If you are an avid runner, or even a casual runner - or even someone who occasionally reads the paper, watches TV, or listens to the radio - you've probably seen/heard something about barefoot running.
Last night on my way home from work I heard a great story on NPR that was addressing this same topic. (You can check out the story here.) The story is an extended interview with Dan Lieberman - a Harvard biologist and professor of anthropology. Dr. Lieberman has been at the center of much of the science of barefoot running and has proposed many theories behind how human running evolved. Much of his research was nicely summarized in the book "Born to Run" my Chris McDougal (also highly recommended). I'd encourage you to google some of his research and interviews. It is really fascinating stuff.
But what I really want to talk about is the rational behind ditching those spring-loaded, mega-heeled, uber-cushioned running shoes you are wearing. The problem is that when we humans wear those oh-so-comfy running shoes, we tend to extend our running stride and land on our heels. Back when Nike introduced the modern-day running shoes, the thought was that if we can extend our stride when running, and land with our leading leg way out in front of us, we can run at a lower cadence for a given speed. Each stride will cover more ground and we will cover more distance using the same amount of energy. Seems to make sense... But in order to get us to extend our stride we have to somehow get past one pesky problem... when we extend our stride, we land on our heels. And when we land on our heels, it hurts! A lot. So Nike loaded up the heels of their running shoes with lots of cushioning and heel strikers around the world let out a collective sigh of relief.
However, putting cushioning in the heel may reduce the pain of the impact on the heel, but it does not reduce the force being absorbed directly by the ankle, knees and hips. A force that is absorbed by the calf and Achilles tendon when runners land on the front of their foot. The video shown on the NPR site graphically demonstrates this shock-wave. Over time what has happened is that many heel strikers have developed knee, hip and ankle problems stemming from the repeated shock-wave they subject their bodies to in exchange for a nice long running stride.
Check out this video to see what the force generated by a heel strike looks like. The little "bump" in the front of each curve is the shock-wave force that each leg receives.
Now look at a video of a barefoot runner. Notice how the shock-wave blip is gone?
So why does ditching the comfy padded running shoes help this problem? The main reason, in my experience, is that running in a minimalistic shoe allows you to feel when you heel strike. Each heel strike when running barefoot, or in FiveFinger shoes, or in a racing flat, delivers a not-so-subtle pain reminder that you are doing something that your body was not designed to do: land on your heel when running. The pain your are feeling is not the shock-wave... you get the shock-wave even when you are wearing padded shoes. The pain is the direct impact force of your heel - which naturally has almost no padding - and the ground meeting.
The more minimal your shoe, the more you become aware of immediate impact of heel strikes, and the more you will naturally try to compensate for that. And the way you compensate for it is by adjusting your stride to land on the front of your foot. (I'll post some suggestions on good, minimalistic running shoes in the future).
Vibram FiveFinger shoes (Image from NPR.org)
When we do CrossFit Endurance classes, we spend about half the class working on drills to help reinforce correct running technique. Changing your running stride won't happen immediately. My experience has been that it takes about 6 weeks of practicing 3 times a week for it to really sink in. But like any other physical skill, it will never fix itself without working on it. You need to practice. And most importantly, you need to start!
We are doing CrossFit Endurance classes Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 6:00pm at CrossFit Rochester. I'd encourage you to come out and join us for some workouts and start the process of fixing your running stride. Your knees, hips, and ankles will thank you!!!
