perspective. (He’s shod 😉
If you have less knee pain, your form is probably better. But it may also be that your body is simply becoming stronger.
An opinion I’m forming is that people like myself attribute aches and pains to bad form when it may actually be that your body is taking longer to adjust than you expect. Your cardio endurance increases faster than your muscles, tendons, and bones. Our systems adapt in this order – cardio first, then soft tissue (muscles, tendons), then bones. So new runners typically build up their cardio, and then get excited – and feel like running farther and faster than their muscles/tendons/bones are prepared to run, which commonly results in tendonitis, shin splints, stress fractures, etc. Same thing happens in reverse when you stop – cardio goes first, then muscle fitness, then tendons, then bones.
Aging is also an issue that causes confusion I believe. I ran track in HS, ran casually in college, run about 15-20 mpw after college with work buddies, then stopped in 1995. When I restarted 3 years ago, my mind was confused by what it thought my body could still do, but no longer could. I pushed too hard, too fast, etc.
I do think form is important, but it’s not a silver bullet. We’re all so different I think people have to discover what works best for them by playing with foot-strike, cadence, stride, etc.
Good luck and happy running.
Weird, just reading the first article on runblogger.com – http://www.runblogger.com/2011/11/my-thoughts-on-perfect-running-form-and.html – and it deals with McDougall’s article, and it sounds like I read it before I posted. I didn’t – I promise. 😉
Another perspective I saw this morning from another expert…
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=23910