Earlier this week I recorded a podcast with the folks over at Trail Runner Nation. In the interview we discussed thoughts on form, footwear, and injuries (big surprise coming form me!), and talked a bit about my just-released book Tread Lightly. One of the topics we focused on quite a bit was foot strike, and […]
So You’re a Heel Striker, It May Be OK! – My Interview on Trail Runner Nation
May 18, 2012 By 7 Comments
Should You Emulate the Running Form of Elites: Book Excerpt from Tread Lightly
May 14, 2012 By 17 Comments
I was originally planning to publish a few excerpts from my book, Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear, and the Quest for Injury-Free Running, prior to its June 1 release date. Well, the publisher moved faster than I expected, and the book is now in-stock at Amazon.com and should be on store shelves very soon (and yes, […]
Thoughts on “Form” from 1908: Bliss Carman on the Development of Graceful and Efficient Motion
May 12, 2012 By 9 Comments
Bliss Carman (Photo credit: Wikipedia) “Animal motion is good through being instinctive and free, and our own motion can only become graceful when those qualities are ensured for it.” -Bliss Carman, The Making of Personality, 1908 In my previous post I shared several passages about “barefoot shoes” from a 1908 book titled The Making of […]
Moses Mosop–Slow Motion Running Form from the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon
May 7, 2012 By 8 Comments
Below is a video shot by Jacky Ledeboer, a phsyiotherapist from the Netherlands, showing the running form of elite Kenyan marathoner Moses Mosop at the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon. The video, posted on her YouTube channel, is shot at 210 frames per second. Mosop will be one of the three men representing Kenya in the marathon […]
Slow Motion Running Foot Strike Video from the CPC Loop Den Haag Half Marathon in the Netherlands
May 7, 2012 By 6 Comments
Jacky Ledeboer, a phsyiotherapist from the Netherlands, recently alerted me to a video she shot at the CPC Loop Den Hague half marathon in the Netherlands. The video, posted on her YouTube channel, is shot at 210 frames per second and provides a great sample of the variation in foot strike patterns seen among fast […]
Facts on Foot Strike: My Article in the June Issue of Running Times
May 6, 2012 By 11 Comments
I wanted to alert you to an excerpt from my book, Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear, and the Quest for Injury-Free Running, that was published in the June 2012 issue of Running Times magazine (starting on page 26, with a great photo of my friend Mark Cucuzzella!). The article looks at the differences between heel striking […]
Effect of Step Rate on Lower Limb Loading in Runners
April 25, 2012 By 23 Comments
Just over a week ago Amby Burfoot wrote a post about a new study from Japan that provides additional evidence supporting the benefits of a shorter stride for reducing loading of the lower limbs. The study by Hobara et al. is titled Step Frequency and Lower Extremity Loading During Running and was published in Orthopedics […]
Is Forefoot Running a “Cure” for Chronic Anterior Compartment Syndrome?
March 20, 2012 By 72 Comments
(Photo credit: Wikipedia) We’ve all been waiting for data to trickle out regarding actual outcomes from studies that have employed gait modification for the treatment of specific running injuries. Those data are now starting to appear. A group led by Major Angela Diebal from Keller Army Community Hospital in West Point, NY just released a […]
University of Colorado Study Determines that “Running in lightweight, cushioned shoes is equally as efficient as running barefoot.”
March 8, 2012 By 51 Comments
The big news in the world of running science over the past week was the release of a study from a locomotion lab at the University of Colorado. The study, titled “The metabolic cost of running barefoot vs. shod: is lighter better?”, was headed up by Jason Franz, and was co-authored by Corbyn Wierzbinski and […]
Running Form Video: The Principles of Natural Running by Dr. Mark Cucuzzella
March 7, 2012 By 20 Comments
It’s been awhile since I’ve had an opportunity to post (Disney Vacation with the family, and final book editing rolled into one incredibly busy few weeks!), so I thought I’d get the blog back in gear by sharing a video put together by my good friend Mark Cucuzzella. Mark won the Air Force Marathon last […]
Usain Bolt Running Form While Sprinting and Jogging
January 9, 2012 By 38 Comments
The below videos provide some great footage of Usain Bolt’s sprinting and jogging gaits. In the first, you’ll notice that Bolt has the characteristic ball-of-of foot touchdown seen in sprinters, and it appears that most of the time his heel does not touch down at all (note – distance runners should not attempt to emulate […]
Journal Article: Foot strike patterns of recreational and sub-elite runners in a long-distance road race
November 18, 2011 By 35 Comments
Just a quick post to announce that my first academic paper on running-related research has been published in the Journal of Sports Sciences – the title is “Foot strike patterns of recreational and sub-elite runners in a long-distance road race.” The research in this paper is based on film that seven of my former undergraduate […]
Meb Keflezighi’s Running Form in Slow Motion: Boston 2010, NYC 2010, and NYC 2011
November 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Last Sunday, Meb Keflezighi ran the 2011 NYC Marathon and finished in sixth place with a personal best time of 2:09:13. Much has been made lately of Meb’s decision to sign a sponsorship deal with Skechers, and NYC was his first marathon with Skechers shoes on his feet. In the video below, Meb indicates that […]
The Role of Anecdote vs. Scientific Evidence the Running Form and Footwear Debate
November 7, 2011 By 15 Comments
In my previous post I shared my thoughts on the current debate about running form and footwear – that post was triggered by reading the comments related to Christopher McDougall’s recent article in the New York Times Magazine. A number of commenters criticized McDougall for basing his article off of a few individual anecdotes (his […]
My Thoughts on “Perfect” Running Form and Footwear
November 3, 2011 By 64 Comments
I’ve been reading with some amount of amusement the comments associated with Christopher McDougall’s latest article in the NY Times Magazine. On the one hand there are folks decrying the use of anecdote and asking to see the data showing that barefoot is better, as well as those horrified at the thought of running barefoot […]
