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Natural Running, Biomechanics & the Problems with "Typical" Running Shoes

Over the past 6 months or so I’ve done a fair bit of reading into the current state of thinking with running shoes and the science behind it, but it is a really subjective topic…. Even some of the keenest promoters of “less is better” on your feet are including a fair dose of caution when it comes to encouraging people to think away from the traditional cushioned, stability controlled (ie anti pronation) trainer that has risen to dominate the market in the last 30-40 years.

My opinion (and it may still be proved wrong, there’s the cautious tone raising it’s head already!)  is that we shouldn’t really be running in heavily cushioned shoes with anti-pronation features and highly elevated heels. BUT for the vast majority of everyday runners this how they have learnt to run and it is engrained in them now. Hence why the majority of recreational runners runner with their heels hitting the ground first (more on why this situation has arisen below..)  If you are one of the lucky few who already run on their mid/fore foot, congratulations, go buy yourself a pair of more minimal shoe and enjoy (in a gradual manner…). However for the rest of us, all is not lost. 

It is widely recognised that running is a learnt skill, dominated by control from our brains. In many animals running is a low level response controlled from the spinal column and hence can be considered an almost automatic response, but humans have more control over things! We can adjust/adapt our running style to improve our ability. This article on the Science of Running blog is very good and goes into detail about how our bio mechanics work and  gives advice on how to change your running to maximise the body’s bio-mechanical ability.

 So we can change and improve things, but (and this is the big BUT) you have to do it carefully! Ditching your old shoes and going straight into unfamiliar shoes with features designed to promote good bio-mechanics is risky. Injuries can develop as a result of muscles/tendons etc.. suddenly being subjected to new forces and stresses without a gradually introduction to the new demands. A good example of this is the achilles tendon, the elevated heels of modern shoes (not just running shoes) have caused the Achilles to be under- used and become weakened in a lot of cases. Go into minimal shoes and the loading on the Achilles shoots up, but this is a good thing, as the Achilles functions as an important energy storage and release mechanism during the running cycle (ie we want lots of force in it!). The downside is that if your Achilles is not strong enough, the switch of shoes could lead to damage. The key point is that any switch of shoe type to try more minimal shoes should be done gradually and in conjunction with your current shoe type. I made this mistake in the summer with a new pair of neutral low heel light weight Saucony Kinvara shoes. I ran them a couple of times (quite fast longish runs) and tweaked an ankle tendon. This seems to be because the shoe has no pronation control I was running off road quite a bit and hence subjecting my ankle to lots of lateral forces. There was nothing to stop my ankle from going inwards more that it should. At the next cross country race I did (in my normal race shoes) the ankle tendon got severely exacerbated and I ended up not running for a week (and another week to get back to normal). As a side note, it turns out that my ankle pronation issue may well stem from an imbalance in my hips (twisted pelvis) which has been treated by an Osteopath, I’m waiting to see how the ankle responses now I’m back doing some runs in the Saucony’s. Importantly, the ankle problem probably doesn’t originate from using the wrong type of shoe, but it appeared to! The Kinvara’s are amazing comfortable and light shoes to run in (if slightly narrow at the toes) and the low heel, means it feels more natural with a fore or mid foot style, but I definitely feel the lack of heel if I switch back to heel first running, it becomes very hard on my heels (as I can feel the impact normally hidden by the heel cushion of regular shoes)

A quick shoe 101, the typical recreational running shoe that has dominated the market for the past 30 odd years is characterised by the following features; large different in the height of the heel compared to the toes, typically in region of 12mm, and effectively elevates the heel; considerable cushioning in the sole of the shoe; pronation control features that are designed to correct the lower leg alignment. I thoroughly recommend you read this article (again from the Science of Running site, by Steve Magness) on the fallacy of these features (particularly cushioning and pronation control). I have borrow some of the ideas from this piece and others in writing this. Basically shoes have become highly protective and are almost ‘proscribed’ these days, as if they are medical devices!

Bio mechanically we are designed to run with a fore/mid/whole foot strike, but not really with a heel strike, unfortunately, no-one realised this when the recreational running boom started in the 70’s and as the masses shifted from walking to jogging to running, they did so on their heels. This wasn’t very comfortable in the thin heeled, unsupportive, zero cushioned shoes of the day, so the shoe companies started to develop thicker shock absorbing heel counters to reduce the impact. This actually had the reverse effect on impact force, as as the cushioning got more and more, it increasingly reduced the sensory feedback from the feet, which made runners land with heavier feet (as they were unable to feel the true impact with the ground). Put it this way, if you can feel that the ground is hard and unforgiving, you will tend to walk/run with lighter feet to reduce the discomfort, heavily cushioned shoes remove this sensory feedback.

That’s just for the cushioning aspect of ‘traditional’ running shoes, the same goes broadly for pronation correction, in fact some argue that over pronation (the tendency for you ankle to dip inwards as you push through a stride) is natural and shouldn’t be corrected, it’s part of the foot’s shock absorbing action. The traditional thinking is that pronation causes all sorts of other lower leg injuries and so fixing it will fix those problems too. This is far from proven…

Now science is starting to overhaul marketing patter, some parts of the running world (and scientific community) is realising that maybe we’ve been going in the wrong direction for a number of years(!). Minimal shoes (less or even no heel rise, low cushioning, little or no stability control) are on the rise and the market is becoming flooded with a multitude of options. Some of the major brands and starting to join in, Saucony have recently reduced the heel height on two of there flagship ‘traditional’ shoes from 12 to 8mm in response to the research work that has been carried out. it’s great that the some shoe manufacturers are becoming proactive in this area, but at the same time it is creating many shades of grey for runners trying to decide what shoes they need, I’m now pretty familiar with the confusion the choice presents! 

One of the biggest issues I now read and hear about is the experiences people have in most running stores. I would guess that 90% of running shops assess runners shoe requirements based on flawed theories & techniques. My personal experience of this was when I returned to the shop I originally brought my first pair of, very standard, Brooks shoes. On the first trip to buy my 1st proper pair of running shoes the shop assistant got me to run on a treadmill and videoed my running from behind. The assessment was that I had a bit of over pronation (ankle dips inward on foot contact with ground) and duly found shoes that (after another treadmill run) corrected my pronation.
In the year since I got those shoes I went from doing my first races to going under 01:25 in a half marathon, by summer 2011 I was racing in some of the lightest Adidas racing shoes on the market without any problems. I’ve since run a sub 3 hour marathon in them too. I returned to the same shop to investigate replacing the ailing Brooks, they popped me back on the treadmill and the assessment was that my running gait/form was unchanged. The advice was to buy a pair of the slightly newer version of the same shoe, which was fundamentally the same as those I was looking to replace. My option is that my running now doesn’t suit bulky, highly cushioned shoes so now I’m now running almost exclusively in the Adidas racing shoes (with some excursions in the Saucony’s), but I plan to build up my mileage in the Saucony Kinvara’s. Ultimately a lighter replacement for the Brooks needs to be found!
The way most shops work out what shoes you need is a product of a lack of scientific understanding, some misplaced assumptions that the way to address running injuries is to ‘fix’ them with shoes that correct aspects of the running mechanism that we wrongly think need correcting and a good healthy dose of marketing spin. There are shops out there (in the US) which are bucking the trend, but in the UK it’s really up to you and the internet!

Some shoe suggestions if you want to explore more minimal shoes include; the Saucony Mirage (only 4mm heel and some light pronation control), this is the slightly more stability orientated version of the Saucony Kinvara’s. Alternatively the Saucony Guide 5 and Triumph are the more regular shoes that have been reduced from 12 to 8 mm heels and lightened a bit (less material in a shoe = lighter weight!). One is a neutral shoe (no pronation control) and the other has some anti-pronation features. By the way I’m not sponsored by Saucony in any way, they seem to be one of the mainstream manufacturers putting in effort to adapt to this shift in thinking on how we run. New Balance (Minimus range), Nike (Free) are also in on the act. I would recommend having a browse on the US online store www.runnningwarehouse.com just for reference, they have a massive range of shoes and very detailed information that allows you to compare shoes.

It’s all a bit of an exercise in exploring the options and experimenting with what suits you as a runner. You can stay with the ‘safe’ traditional shoe that has prevailed in the mass market for the last few decades or try out a different approach (based on scientific work that so far is hard to refute) that offers to take you back closer to how humans have run for the past 10,000+ years….it’s an interesting choice if you ask me!

The Ups and Downs of New Shoes

Back in the summer, when I first started to discover the minimal vs traditional running shoe debate I got very enthusiastic (as I usually do about exciting new stuff!) and brought a pair of Saucony Kinvara 2 shoes. This slightly impulsive buy was fuelled by several very glowing reviews I read about the shoes (one can be found here on Runblogger).

These are very lightweight and as light (if not a tad lighter) than my Adidas racing flats. They have a small heel to toe drop differential of 4mm, compared to 12mm in the majority of modern running shoes. They are also pretty neutral with little pronation control. The design philosopy behind the Kinvara was to create a ‘gateway’ shoe that would allow runners to transition from traditional shoes (large heel to toe height differential, substantial cushioning and motion control) towards minimal & barefoot style shoes.

My first run in the Kinvaras was a short five mile lunchtime loop of Romsey from the office. They felt so light and I really could run quickly & easily in them. They were very close to the ground compared to my Brookes Vapour 9s, and I could feel it, I was now fully aware of the impact of landing on my heels! The first run passed off without an issue, except for some slightly sorer calves….

That evening I decided to go out again the Saucony’s for the Lymington Tri Club evening run at Milford on Sea. Vale (Tri Club founding member, marathon winner and my coach) can too and we ran a pretty quick 8 miles, including an out and back section on the Milford cliffs. Again the shoes felt very good and I was really enjoying them. However towards the end of the run, coming back along the cliff path with (in summer) is hardened mud and very unforgiving, I felt twinges of pain on the medial (inside) side of my right ankle. We finished the run and my ankle felt pretty much ok, nothing serious I thought….

That weekend I had some IT Band issues in my right leg and saw the osteopath on the following Tuesday. He diagnosed a twist in my lower back as causing my right IT band to tighten and snap back and fore across my hip joint as I ran. A spot of back manipulation and this was soon on the mend (had little trouble from my IT band since). The next day I competed in the final RR10 series cross country race in the grounds of IBM at Hursley. I was keen to maintain the position in the top 30 I had achieved so far in the series, but was very aware that I had to be careful of my IT band still. As it was my IT band was absolutely fine, my ankle however was not… 

I ran in my red Adidas Adizero Adios shoes (the very snug fitting ones) the course at IBM is 3 laps, mostly on paths and grass, but with some very heavily cambered slope sections to run along in places. after lap one my ankle was sore, after the second it was really hurting and by the third I was just about able to maintain pace. Each time I ran on along a slope it hurt and then it would recover slightly on the flat parts (where there was little lateral force on my ankle). I finished the race in 33th enough to earn me 29th overall, but I had paid for it dearly, as my ankle was shot!

I had to take a week off running, not good in the middle of training for the Abingdon Marathon, and put a lot of ice on my ankle. By the following weekend I managed to complete the Everton 10k at a gentle pace and put in some miles before and after too. Gradually my ankle got better, although never completely pain/discomfort free. I temporarily shelved the Kinvaras and switched back to my Brookes, the motion control of which helped to protect my ankle tendon. I occasionally ran in my adizeros too (races only). I stopped all off-road running to reduce the lateral loading on my ankle.

At the time is was difficult to pinpoint the cause of the ankle tendon injury, it definitely originated on the 2nd run with the Kinvaras. However I was also building up my weekly mileage at the time and doing a lot of running, the stress of which could have contributed to the problem. By the marathon my ankle was pretty much fine, and it gave me no problems. 

After Abingdon, when my legs had recovered from the race, I tried a few tentative road runs in the Kinvara’s again. No more than 5 miles at a time. The shoes have generally been good and I have learnt a lot more now about how to work on adjusting running form to suit minimal shoes. That said I have done a few fast runs in them and on the next run after my ankle would be sore.

In my opinion, it seems my ankle problems may stem from the classic ‘Too much, too soon’ effect of going straight into running in minimal shoes without first strengthening and adapting your feet musculature to the change in footware. Having read all about this and been warning to avoid it, I fell straight into the trap of assuming I could just go out and run in my new shoes as I did previously. Feet need time and exercises to prepare for the new stresses they will feel, the same goes for going completely barefooted. Trying to incorporate a completely new type of shoes into my marathon program was a bad idea!

Since the marathon I have dropped using my Brookes shoes and gone to full-time in my racing flats (red ones for speed work/short runs & green ones for longer distance), which has proved successful to date. The plan is now to do the Gosport Half Marathon next weekend and then to take a full week off to recuperate my ankle (including a trip to the Bath thermal spa :-) ).

I’m going to work on the basics of barefoot/minimal running and follow the drills and exercises in Jason Robillard’s “The Barefoot Running Book” This isn’t particularly easy in an English winter but I need to build up to being able to run in the Kinvara’s with enough strength to protect my feet. I’m also trying to practice and adopt some of the general good running form techniques in the book into my everyday running. This includes; relaxing my arms & shoulders, leaning forwards at the ankles and trying to lift my feet, instead of pushing back, to encourage softer foot falls (this also promotes running on the mid/fore foot as well)

The Barefoot Running Book - By Jason Robillard

I’m reading the Barefoot Running Book by Jason Robillard at the moment http://www.tbfrb.com/. The book steps through how to learn to run barefoot from 1st principles, builds up to starting to run with no shoes and then progresses into more distance, very gradually. Jason also recommends, and I’ve read this elsewhere, that you learn completely barefoot and then use barefoot/minimal shoes once you have mastered the new form. This is fine if you have the time, live somewhere reasonable warm with a nice selection of trails/roads that are suitable for barefoot (not so great for the UK in winter!). The other approach is to mix minimal/barefoot running with your normal weekly mileage in a gradually increasing proportion, but you should still master the static/slow techniques first. 

A few lucky people are predisposed to good running form once away from cushioned motion controlled footwear. For the rest of us it is a case of effectively learning to run again in a controlled manner to prevent injury from ‘Too Much Too Soon’ which can include sore calves (normal, but they need to be allow to recover), pain on the top of the foot and blisters.
From what I’ve read so far, sand isn’t actually recommended to start bare-footing on, unless it’s really hard. Soft sand reduces the tactile feedback you need from the soles of your feet. The sore calves are normal for early BF running, we all got in one degree or another after the Tuesday night sessions at Woodside in the summer. Next year (or sooner if I can find somewhere to do it) I’m going to do some dedicated no-shoes sessions on the track to focus on form without shoes on. That said, grass isn’t recommended for BF running practice either, as it’s apparently too soft and forgiving!

The whole running world is in a state of flux at the moment and no-one is absolutely sure where the right way forward is right now, only time will tell! With all this talk of barefoot/minimal/natural etc… running it’s also important to note that there is also the opinion that, if it ain’t broke (you’re running that is) don’t try and fix it….  It is true that switching to a more natural (mid or fore foot) style is not without it’s own risks. Most people could continue running in mainstream shoes with no problems/injures. That said I believe there is a lot of mileage in the research into the issues of modern running shoes and personally sit in the ‘transition to a better form’ camp (I’m not advocating we all dump our shoes and never go back!)

From my personal experience of 3 separate running shops locally, they don’t have a clue about this yet really…  I (and many others now) believe the whole shoe selling process is on the whole historically flawed. Due to the likes of Nike marketing cushioned shoes without any research into the effect it would have on human bio-mechanics. Once that took off and the corporate marketing machines got hold, we were on a one way trip to cushy shoes you don’t have to think about running in! The poor shop assistants know no other way and quite rightly will be fearful of any comeback if they start selling minimal shoes to people with no experience of them. They will sell you what they think they should sell you based on the traditional formula, which is a pair of shoes to provide lots of cushioning for your heel (because you land on it all the time) and to control your foot pronation (despite it being the natural way your foot absorbs shock).

I’m very interested to see if I can ultimately successfully incorporate better form into my running (ie maintain my speed, or even improve it), or whether it will remain a parallel running hobby that I do for the shear enjoyment. I ran several barefoot lengths of Harlyn Bay, Cornwall at low tide in the summer (on the solid sand) and it was quite possibly the best running experience I’ve ever had, with the sun out and the water lapping at my feet :-)

Chris McDougall NYT Article

An interesting article (click here) from the writer of the well known barefoot running book ‘Born to Run’ (which I’m yet to read incidentally) on the current state of barefoot/minimal running and drills & programs that can be used to transition from traditional shoes. A video showing the 100-up drill can be found here

Chris references Pete Larson (Evolutionary Biologist at Saint Anselm College, New Hampshire) who writes the highly informative barefoot/minimal running blog, RunBlogger, which is a gold mine of information! Pete posted his comments in response to the myriad of comments left on the NYT article, which presents more of a measured middle ground approach to the traditional vs barefoot debate.
Pete’s thoughts can be read here