A recent blog post from the health section of the New York Times caught my eye the other day as I was scanning the newspaper’s website. It was about a study done with 16 female recreational joggers who were given Vibram FiveFingers (the running shoes with toes), and told to run in them for two weeks.
Theoretically, minimalist running shoes force their wearers to adopt a new stride, which is more efficient and decreases wear and tear on the body. The study that this blog reviews, however, found that half of these women who were given the shoes did not alter their strides. They continued landing on their heels, sending a shockwave up their legs and through their joints, instead of landing on the front or middle of their feet. Since they didn’t have the padding in the heels that they would with in a normal running shoes, they were risking serious injury with each additional step on the road.
The study notes correctly that it takes time to adjust to a new running style. Runners who go out on the road four or five days a week should only spend a portion of that time in minimalist shoes. What it does not do is tell the reason for this. Most of us, growing up and running around in normal padded sneakers for much of our lives have adopted a long stride where the heel hits first and the rest of the foot follows. We are almost forced into this because the rise in the heel (on the shoe) is much larger than the rise in the toe.
Add to that the rigidity of the shoe, which leaves the muscles in our foot unable to participate in the walking or running process, and we have a completely inefficient stride.
Minimalist running shoes, which now come in many other forms (more attractive forms, I might add) than the Vibram FiveFingers, give you the opportunity to become a faster, more efficient runner. In training yourself in these new shoes, however, you must shorten your stride. Bend your knees slightly and try to center your body weight over your feet. You will notice that, in order to compensate for the shorter stride and the bent knees you will have to quicken your steps. You will also notice, once you get the hang of the change, that the bounce in your stride will decrease.
Less bounce, along with a lower center of gravity and better balance, means a faster and more efficient run. Only minimalist running shoes can give you this type of advantage.
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