Daniel – I’m wondering if there is also a difference between where we land relative to center of gravity on a treadmill vs. overground. Interesting thought. The biggest challenge with filming overground running is getting a natural stride, which is why race filming works well. We should have the ability to measure footplant position relative to center of gravity.

Another good slo-mo video could be taken even further back, focusing on posture as you run. I tend to be more erect and have better posture when I run in my VFF’s, but seem to have a bend at the waist leading to lower back ache when I run in chunky sneakers.

I look forward to seeing what else you come up with, and hope that future videos can be shot outside where the shock absorbers on the treadmill don’t influence the impact and stride.

Keep up the great research!

Mike,

Lower calf pain is almost universally experienced by anyone transitioning to
barefoot or Vibram running – it will go away in a few days as the muscles
repair and in most cases will not be a problem again. It hit me initially,
and I haven’t felt it since. The key with barefooting is to build very
slowly, and give your legs/feet time to adapt to the new stresses being
placed on them – don’t do too much too soon or you risk an injury. Also,
don’t force a forefoot strike, just let your barefoot stride work its way in
naturally – concentrate on relaxing and you’ll likely adapt naturally quite
quickly. The more you try to force things, the more likely you’ll do some
damage. I’m definitely not an expert on barefoot running, but this is what
I have learned from running in Vibrams so far.

Pete

http://alterarunning.com

Justin,

I’m pretty much in complete agreement with you about the heel. If clearance
between the foot and the ground is small, a big heel will clip the ground
and force a heel-strike. What I find most interesting is that in a really
hard heel-striker, the front end of the foot comes down really fast after
the heel catches, and you can actually see reverberations through the
forefoot from the impact. Gives a really good feel for the shock involved –
I’ll have to see if I have a good video of it.

Pete

I’m not sure, but my suspicion is that at least in me, the gait is similar,
but the heel catches the ground in the Adrenalines and causes the
heel-strike. In Ryan, the difference is more pronounced, and it almost
looks like a biomechanically different gait to me. I will have the ability
to look at all of the joints as you suggest, but starting small for now. We
should get you up to the lab sometime for a shod/barefoot trial run!

Pete