Running Technique

[AJF]

Hi,

I have been trying to read up on correct running technique to avoid the niggling sore knee injuries and strains that seem to come from higher milage and there seems to be two schools of thought on foot placement.

1) Heel strikes first then roll onto toes and push off. I am doing this at the moment.
2) keep on the front of your feet/ balls of your feet?

Seems that I am jarring my legs from heel first and I do notice at points when running I do switch to front of foot especially on very rough ground. Saying that it is hard to switch completly to front of foot and does seem unnatural at points.

How do people here tend to run? Is there thought into technique or is it just one foot in front of the other? Has anyone changed technique consiously and to what results?

Looking forward to your thoughts on this

[SloJo]

When I ran on the track years ago, I'm sure I used to run on my toes - I was an 800m runner so that's not unusual. But when I returned to running in my 30's and started running longer distances on the roads I noticed that my technique had changed and my first foot-strike was with the heel. I quickly started to suffer all sorts of lower leg injuries - achilles, calf, patella tendon. I bought myself a pair of Nike Free, which pretty much force you to run on your toes. I now run more off-road than on-road and consciously try to land forefoot first. I get a lot fewer injuries, but whether that's the change of terrain or technique, I don't know. A bit of both I suspect.

[Grouse]

In his Naylor's Run DVD Joss Naylor says it's best to run with bent knees to avoid the stress on joints. I've tried this in training and he certainly seems to have something; if you look at him after trying this technique you can recognise it in his gait. Don't know if i could consciously change to this style of running full time, but on the other hand I would like to be running when I'm Joss's age. Like he says: the ones they put in aren't as good as the ones they take out!

[CribGoch]

Gordon Pirie had something to say about this. Google him and you will find his book devoted to it. Well worth a read.

[XRunner]

Gordon Pirie had something to say about this. .... Well worth a read.

http://www.gordonpirie.com/

This website provides an alternate view.

[CribGoch]

This website provides an alternate view.

There is some other interesting stuff on this site as well.

[AJF]

It seems horses for courses then?

Will keep trying to change style just so I can then work out for myself which way suits me best. I do seem to be faster and heart rate stays stable whilst running but using different muscle groups mean I tire faster and slip back to heel toe style.

Anyone looked at Pose technique before? I get the idea of the technique but just object to the cash cow of teaching technique

[Stagger]

I keep thinking this might help but as yet have never got round to having a couple of goes.

http://www.runningbarefoot.org/

[Margarine]

Ascending on toes or keeping the heel down as far as possible is another interesting conundrum: I found myself getting into the habit of running every ascent up on the toes, but wonder if it contributed to tendonitis; it certailnly seems to waste energy on longer runs.

[Margarine]

I'd like to see those guys do Jura with no shoes on .