Neighborhood Ninja!

A Thought On The Minimal Foot Strike

I'm sure this has been discussed by some minimal gurus, but I would like to share a personal observation about running either barefoot or in super minimal footwear.

When I first started trying to run in shoes like Vibram Five Fingers I took the term fore foot strike very seriously. I would impact the ground very forward on the ball of my foot and my heel would remain elevated above the ground throughout the entire stride. Probably a couple of centimeters off the surface. Running like this lead to quite a bit of heartache...and leg ache. I could run for a few days before my shins, calves, and Achilles tendons started to feel over stressed. Within 1-2 weeks I couldn't run anymore because my lower legs would be in pain and I would have to take time off.

Recently my foot strike has changed to become either flat footed or shifted just slightly to the ball of the foot. However, even with a slight forefoot strike the rest of my foot will come down to make contact with the pavement. Running this way has take a lot of pressure off of my legs, they have grown steadily stronger, they are never in pain, and I can comfortably run multiple miles several days per week.

I think when most people first learn about minimal running they focus very heavily on the negative aspect of the "heel strike." Understandable because a lot of authors spend much time demonizing it. It's important to realize that contacting the ground with your heel is not bad or even undesirable. It is using the heel to fully absorb the initial shock of each foot fall that you want to avoid. Letting the heel settle gently on the ground after impacting with the ball of the foot, or letting it come down almost simultaneously with the rest of the foot actually relieves quite a bit of tension from the legs and will not harm your heel.

Just something to think about if you want to try to transition to minimal footwear or just do some barefoot training runs for foot and leg strength. The idea is not to prance around up on your toes like a ballerina. If you do you're going to put a lot of constant tension on your calves and tendons and it will not be enjoyable.