I’ve been a little behind in reading my running magazines. I finally opened up the March 2009 Running Times this week and I wish I would have read it last month!!! Brian Metzler’s article, “Run Softly, Naturally” may have just made my running life a whole lot easier.
I’m a big guy and I’ve really struggled with shin splits and pain in my knees and ankles. I’ve always attributed these pains with my “shoe alarm clock” going off and getting to Red Rock Running Company as soon as possible. After reading this article, I’m taking a different direction.
Basically, the article talks about changing your stride so you hit the ground with your midfoot instead of your heal. This isn’t a new fad and has actually been studied with a bunch of books on the topic. In fact, there are a bunch of new shoes on the market with smaller heel crash pads to encourage midfoot strides (yes, I will be going to RRRC to check them out soon).
Now, I haven’t mastered this new stride. In fact, I only tried it for the first time on Saturday on my 9-mile run, but it made a big enough difference for me to investigate further. After my run, I felt no shin pain and the brutal down hills had to effect on my knees or ankles. My biggest surprise came on Sunday when I still felt no pain. Yes, this is a big deal for me.
It will take a while to get used to. The shorter stride requires a quicker stride rate – and when your going down hill, you think you’re going to start levitating. I had to stop a couple of times just to slow down. I found going uphill is the easiest way to practice since your strides are easier to keep short. The focus needs to be where you actually put your foot down. Try to concentrate on striking the ground underneath your hips. I noticed that if I stretched my toes skyward, it help bring my foot down near the balls of my feet, letting my heal settle correctly.
This is going to take a lot of research, practice and some proper footwear, but I think I’ve found a way to make running that much more enjoyable.
RMFR
