NY Times article on running

[sg516]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/fa...=1&oref=slogin

this article discusses the need to do speed work as well as distance work for runners. its pretty good up until they reccomend that you heel strike when you run. but then again nothing is perfect.

[RobLL]

Originally Posted by sg516

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/fa...=1&oref=slogin

its pretty good up until they reccomend that you heel strike when you run. but then again nothing is perfect.

Here is the paragraph, is this truly a heel strike, or the visualization to not run on toes? Her fault had been leaning forward, causing foot pain (toe landing?), and easily getting tripped.

"During each exercise, she said, she tried to land more toward her heels than her toes. This is known as “dorsiflexion” of the ankle, or a slight upward tilting of the foot. Mahon said this is the ideal foot-strike position. Landing flat-footed or near your heel, he said, “allows for the arch to work as a spring.” It also “allows for the ankle joint to disperse shock up to the knee and hip and lessen the total blow on a single joint.”"

[sg516]

sounds like it to me. but regardless of my opinion of it they are the professionals and clearly know what they are doing. i think i am biased bc i have been taught to run on the balls of my feet and have a slight forward lean.

[Phaedrus49er]

Professional =/= knowledgeable. I think that point's been debated ad nauseum around here. That being said, show me one person who, running barefooted, would heel-strike after the first 30 seconds of running at any intensity level. T'ain't natural

[Phaedrus49er]

Speaking of which...

You Walk Wrong

I've been looking for "barefoot" shoes for awhile and have yet to find any in a brick-and-mortar around here that are flat and thin-soled and, ya know, fit. I'm not even venturing to order shoes online without knowing firsthand how they'll work out.