| I feel as if I have just emerged from the dark ages. | | | | orthotics to lift your heels". I feel like a freak of |
| After many years of being told that I run incorrectly, | | | | nature. "Everybody" lands on their heels except for |
| I found that there is nothing wrong with running on | | | | me! |
| the balls of your feet. In fact, most of the top | | | | After my previous experience with orthotics I decide |
| runners are forefoot strikers. Not that I fall in the | | | | against it. But I stick with my old shoes and the |
| "top runner" category. | | | | stretching and the strengthening exercises which |
| After running for about 15 years and suffering from | | | | seem to work. I try to run with a heel strike but this |
| virtually every injury ever recorded for the leg from | | | | is very uncomfortable and feels completely unnatural |
| the knee downwards, I stopped running seriously for | | | | to me. I only really manage it to some extent on |
| about 10 years except for the occasional jog. The | | | | down hills. Still, I manage to complete two fairly flat |
| beginning of this year I decided that it is time to | | | | 10km races without any problems and then take a |
| seriously start running again. I reckoned that in the | | | | race on over very hilly terrain. On a very long, steep |
| past 10 years the running shoe technology and the | | | | downhill my one calf breaks down again. This stuns |
| general knowledge of how to treat and prevent | | | | me. On down hills I run mostly on my heels as I have |
| running injuries should have improved to the point | | | | been told I should, and should not have any problems! |
| where I could at least do a regular 10km without any | | | | While slowly limping back to the start, I walk past an |
| fear of injuries. | | | | army building with some uniformed guards at the |
| In the shoe shops there seem to be more sales | | | | gate. This made me think of my days in the army. At |
| people around that know all the running shoe buzz | | | | one stage we ran 10km virtually every day and |
| words such as neutral, pronation, shock absorption, | | | | probably walked as many. And that in army boots |
| etc. but they don't seem to know anything new. | | | | and uniforms, carrying stuff like rifles and backpacks. |
| "You have neutral feet and are a heavy runner (90 | | | | I remember some of us had the heels taken off our |
| kg). You need a shoe with lots of shock absorption." | | | | boots and replaced the sole with a softer rubber |
| This is the same message I got 10 years ago. The | | | | with a very low heel. I never had shin splints, or calf |
| running shoes I use for my occasional jog fall into this | | | | strains, or runner's knee, or iliotibial band syndrome, or |
| category and since they have not been used much, I | | | | Achilles tendonitis. Did not even know injuries like that |
| decide to stick with them. Not to long and some of | | | | existed until I started running with expensive running |
| my old injuries surface again. | | | | shoes. Granted, I was a lot younger then, but the |
| There now seem to be a lot more podiatrists around, | | | | conditions were much tougher than any road race. |
| and I decide to consult one and get some expert | | | | Maybe the high heel is part of the problem and |
| advice. Again I am told that I have neutral feet and | | | | seeing that if have very little natural heel strike, |
| need a shoe with lots of shock absorption. "You also | | | | maybe I should just accept that and look for more |
| need some insoles to lift your heels." Then he gave | | | | shock absorption under the front foot? |
| me probably the best advise I had from anybody: | | | | At home I start searching the internet for shoes with |
| "Go to a physiotherapist to get rid of the knots in | | | | less heel and more front foot absorption and that is |
| your calf muscles, let him show you how to stretch | | | | when I discovered the world of the forefoot striker, |
| correctly and how to do exercises to strengthen | | | | and that is why I feel as if I have just emerged |
| your calves." | | | | from the dark ages. I am not a freak of nature, |
| After about a week and a few painful physio | | | | there are many runners out there that are natural |
| sessions that did me a world of good, I am on the | | | | forefoot strikers. There are even people out there |
| road again with my new orthotics in my shoes. My | | | | encouraging runners to become forefoot strikers |
| heels are so high I feel like I am going to fall on my | | | | because your knees and ankles then absorb most of |
| face any minute. Not good. The second time I run | | | | the shock. No need for high heeled shoes with heel |
| with these I get all kinds of pains that I never had | | | | lifts that makes you trip over your own feet just to |
| before and decide to take them out, stick to the | | | | get some heel strike. Most of the top finishers in |
| stretching and the strengthening exercises, and get | | | | races of any distance from 100m to marathon are |
| new shoes. | | | | wearing "racing flats," which have absolutely no heel |
| I feel like am running on marshmallows with the new | | | | cushioning, and no stabilization features. And the |
| shoes. The salesman assures me that these are the | | | | runners all run with a forefoot strike. |
| best shock absorption shoes on the market. "Perfect | | | | My next quest will now be to find suitable shoes and |
| for neutral feet." The second run in the new shoes | | | | then to see how far I get if I forget about trying to |
| and I have problems again. I take the shoes back | | | | land on my heels. There don't seem to be a lot of |
| and decide to go for a gait analysis and see what | | | | shoes around for the forefoot striker. Maybe I should |
| technology can tell me. | | | | go for "racing flats" or cross country shoes. At least |
| I am made to run a number of times over a type of | | | | I now have a better idea of what to look for. |
| electronic pressure plate that records the exact | | | | Hopefully this combined with the stretching and the |
| movement of my feet. The results: "You are running | | | | strengthening exercises will resolve some of my |
| completely wrong; you have virtually no heel strike. | | | | injury problems without creating new ones. |
| You must learn to run with a heel strike or get | | | | |