Jun 11
27
In response to some recent questions we thought it apt to pen a couple of basic things to keep in mind while running:
What f$%cking part of my foot am I supposed to use?
I am not sure why this topic has to be so complex. There are whole shoe companies preaching the virtues of running on the front of the foot for instance. Last time I checked the idea of a foot was to spread the load over a large surface area. If we had feet the size of a stilleto we would leave holes in the ground. In defence of these same companies this is rarely their intention to advocate only running on a small part of the forefoot- it just makes a convenient marketing point of difference if they state that your running will be radically changed- by running moreso on that part of the foot- a big difference
What does the foot do from front to back?
The foot has a couple of really hard thick bones on the back joining the achilles that is dam strong. It then widens out into progressively smaller and complex bones. If your foot touches the ground at the heel and then progressively rolls forward then the load of impacting the ground is absorbed along the length of the foot
The faster the foot is travelling back behind you the more you can deflect this force into forward propulsion. If you are able to do this very quickly then a lot of the impact is avoided and thus it is less necessary to use the whole length of the foot- contrast slow walk downhill to a fast run uphill. the faster or more uphill you run the less you naturally impact on the rear of the foot
Where the real confusion lies?
People study good runners, very good runners running “fast” with minimal ground impact and note that the rear of the foot does not touch the ground much. They then conclude that to run fast you must run on the forefoot. This has about as much logic as putting the tires off a ferrari onto a dump truck in the hope it will move faster
Ground Contact/Dwelling Time
The longer your foot spends on the ground the more breaking effect it is likely to cause- its simple friction right?. When we see people diagnosed as running on the heels too much that is often just a symptom of lacking enough drive off the ground and leg speed in general. There is nothing wrong with how their feet go onto the ground-its just they dont get off the back of the foot nearly quick enough and roll onto the front-ready to push into the next stride. Learning not brace with the legs and brushing over the ground will help much more than trying to deliberately run more toe centric style (which is not going to help at all -you are just going to impact the ground with less surface area) Whilst some shoes may encourage a cantilever from front to back they cant teach you the right action up in the legs and core that drive this fore aft movement. So forget what part of the foot is right. Use the whole bloody thing and get the technique right
What does the foot do side to side…..basically ?
Again the industry has everyone believing they have a pronation problem or a supination problem or tracking problem or canting problem etc etc. Whole walls of “control”, ”stability”, “neutral” and “cushioning” shoes confuse the hell out of people.
Its a complex piece of gear no doubt but basic your foot is designed to land on its outside edge (ie from a slightly supinated position) and then roll in progressively spreading the shocking through the bones and tendons in the feet (pronation). As it does this your arch will compress to further reduce the shock
- Supination- is not a bad thing
- Pronation -is not a bad thing
- Arch compression- is not a bad thing
So why when people buy shoes do the kids in AF get all hung up on “curing” people of these ills. I’ll go out on a limb and say 80% of people in “stability” shoes dont really need them. In fact they are probably making the muscles in their feet weaker.
Excessive pronation or supination can be bad no doubt. So a little help from a shoe can be of benefit. But you must also address whats going on mechanically. Eg If you have no abductor strength and your leg turns in too much due to your feet might flick out to the side and hit the ground on a silly angle. Changing shoes might take the pain away for a while but you’ll probably risk injury all the time.
So remember its good for the foot to roll from outside to inside. Its normal and it gives your maximum strength in driving off the strong stuff in your foot -the achilles tendon and the bigger toes and bigger bones over that side. Next time your run think about using the whole thing. Dont lock down your laces and freeze your foot inside a shoe- get the whole thing working. (A word of caution- we arent fans of the whole free running on concrete brigade- yes running on grass can be great but doing 20k on roads in vibrams- well no foot was designed for that- see any concrete roads around in civilisations where man is best adapted for running?
Ideas about propulsion
There are a few common ideas about how various experts frame up propulsion. One way is to look at forward motion of the legs via
-Pendulum (Swing)
This describes the effect of one leg swinging forward and primarilly being engage by the pelvic and hip area
-Cyclic (Cycle)
This describes the effect of the leg bending at the knee and ankle using the various leg muscles – as the knee bends and straightens the legs appear to move in a circular fashion. The more you bend your knee in forward motion the less effort is required to bring the upper leg forward (the lever length decreases)
-Plantar/Dorsifexion (Spring)
Most of your spring comes out of ankle flexion/extension primarily the achilles tendon which connects into the calve muscles. Its a massive shock absorber too and the fastest way to make adjustments to fore/aft balance
You can experiment with pendulum/cyclic and springing actions in your running motion. There are various drills to seperate each.
The wrong blend
Many athletes pick up books and conclude that “springing off the ground vertically is bad” or “striding too long is bad” or “high knee lift is bad for distance running”
Its all about blend- as you run faster different blends of swing/cycle and spring are needed. There is no such thing as the right technique for all speeds. If you have a muscled upper body you will balance differently on the ground to a slightly built runner. If you have big legs you will run differently again. The key is to experiment with different amounts of swing,cycle and spring that afford you the greatest economy
You need to think about it while you run
Running is actually an act of dynamic balance. If you are not constantly adjusting in the ankles and feet then chances are you’ll have to correct some other way- eg excessive swinging(striding) or cycle (getting low to the ground with excessive knee bed). When you get the right mixture your foot should brush the ground and contact just under your hip- remember the longer your stride -generally the more the axis of your body needs to tip forward
Upper and Lower Body Are Connected
The focus of runners often tends to be the legs. The hip and torso are just as important. Firstly some of the most powerfull leg muscles connect through the pelvic region- which also transfers big forces through the spine.
Twisting/Counter Twisting
When you twist the upper body the lower body wants to follow
-A controlled amount of twisting in the torso helps counter react/balance the twisting forces as your foot rolls in and pushes off the ground
-Too much twisting will need a larger counter reaction- more twisting from the lower body than is necessary and balance problems
Arm/Hand Swinging
When you swing your arm hard on one side of your body while running the opposite leg wants to follow it
The faster your legs move back the more they benefit from a fast swinging counter weight from a forward moving arm
Many athletes in an attempt to “control” their running or having read that “long distance runners dont use their upper body much” will avoid swinging their arms or stop their torso from twisting at all. All this does is remove a valuable source of propulsion and require an alternative (often weird looking) means of attaining balance
A similar number problems occur if you move your arms excessively
Again its about getting the blend right- and this changes with speed, body type, terrain and situation.
So next time you head out on a run think about:
-using the whole foot along its length
-using both sides of the foot
-using leg swing,cycle and spring
-using upper body twist and arm swing
Plenty of stuff to experiment with there – lot of good books around- I’m vastly oversimplifying but playing around with it is the idea at hand
