Transitioning to Forefoot and/or Minimalist Running Shoes Part 2

Let me say, at the outset, that I am not a running coach.  Any knowledge that I have on this subject come from personal experience, not from any formal training.  Therefore, please take these comments as my own suggestions, not as expert advice.

Here is a brief summary of my history with running:

Throughout my life I have enjoyed being active.  I played various team sports until I was 12, at which point I started mountain bike racing, rock climbing, and running.  I ran long distance races competitively until I was 19 and then moved to Europe for a couple years.  For the last four years I have run off and on; mostly off because running was too painful and I enjoyed biking and climbing more.

Two years ago, while working at a local shop, the desire to run came back.  I was talking to some friends of mine and my boss, who is an ultra-marathoning nut, overheard me complaining about running injuries and how I wish I could still run.  He invited me to go running with him and told me he'd coach me on how to run with a forefoot strike.  I took him up on it and within a few weeks running became enjoyable again.

My Transition

My transition to a forefoot strike started about two months before my first run with my boss.  I have always worn "supportive" shoes with "good arch support".  When I wasn't wearing shoes I was wearing Chacos with "good arch support."  Over the years my feet had become very weak.  About two months before this run, I bought a pair of Sanuk shoes (oh wait, they're not shoes, they're sandals).  They were some of the most comfortable shoes I'd ever worn and they were on sale.  Sanuks, however, do not have "good arch support."  Man were my feet sore.  For the first three weeks or so, every time I would wear these Sanuks my feet would get sore.  The soreness came because the muscles in my foot were getting a workout and weren't used to it.  It's no different than sore arms after lifting weight.

I wore these shoes more and more and wore other shoes less and less.  As my feet strengthened, I noticed that I enjoyed shoes and sandals that had little support.

The trail run I went on with my boss was six miles long and in the snow.  He taught me that I was overstriding which was causing me to land on my heels.  He also explained that it would be very difficult to run properly in shoes with a big, built-up heel.  Because most shoes have a 12mm drop (the heel is 12mm higher than the forefoot), he'd cut a 12mm wedge out of the heels of his shoes to help him run properly.  So, I shortened my stride and quickened my cadence.

Next he taught me that I should have good posture when I'm running properly.  Because of the big heels of my shoes (and laziness), it was difficult to always have good posture.  But, I rolled my shoulders back, stuck my chest out, and focused on having good posture.  This became much easier once I got shoes that have a zero drop.  

He also taught me that my arms should be pretty compact by my side, swinging forward from the shoulder, not across my body.  I was already doing this much.

Finally, he told me it would take a little time to get used to the new technique and to stick with it.  I did, and after a couple weeks, my knee pain was gone.  As the weather warmed up, I started running on the grass at a park without shoes on.  I did this to help make sure my technique was proper (when I run without shoes, I naturally use proper technique; my posture is good, I forefoot strike, etc) and to help strengthen my feet.

One other thing that was helpful was that I read the book Born to Run  while I was making the transition, which helped me stay motivated to run.  After reading that book, I was convinced that I could eat some chia seeds, lose the shoes, and run 200 miles.  Now I'm convinced that snickers taste better than chia seeds, that marathons are plenty long (though I will do 100 miles at some point), and that, with proper running technique, I can at least run pain free.

Transition Pains

As I transitioned to a forefoot strike, my knee pain went away, but other pains came.  First of all, the day after my first run, I could barely walk.  My calves were so sore!  I hadn't given my calves that good of a workout in a very long time.  This, however, was just muscle pain from a good workout, not joint pain.  I stuck with the running and, after about three weeks, my calves were used to the running

My boss mentioned that it's best to transition slowly, starting with a short run and getting progressively longer as your body gets used to it.  I would suggest this, otherwise you do risk injury by straining weak muscles that have not yet adapted to the new strain.

Another transition pain was from plantar fascitis in the ball of my foot.  I think this was caused by older, poor-fitting shoes.  With the additional pressure on the ball of my foot and a shoe that was too narrow in the forefoot to allow my toes to splay properly, the tendons in my foot started acting up and I soon had pain shooting up my foot every time I would long on a rock or tree root (or even a slight mound) with the ball of my foot.

The more I wore these running shoes, the worse it got.  Eventually I threw the shoes out and got a pair of Altra Instinct running shoes (of which I have already written a fair amount) and the pain slowly went away.  It took about a month for the pain to totally subside.

Now I am super picky about the shoes I run in and wear.  These Altras are so comfortable they have turned me into a snob.  There are few things I am pickier about now than my running and hiking shoes.

Transitioning Tips from Altra

Considering my running "coach" is one of the founders at Altra, I often look to them for information about technique and transitioning.  This is what their website has to say about it:

Transition to Zero Drop Footwear

Most Running Shoes are built on a 2-to-1 heel-to-toe ratio (Twice as thick in the heel as the forefoot). Zero Drop footwear by ALTRA has been built on a 1-to-1 ratio (The heel and forefoot are the same heights off the ground).
A lifetime of wearing an elevated heel has neutralized your Achilles and lower calf and THEY NEED TIME TO REDEVELOP!
Depending on your foot and calf strength, many runners will experience some lower calf tightness due to the natural loading effect of running with Zero Drop. Getting into Zero Drop Shoes will be an adjustment for many. Please read the appropriate directions depending on your shoe.

Minimalist Zero Drop Shoe Transition Guide

How to transition from traditional running shoes to Altra's Zero Drop and minimalist shoes… Running Minimalist or Barefoot Transition Program for Average Feet (i.e. Occasionally walk around barefoot; doesn’t wear supportive insoles)
This program is built for runners & walkers who have average foot strength in order to help them transition to barefoot, minimal (i.e. Adam/Eve), or cushion Zero Drop (e.i. Instinct/Intuition) footwear. Candidates are people who use their feet a fair amount, exercise regularly, don’t wear overly supportive shoes or insoles, and those who may occasionally walk around or run barefoot. I suggest doing the following program as part of regular exercise routine. Simply take some time during your workout in your minimalist footwear or bare feet.
For your first outing, go 1 mile wearing your minimalist shoes or barefoot. The following day, evaluate your level of comfort*. If you have no soreness, then add a ½ mile to your routine the following day. Continue running one day, evaluating the next until you get a bit sore. Once you get sore, you’ve found your base line and foundation to build from. Once you find your baseline, simply add a few minutes every couple of days to your routine and continue to evaluate on a regular basis. Within a few short weeks, you should be able to run long distances with no problems.
*The key to being successful in phasing in a minimalist routine is to evaluate your level of comfort and to find a base line to build from. If you get to the point during your workout where you feel uncomfortable, you have probably gone too long and will most likely be a little sore the next day. This is the premise for the whole program.

Closing Thoughts

This is me again, not Altra:

Listen to your body.  If there is pain, that's your body's way of saying that something is wrong.  In my experience, it is much easier to stay motivated to make the transition if you start slowly to help minimize the pain.  If you transition too quickly and you feel a lot of calf soreness, you are less likely to go out the next day for another run.

Transitioning to a Forefoot Strike and/or Minimalist Running Shoes Part 1

I read an interesting post on Cold Thistle this morning about barefoot running and minimalist shoes.  It was an article by G.S. Seltzer at www.triabilitycoach.com.  It's an interesting article.  The link is

http://triabilitycoach.com/2012/03/22/barefoot-running-truths/.  Or you can read it at one of my favorite blogs,

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2012/04/barefoot-running.html.

  Then, with that on my mind, I went climbing for a few hours.  While I was sitting at a belay, I got a text from my wife.  One of the girls she works with is a runner.   The text said, "(Her friend's name) disagrees with you on your running style.  She says the ball of the foot is bad.  Heel-toe is better for long distances."

This friend of my wife has taken up running and her husband ran track for a local university.  He was a sprinter, not a long-distance runner.  He told his wife that his track coaches said that landing on the ball of the foot is good for sprinting, but a heel-to-toe strike is better for long distances (a widely believed idea that has been challenged more recently during the barefoot/minimalist running movement).  This friend also said she tried the midfoot strike thing and got injured.

The fact is, even if midfoot striking is better than heel striking (which I believe it is), it can still lead to injury if your body is not used to it and the transition isn't done carefully.  Therefore, I'm writing this two-part post to explain how I transitioned to forefoot striking and more minimal shoes.

Why Running Shoes Have Thick Heels

In 1967, William J. Bowerman (a successful track coach at University of Oregon) and W. E. Harris wrote a book called Jogging: A Physical Fitness Program for all Ages.  In the book, Bowerman and Harris claimed that the most efficient way to run was to land on the heel of the foot and that a person would jog faster if they lengthened their stride.  A longer stride meant that a runner must land on their heels.  There was no scientific evidence for these claims, but it sounded good.

A few years later, Bowerman, now one of the founders of Nike, was involved in creating a new running shoe with a thicker heel, called the Nike Cortez.  Later, with some more ingenuity and his wife's waffle iron, he created the Waffle Trainer.

The thicker heel look caught on and other companies adopted the design.  The thicker sole also forced the user to adopt a heel strike (because it's really difficult not to with such a thick heel).  It's interesting to note, that running-related injuries have gone up since the invention of thick-heeled running shoes and a heel strike.

Why I think a Mid/Forefoot Strike is better

A few years ago a study came out by Daniel Lieberman and colleagues from Harvard University.  The study, Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually versus shod runners, showed a few interesting points.  The study compared shod runners and barefoot runners and measured their impact forces.  

According to the study, "At similar speeds, magnitudes of peak vertical force during the impact period are approximately three times lower in habitual barefoot runners who forefoot strike than in habitually shod runners who rearfoot strike either barefoot or shod."

If you run without shoes on, your body is naturally going to find a form or technique that is most comfortable and does the least amount of damage for the body.  Try heel striking without shoes on.  It just hurts.  If one runs without shoes, their body will naturally transition to a technique that is less damaging and painful to their body, which will be a forefoot strike.  (For clarification, I often use the terms midfoot strike and forefoot strike synonymously, even though a mid foot strike means landing with the forefoot and heel landing simultaneously.  A forefoot strike means the ball of the foot lands first.  A forefoot strike is actually the more natural gait and is what I mean when I say midfoot strike)

This is the same lady, running without shoes on the left and with shoes on the right.  Look how much smoother she looks without shoes.  Her posture is better, her arms are tighter to her body, she lands softer and her body is smoother.  Without shoes, notice that her knee is bent when she lands so the impact force is absorbed by her muscles.  With shoes, she lands with her leg mostly straight so the impact force (that is 3x the amount as without shoes) is absorbed less by her muscles and much more by her knees and hips/lower back.  There are no shock absorbers in the knees or lower back.  It's no wonder that a different friend of my wife, who is an avid runner, just had hip surgery to repair some damage they think was caused by running (she heel strikes, by the way).

Another downside to heel striking is that it is less efficient than forefoot striking.  It's a little more visible in this video.  As a person lands on their heel with their leg out in front of them, it's like they are putting on the brakes.  Proper forefoot-striking technique is that the runner lands on the forefoot directly under the body, not out in front, so it shouldn't act as a brake.

After Deciding to Make the Transition

Chances are, if you've been running in standard running shoes for a long time your feet have weakened a bit.  We often hear about needing arch support in a shoe or some sort of pronation/supination control.  All this "technology" in shoes should lead to less injuries, right?  Well, according to some studies, approximately 70-80% of runners in America will get a running-related injury this year.  In contrast, about 3% of runners in third world countries (who usually run barefoot and with a mid/forefoot strike) will get a running-related injury this year.  It's possible that those numbers are so much lower because some of the injuries may go unreported, but probably not 67-77% of injuries go unreported.  That's a staggering difference.  I should note, these statistics are from memory (I think from the book Born to Run, which I read about two years ago or from one or the other studies I've read over the last few years) and could be off a bit.  If anybody knows what the statistics accurately are, I'd appreciate a comment on them.

Anyway, the body adapts to what it's subject to.  So, when a foot is "protected" by a shoe with lots of arch support, the arch gets weak.  It's like putting a cast on your foot.  If you did that to your arm, it too would get weaker.  Weak muscles being subject to a hard workout are a recipe for injuries.  Therefore, don't go on a long run barefoot or in minimal shoes when your feet are weak.

Anyway, it is important to strengthen one's feet before really committing to a full-time forefoot strike.  This can be done by wearing shoes less, occasionally running barefoot on grass or other soft, safe surfaces, by running with minimal shoes part-time, etc.  Going from a heel strike to minimal shoes and forefoot strike SHOULD NOT be an abrupt change.  It should be a gradual transition.  If somebody that is not used to a forefoot strike suddenly runs 10 miles with a forefoot strike, they will most likely not be able to walk for a few days (because their calves are so sore) and could potentially injure themselves in other ways.  It's like taking on a technical ski run with weak legs.  The risk of injury is so much higher than if the skier has strong legs, even if the technical skill is equal.

Part 2 of this post will be about how I transitioned to a forefoot strike and some other suggestions from experts in the field.