Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my running form, specifically my gait and if I am possibly moving in a way that is more inefficient than it could be.
It seems there are two schools of thought out there when it comes to running gait and one group seems to be more pre-dominant than the other:
1) Accept how you run, go with what comes naturally, wear shoes that correct any pronation issues.
2) Alter your gait to improve form, prevent injury and increase speed.
I’ve read that the majority of running shoes are built in such a way that a heel strike is almost promoted, yet heel striking is more jarring on your joints and will cause your running years to be shortened.
Then there are books out there, like ChiRunning and the Pose Method, that advocate moving to a midfoot strike. I have to admit, I am thoroughly fascinated by the ChiRunning book and the concepts therein.
There seems to be a movement toward shoes that are supposed to help guide the foot through a midfoot strike. New Balance has a model that is actually marketed toward ChiRunners & ChiWalkers. Newton Running shoes are pricy, but are all about finding your natural running form. Karhu shoes seem to promote a transition between the heel strike that many runners are used to, but is supposed to help move the foot through a more natural movement. And Ecco’s Biom Project shoes seem to really let the foot move wherever it may go naturally, so much so that they include a training program that spans several weeks about how to adapt to the shoes.
And then there is the whole trend of barefoot running… That just scares me, I’ve seen how much glass is on the roads near my home. And the barefoot forums on Runner’s World where people post pictures of their nasty-dirty feet after running barefoot… ew! But the Vibram FiveFingers shoes do seem intriguing, I’d give them a go on a treadmill if I had the opportunity.
I’ve been trying to be more mindful while running, paying attention to my footstrike. I still notice my foot rolling inward when I stop paying attention, even in my stability Brooks Adrenalines. I do think that we can always look at areas for improvement in running, but there are some things that I’m just not entirely sure 100% where the right answer lies.
I guess like everything in running, you have to find what works for you as an individual. But I’m curious to hear your thoughts on re-working your gait. Is it something you can or even should do? Have you worked on that yourself?
