Comments on: Natural Running: What The Heck Does it Mean?

By: Peter Larson

Peter Larson — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 22:44:50 +0000

In reply to Michelle.

The stick is good, a rolling pin would work similarly. I think the best tool to manage calf tightness is a round foam roller: http://www.amazon.com/Black-High-Density-Foam-Rollers/dp/B0040NJOA0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388529820&sr=8-1&keywords=foam+roller

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 21:51:36 +0000

Sme great information here,thanks…
Ok so I’ve worked out my son is a forefoot striker which places more stress on the ankle…now he has constant pain in his calves and I’m curious after doing some research if the product in the link below would help at all?
We thought maybe he wasn’t warming up as best he could but after reading this thread there is so much more to consider….it’s a bit confusing but maybe we will try something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/Targeting-Knots-The-Convenient-Lightweight-Guarantee/dp/B00GTLOUDM/ref=sr_1_51?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1388470614&sr=1-51&keywords=Muscle+roller+stick

By: “Posing” the Question of Proper Running Form: Natural Running vs. Pose Method | Natural Running Center

Sat, 14 Dec 2013 21:22:30 +0000

[…] Natural running is not some ideal, archetypal running form; it’s what happens when you let your own body figure out what works best for you when you minimize interference between the foot and the ground. It’s what happens when you let your own muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones do all or most of the work. It will vary depending on the type of ground under your feet, how fast you’re running, and so forth. It could hurt you – just because it’s “natural” does not necessarily mean that it’s always good. It could also help you – some people have overcome chronic injury by going “natural.” It’s a form employed by you, not necessarily a form employed by all. And your natural running form can change with time and practice. It might reach a comfortable steady state, or it might continue to change in small ways.– Pete Larson, Runblogger […]

By: Pete Larson

Pete Larson — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to Bob Schroedter.

To recommend that someone who has not had any problems or injury history change their form would imply that there is very strong evidence that A. changing form does not carry any added risk and B. one type of form is definitively better than another from an injury prevention standpoint. I don't think A is true, and I don't think we have strong evidence supporting B.

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By: Zedric Dimalanta

Zedric Dimalanta — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to Craig Payne.

Yeah, I agree that "natural" is a loaded term when used in this particular instance, especially when the idea of "natural running" is paired with fixed and inflexible notions of ideal footstrike and such—it suggests that straying from a strict ideation of "natural running" is automatically bad or an affront to "what Mother Nature intended," never mind that most of us are probably running on paved asphalt and concrete surfaces that didn't really exist until relatively recently in our short evolutionary history.

Maybe "adaptive running" gets the message across clearer that good running form is (or should be) dynamic and context-dependent?

By: Clifford Clark

Clifford Clark — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Pete, I totally agree with Prof. Daniel Lieberman, for about a month recently I tried to figure out my foot strike. I run 90% on trails and most are very hilly. What I determined was on steep uphills I was a forefoot striker, steep downhills a heel striker, in both cases when the hills were less steep I tended to mid strike at a faster pace, if at a slower pace I would heel strike downhill. On the flats again it depends on pace. If at a fast pace I'd be fore foot striking and as pace slows I would be mid foot striking at a moderate pace and heel striking at slow pace. Mind boggling. I eventually just gave up and decided to just call myself a runner.

By: Adam Kelly

Adam Kelly — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

This comment thread rivaled your actual post for peaking my interests! Hah!

By: Pete Larson

Pete Larson — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to bob baks.

No worries, getting people to think about what they are doing is what it's all about. I'm a proponent of less shoe, and a more barefoot style form, but I don't want to be dogmatic about it since I don't think one size fits all solutions are helpful. I need to keep questioning myself :)
Sent from my iPad

By: Pete Larson

Pete Larson — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to Damien @ ToeSalad.

I'd actually look at things a bit differently. In general my feeling is people should minimize interference between the foot and the ground, but the end goal need not be barefoot or ultraminimal. Get as little shoe as you can tolerate individually. Every one of the people in the videos I posted is running very differently than they would in a pair of big, bulky training shoes, and my guess is that their knees and hips are better off for it. But, their feet might be experiencing more stress. It's a tradeoff. My personal feeling is get a barefoot-like stride with just a bit of cushion and you get the best of both worlds. But, that's what works for me so I'm biased. Some people will need more, some will do better with less.
The big thing that has come out of the barefoot thing is that much of what we thought we needed in running shoes probably wasn't really all that necessary. There was a lot of BS marketing gimmickry going on without much science to back it up. We now have options, and we are finding out that these options for the most part are equally viable. So, people who have had long term trouble in traditional shoes now have something else to try. this is a good thing. Those who have run forever in traditional shoes can keep doing what they're doing. It's all good. We just need to stop making things black and white.

By: Pete Larson

Pete Larson — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to Clifford Clark.

Yep, just let the foot do its thing. My foot does different things at different speeds, on different surfaces, with inclines/declines, and with different shoes. I prefer just to let my body figure things out in whichever shoe I'm wearing and whichever type of run I'm doing.

By: bob baks

bob baks — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to bob baks.

Ah, that's better...
Recent shots showing a definite change in foot strike.

By: Stephen Boulet

Stephen Boulet — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Of all of the optional elements of natural running, the most universal might be cadence and the 180 minimum rule. I have short legs, so I'm typically closer to 190.