Heel-Toe Running

Heel-toe, heel-toe, heel-toe, heel-toe.

That's what's pounded in our heads every time we hear about good, old "cardio." And why shouldn't it? It's obviously a very comfortable, natural, mechanically correct movement.

Right?

Heel-strike running is something that spawned from today's standard running shoe, and not a natural way to run. With a thick, foam sole, a heavy weight, and raised heel, it is very hard to run any way other than heel-toe... "And what's wrong with that? You can't feel the jolting that much"... But that doesn't mean it isn't hurting you. That is how shin splints start. In earlier decades, running injury rates were much lower, despite the fact tracks were made of solid asphalt. Some people attribute this to the fact that less people ran (which would not change the percentages), but it is because the shoes were flimsy, thin and light, allowing natural running form. Nike Airs with "Shox" absorption didn't exist.

I briefly covered proper running form in this sprinting post a while ago, but let's take a detailed look at the norm, "heel-toe running." I recently made some posts on Cool Running Australia discussing this, which will make up the bulk of this information.

1. Heel-strike running lands the foot at an angle against the ground in front of the center of gravity. Therefore, the landing force not only has a component pushing down into the ground (reaction force: up into your shins/knees), but a component pushing forwards against the ground in front of you (reaction force: the ground pushes back against you, slowing you down). The same goes for a forefoot strike where you place the foot in front of your center of mass, only there it's more of a repeated toe stubbing, rather than a repeated heel slam.

I actually rolled my left ankle while trying to get images of
me doing heel-toe running for this article. Irony?

2. Go run heel-toe on the sidewalk... barefoot. That'll last about five seconds before you are screaming in pain. Humans are not built to land firmly on the fat tissue/nerves in the heel. "But that's no fair! Humans weren't meant to run on cement either! That's a man-made thing." Fair enough. Go do it again, but on firm dirt this time. Guess what? You'll still be cursing in pain. Shift over to a proper forefoot strike, and this is remedied. You cannot argue that humans are built to never run over dirt.

3. Heel-toe striking places a lot of strain on the tibialis anterior (the shin muscle) by dorisflexion of the foot in the landing position, and the sudden extension while rolling forward to the toes to push off. This is where shin splints originate.

4. In heel-toe striking, there is nothing to absorb the landing of the heel other than: shoe cushion, fat tissue in the heel, ankle joints, knee joints, hip joints, spinal joints, and possibly the clenching of teeth. There is no muscle, no spring action, to absorb the force. Not only does this cause sore joints, but it may also cause micro-fractures in the bones. Try jumping lightly on your forefeet, bouncy, right? If you try it on your heels it's a lot of thuds. In a forefoot strike, the foot muscles contract, absorbing some of the impact, and the rest is transfered fully to the calf muscles, before the heel ever makes contact with the ground. The calves are very large muscles and are able to take this repeated, low-strength stress.

5. The foot accounts for about 2% of your bodyweight. So, you can either pull 2% of your bodyweight with each step, or push your entire body off of the ground. In a forefoot strike, the body moves in a very straight line; though there is a cyclic motion in the legs and you even leave the ground, you don't ever lift up your whole body. You're weightless. In a heel strike, you are constantly jumping forward with the force of your quads, and constantly landing back down with several times your weight on your joints.


"But all the pros run heel-toe! Right?"

No, it's just the n00bs. Take a look at some of these elite runners of all distances. As the paces get faster, it becomes very hard to see the feet (they become a blur), but you can still make out the cyclic motion and the straight line that the head travels in.

Marathon (You get a good look at 0:25 in.)
10,000m
5000m
1500m
800m
400m
200m
100m
Sprinter Photo Sequence

It is possible to run fast using a heel-strike, just as it is possible to deadlift a lot with a rounded back. However, in both cases, using proper form will eventually give a higher maximum potential and prevent injury.


If a heel-toe isn't natural, then why don't I have to "think" about it like I do for forefoot striking?

You've spent your entire life in shoes. During this time you've walked countless miles heel-toe, and that carries over to your running. Additionally, your foot muscles have atrophied through lack of use, and require a very gentle conditioning program to get them working again. Even when forefoot strike running, your feet cannot "feel" the ground well if you are wearing typical sneakers.

I first heard of forefoot strike running about 9 months ago, after a couple years of heel-toe running and 17 years of sneakers. It took me several weeks to get it right (wearing Nike Zoom Waffles), starting without any knowledge of the subject other than knowing it's a more efficient way to run. During that time, I actually pulled my right foot, due to placing my feet out in front of me on landing, a habit carried over from heel-toe running. It took a lot of effort to fix my form. About five months ago, I began wearing Vibram FiveFingers, and have been running great, without any pain, mostly on cement, since then. What's my point? Well, today I tried running heel-toe in my old Brooks sneakers today to get that diagram up higher on the page, it was hard. Really hard. I had to concentrate just as hard to run heel-toe as I did when I began running on my forefeet. And guess what? It was jolting, painful, and I rolled my ankle while doing it.

It's not that heel-toe running is more natural than forefoot striking, it's just what we're used to, and it's worse. A lot worse. With just some basic knowledge and some practice drills, you can correct your running in 2-3 weeks.


"If normal running shoes cause bad form, then why do companies sell them?"

Money...? Hello...? There's also the general mis-education of the public. These same problems brought forth our beloved Nautilus leg press and grip bench machines. It's not that I think Nike, New Balance, etc. are out to have you run and get hurt; they just want your money. So they advertise their shoes, and come up with "advanced" forms of cushioning, and ignore the issue of how you should be running. Then when you go to buy a shoe, some stores may have attendants who help fit you by your "foot profile," and they just don't have any idea about proper running.


How do you walk any way other than heel-toe?

Really, I think this is impossible in normal shoes. When either barefoot, or in my Vibrams, I find myself walking with just the slightest bit of forward lean, like a really, really, really subtle form of running. However, when I'm wearing my standard dress shoes (school uniform), I'm almost always heel-toe, and I dislike it. Needless to say, I kick off the shoes once I walk in the door. I've heard Puma makes some nice minimalist-sneakers, which may work well for walking like this, but I haven't tried them myself.