For my second installment of the science of running I decided to look at foot strike and how it affects running. As you are likely aware there are a few theories here on how foot strike affects running and what the best form is.
The foot strike of runners is classified in one of three ways – heel, mid-foot and forefoot. The debate surrounding which is best is centered around whether heel striking leads to more injuries because it has a greater impact.
That is just a very basic description of the issue. If you want to read more about foot strike and how it might affect running here are a couple of studies I found – The Science of Sport and Does your running foot strike matter?
As for myself, like many I was primarily a heel striker when I started running. Now when I run I seem to be more of a mid foot striker. I didn’t set out to consciously change my foot strike out of concern that heel striking might lead to a greater chance of injury.
For me the change developed as I changed the shoes I was running in. Last year I decided to try lighter shoes and started running in New Balance 890 and Mizuno Wave Ronin 3s. Since I have continued to run in these models of shoes I have continued to run with a mid foot strike more regularly.
I can’t wade into the injury debate because I have been pretty lucky so far to avoid injury regardless of foot strike.
What has your experience been? Have you made an effort to change your foot strike?
March 31, 2013 8:22 pm
32.02 km in 02:44:19 (05:08 min/km)
