Heel or Toe: Running Tips to Help Perfect Your Stride
If you have been a runner for any length of time, you’ve likely been told that running longer distances isn’t natural and you’re going to ruin your knees. The theories presented in Christopher McDougall’s 2009 book Born to Runshow that running isn’t only natural, but our species survived precisely because of our ability to run longer distances, which most animals cannot.
If we are designed to run long distances then what is the best way to run in order to avoid an injury? And why do some runners seem to always be nursing a wound, while others run pain-free, mile after mile? The answer is found in your stride and the way your foot strikes the ground.
Heel Strike vs Forefoot Strike
Landing on your heel as you run has two detrimental effects. The first is, you are effectively putting on the brakes. If you’ve ever run down a steep hill, you’ll understand what I mean. The second is that it forces all the impact to travel through your skeletal structure, rather than being absorbed by your soft tissues. This is what will quickly lead to pain and injury. Your heel has almost zero ability to absorb shock. It sits directly against the bones of the lower leg, and thus the impact is transferred directly to them, then through your knees and into your hips.
Landing on your forefoot lets the soft tissues of your lower body absorb all the impact. The foot is built like a leaf spring on a car. Town Center Orthopaedic Associates say the foot is able to arche and has incredibly strong bands of connective tissue running along the bottom. This allows the foot to flex and stretch, then return back to its normal shape as the foot comes back off the ground. The force of the impact travels up the calf muscles and into the hamstrings instead of straight into your joints.
Running on the Forefoot
Start by running barefoot in the grass. You will notice that without shoes, you automatically adapt to forefoot running. If you do happen to land on your heel when barefoot, you will notice that it hurts to do so. This should be evidence enough that heel-striking isn’t the best way to run.
Invest in a pair of running shoes that have very little, to no drop. Drop is the change in elevation of the shoe’s sole from heel to toe. Some running shoes have such a built-up heel that they practically force you into having bad form.
To further aid in hitting your best stride and strike, maintain a foot turnover of 180 steps per minute. This is the total number of times your feet hit the ground. Sometimes it also is called a cadence of 90.
This will feel weird at first, but you’ll find that it leads to much greater efficiency and your stride gets shorter and much lighter. Your feet also stay underneath you instead of getting way out in front of your body, avoiding that braking effect.
So many people just take this information and never actually try it. It might feel weird at first, but keep at it. You’ll be surprised how you’re not as sore after long runs, and after getting used to it, you’ll run much quicker, too. Plus, if you have been plagued by injuries in the past, making these changes will allow you to begin to run pain-free again.
Heel Strike vs Forefoot Strike
Landing on your heel as you run has two detrimental effects. The first is, you are effectively putting on the brakes. If you’ve ever run down a steep hill, you’ll understand what I mean. The second is that it forces all the impact to travel through your skeletal structure, rather than being absorbed by your soft tissues. This is what will quickly lead to pain and injury. Your heel has almost zero ability to absorb shock. It sits directly against the bones of the lower leg, and thus the impact is transferred directly to them, then through your knees and into your hips.
Landing on your forefoot lets the soft tissues of your lower body absorb all the impact. The foot is built like a leaf spring on a car. Town Center Orthopaedic Associates say the foot is able to arche and has incredibly strong bands of connective tissue running along the bottom. This allows the foot to flex and stretch, then return back to its normal shape as the foot comes back off the ground. The force of the impact travels up the calf muscles and into the hamstrings instead of straight into your joints.
Running on the Forefoot
Start by running barefoot in the grass. You will notice that without shoes, you automatically adapt to forefoot running. If you do happen to land on your heel when barefoot, you will notice that it hurts to do so. This should be evidence enough that heel-striking isn’t the best way to run.
Invest in a pair of running shoes that have very little, to no drop. Drop is the change in elevation of the shoe’s sole from heel to toe. Some running shoes have such a built-up heel that they practically force you into having bad form.
To further aid in hitting your best stride and strike, maintain a foot turnover of 180 steps per minute. This is the total number of times your feet hit the ground. Sometimes it also is called a cadence of 90.
This will feel weird at first, but you’ll find that it leads to much greater efficiency and your stride gets shorter and much lighter. Your feet also stay underneath you instead of getting way out in front of your body, avoiding that braking effect.
So many people just take this information and never actually try it. It might feel weird at first, but keep at it. You’ll be surprised how you’re not as sore after long runs, and after getting used to it, you’ll run much quicker, too. Plus, if you have been plagued by injuries in the past, making these changes will allow you to begin to run pain-free again.
About The Author
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information contact Brooke via Twitter@BrookeChaplan
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