Heel first or mid foot?

[Blackers]

Ipod (Laura) and website information slightly contradict each other . Ipod advises heel should hit the ground first in order to avoid risk of injury (week 2) website info advises mid foot for recreational runners. Could someone clarify which it should be - thanks

[Cazvs Graduate]

This has come up before about the contradiction and I think everyone always says mid-foot first. That's what I do and I've never had any problems beyond a little bit of stiffness.

[greenlegs Graduate]

I've been reading round this, quite a bit, and can't understand why that week 2 comment from Laura hasn't been updated. As you say, on the NHS c25k info webpage, it says midfoot.

I get the impression that for years advice used to be to land on the heel (and running shoe design has been based on that idea for years), but more recently, lots of evidence suggests that injuries are much less likely with midfoot landing, at least partly because you're less likely to overstretch the leg in front. Well, something like that. I'm no expert, just a keen googler! There is a LOT of highly contradictory information out there! But anything that suggests how to reduce injuries seems a good idea to me.

[Nevertoolate Graduate]

Definitely not heel - it was the only thing about the programme that was bad as far as I'm concerned. It's just so counter-intuitive and I'm glad to hear the suggestion that the idea was linked to shoe design.

Having just read Born to Run (Chris McDougall) I'm convinced that Nike and Co have been crippling us all for years. Amongst other things the book explains how running shoe design has been the cause of most modern injuries. I'm all for minimalist shoes and a natural gait - I bought the cheapest shoes I could find at the beginning of C25k (15 euros Decathlon France) and am still running in them at 10kms. The only time I got an injury was when I tried using £100 Asics!!

[Mitts Graduate]

I agree, heel strike is not a good idea - have a look here:

livestrong.com/article/1890...

It really helped me find a technique that suited me when I was starting out.

[Malcy Graduate in reply to Mitts]

Great article - thanks for the link. I came across runningplanet.com/training/... which, unless like me you're overwintering on a 'mill, might not seem very relevant. But there is a lot of good content re posture & stride. I overtrained a few months ago & have a minor case of plantar fasciitis - I'm now pretty sure it was induced by hell striking.

[Mitts Graduate in reply to Malcy]

First time I read this I thought you meant windmill or the like... definitely the morning after the night before...

Good link, everyone should read this, amazing what benefits you can have just by remembering to think about things... and let's face it, we need things to think about on a treadmill

[caelynn]

"Good long distance runners usually contact with the mid-foot. Slower runners contact between the mid-foot and the heel, faster runners a bit further forward. Contact on the mid-foot allows for better shock absorption, less stress on the calf muscle and Achilles tendon, and btter rolling forward onto the next stride."

trifuel.com/triathlon/run/r...

[Malcy Graduate in reply to caelynn]

This is also an excellent piece. I recall reading a long time ago that you should keep your feet low & avoid a "bobbing head" style because lifting your legs high was a waste of effort. That idea is articulated very well in this article. It could also save a lot of unnecessary injury / potential (and debatable) joint wear to overweight runners (as I was myself) and should be mandatory reading for every week 1 coucher!