I recently restarted C25K program in June after break of 1 year and completed it. I realized I was jogging on my heals and was able to jog continously for 30 min. I found out that this is an incorrect posture and for past 3 weeks tried to run on my midsole, this has causing a challenge as I am unable to run continously and get tired easily. Looks like my heart rate shoots up in a few minutes and then I appear to fall back to my old way of running. In addition, I also observed that for the past 2 weeks that I am getting slight pain started on my legs all the way to my ankle and foot after my run. I dont recall pulling or getting any sharp pain. This stays for 2-3 days and then It goes away. I start jogging after that,I do calf stretches before I run and walk 5 min before I jog but it has not given any relief for my pain. Here is what my stats on my smart watch shows for for my 5k run.
Pace (avg)- 7k/km
Heart rate (avg) - 166
Cadence- (avg)- 155
Stride (avg)- 88
Right now I can see this is repeating frequently so I wanted to get some advise from the community on handling this condition and what would be the best way forward on continuing this exercise regimen.
Thank you very much
Arvind
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Syntrope
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Hi I've done some reading about heal v mid foot strike and from what I've read, it doesn't matter. Heel strikers get different stresses to mid foot strikers but I don't think it's wrong to be a heel striker. My hubby is also running landing on his heels and that's what he's used to. Do you really need to change? Of course others may think differently...
I think the way that comes naturally to us is the best way. Forefoot strikers tend to be quicker than us heel strikers, but I stick with my natural gait personally.
Heel striking is a symptom of over-striding. It's less efficient than landing the foot under the body, and can cause extra joint stresses.
As Curlygurly2 says, "forefoot strikers tend to be quicker". That's because of how when you heel strike you're exerting a force acting against your existing momentum when you land. (For those of us who did physics at school, think of the horizontal and vertical components of the force vector on the pivot point at the heel.)
It's better to shorten the stride and land flatter on the foot if you can, with a slight bend in the knee to distribute the landing forces better amongst the muscles, tendons and joints, rather than taking the whole impact force on the heel, knee and hip joints.
The best indicator of what type of landing you have is to look at the soles of a well-worn pair of running shoes. Where are they getting the most wear?
Your cadence is a little on the low side. The stride length can only be judged relative to your height.
Maybe have a look (again) at the Japanese Slow Running video linked to in the FAQ post.
I'm a forefoot striker (you can't heel strike in barefoot shoes -- it's painful). My stats (though you shouldn't really compare) for a recent 10km run are: cadence 170-180, stride 90-100cm, pace 6'11"/km, HR 155bpm. Height 182cm (5'11") when barefoot.
Interesting points here. I am a heel striker, but my stride is barely 80 CM, cadence 140, pace too low to mention! Height 175 CM... Ground contact time 350 milliseconds (or however they measure it). I transitioned to midfoot strike when I had PF, but I was much slower..as soon as my heel felt better I went back to heel strike without even thinking about it.
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