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More efficient running style

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Hills of Death (HOD) Jul 2016 10:17am, 24 Jul 2016 32,428 posts	0 Hills of Death (HOD) So it's knee or calf take your pick ;-). I guess relax aline and run is the way
FenlandRunner Jul 2016 10:51am, 24 Jul 2016 9,535 posts	0 FenlandRunner They had a video camera at the club mile and I was relatively pleased with my landing. Slight kiss of the heel before the whole foot took my weight, and when the whole foot took my weight, my foot was almost directly under my body.
speedy rob Jan 2017 11:05pm, 2 Jan 2017 68 posts	0 speedy rob Canute: My experience seems opposite to your post. I was a heel-striker and got plantar, achilles and other niggles around and connected to the heel that limited mileage to less than 25/wk. Over 6 months focus on changing to mid-to-fore foot enabled me to double mileage without those niggles. My achilles niggles seemed to require fairly high but controlled stress to help recovery: I think that if they aren't stretched fully regularly they heal short and those healed areas get damaged when building back up.
Canute Jan 2017 11:37pm, 2 Jan 2017 1,792 posts	0 Canute Rob, It is good to hear that your heel problems have resolved after changing to mid/forefoot landing. I suspect an important contribution to your experience is what you describe as fairly high but controlled stress.
Canute Jan 2017 1:40pm, 3 Jan 2017 1,793 posts	0 Canute Rob Although PF is notoriously unpredictable, I nonetheless continue to be intrigued about how the fore/mid foot landing might have helped in your case. In general I would expect repeated rapid increases in tension in the fascia to exacerbate PF. In the other hand forefoot landing would be expected to strengthen the flexor digitorum brevis muscle which reduces the load on the fascia. Maybe this is what worked for you. However, I would generally recommend exercises the involve flexing the toes as a safer way to strengthen flexor digitorum brevis. Experts in PF such as Thomas Michaud recommend that runners with plantar fasciitis should avoid making initial ground contact with their mid or forefoot. running.competitor.com
Canute Jan 2017 2:07pm, 3 Jan 2017 1,794 posts	0 Canute Similarly, with regard to the Achilles ‘healing short’, you are right that it is important to minimise shortening during recovery from Achilles injuries, but the safest way to do this is slow stretching of the Achilles by lowering the body while standing on a step with heel over-hanging. However whatever other perhaps safer options you might have pursued, the important thing is that you have now recovered. Best wishes for continued injury-free running. I am myself by nature a fore/mid foot striker. I do regular slow stretching of Achilles to keep the tendon in good condition.
speedy rob Jan 2017 8:51pm, 3 Jan 2017 69 posts	0 speedy rob Thanks canute. Recovery from niggles during conversion to mid-to-fore foot was while mostly running regular, low mileage easy runs on grass, but with drills & strides. Me being only about 60kg probably helped. I really did impact with my heels, and stopping those shocks was key. I do 2x 30 to 50 seconds each side on calf stretches after nearly all runs partly as pre-hab and because we're "suposed to" (and similar for quads & hamstrings).
SPR Jan 2017 1:25pm, 28 Jan 2017 23,475 posts	0 SPR Bought runscribe as I found it on eBay UK. ebay.co.uk Used it on my last two runs, while I'm not sure I'll be changing anything due to it, the stats are definitely interesting.
SPR Jan 2017 1:58pm, 28 Jan 2017 23,476 posts	0 SPR For those interested, here are some screenshots. Everything below the graph (shots 2 and 3) can be added or taken out of the graph by clicking on them.
GlennR Jan 2017 2:25pm, 28 Jan 2017 24,534 posts	0 GlennR Interesting.