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Natural Running

Natural running, sometimes known as forefoot running, is a fairly recent phenomenon that is quickly gaining in popularity. What is natural running? Quite simply it means landing on your mid-foot or forefoot instead of your heel.

When running fast you will land on the ball of your foot or in between the heel and the

 forefoot. There is less braking force during the first part of the step. Then in the take-off part of the step, the energy absorbed in the leg muscles is used to propel the body forward

In contrast, most long distance runners will strike their heels heavily on the ground. Despite the cushioned heel of the shoe, this sends a shock from the heel up to the knee, hip and spine. The force of this impact is equivalent to 2 - 3 times your body weight with every step. Scary isn’t it? This can be a prime cause of running injuries from over-use.

Try it out...

Now try running barefoot and you will discover your ‘natural running’ form. You'll see right away that when you run barefoot, you're not landing on your heels. Instead you are landing on your forefoot.

The following video illustrates the value of the natural running stride.

If this can help prevent injuries and soreness it's certainly worth trying. You will also find that there are more shoes that cater to natural running appearing on the market. Newton is one company that has designed shoes specifically for forefoot running.

Some of the benefits you will find from changing to a natural running stride include:

• much less impact and force on your body

• more relaxed running form

• you can go faster with the same amount of effort

Try it out!