This is from Chris at Conditioning Research:

http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2010/01/more-on-barefoot-running.html

I have been running for a number of years and like most runners I have tried a number shoes. I’m in my fifth year of triathlon now and I have a pretty good idea of what works for me. I run anywhere from 10 miles a week for short course and as much as 50 miles a week when training for a marathon or Ironman.

I am a forefoot runner, which means I run mostly on the balls of my feet. There are a number of theories about how to run more efficiently, but for me, this is simply how I have always run and I am not sure I could change that if I wanted to. Over the years, I have noticed how running shoes tend to have a lot of cushioning in the heel, but for me, that seems to be a waste due to my forefoot style of running.

I have used ASICS DS Trainers for the past two years and I really cannot say I have any complaints. They worked so well for me that I would buy two pair online when they were on sale and slide them on day 1 and have no problems at all on a long run of 10 miles or more. So you may ask … If the DS Trainers work so well for you, why change? Great question, maybe a combination of curiosity, desire for something different and new or just plain bored with the DS trainer. Whatever the reason,  I started looking at various shoes on the market that are supposed to be designed for forefoot runners. I looked at the Newtons, Nike Free and the Zoot Ultra TT 2.0.

I decided to give the Zoots a try because they are pretty unique and a little more affordable, selling at about $120 a pair on sale. The site I ordered from recommended ordering the shoes a 1/2 size up, so I ordered a 9.5. However, this turned out to be bad advice and I had to return them for my normal size of a 9.

When my shoes arrived in the mail, my first impression of the shoe when I picked it up was wow! cool looking and super light, the heel of the shoe was not massively built up and the forefoot area bent upward easier then any other shoe I had tried to date. Sliding them on I noticed some of the finer points of the shoe.

Zoot Ultra TT 2.0

The shoe was designed specifically for triathletes incorporating features like quick laces built right into the shoe, a hole in the tongue and the heel to allow you to slide your fingers in and pull the shoe on quickly in transition and microfiber lining allowing the shoe to be worn barefoot and to drain water away.

According to Zoot, other shoes can gain as much as 30 percent more weight due to water retention. I always like to test a shoe by first taking a long walk. During my walk, I got a slight rub in the toe box but by the end of the walk it was worked out and not really causing me any issues.

I also have wide feet in this area so that was not much of a surprise for me. My left heel was rubbing but my right was not, guess I have strange feet, either way a little body glide in that area and that problem was solved. Running on the shoe felt very different than any other shoe, very light and you could feel the ground much more similar to running in flats or barefoot.

Picking up the pace I noticed my foot really stuck to the inside of the shoe and I felt the shoe provided me a better snap as my foot touch the ground and pulled through. I ran 5 miles in them and my first impression was good, maybe 4 out of 5 stars provided a 5 is a perfect shoe.

In summary, this shoe is clearly designed for triathletes who want to get the most out of their equipment. I would recommend using the shoe for shorter triathlons up to the 1/2 Iron distance as well as alternating the shoe with another shoe type on training days. As with most things, don’t expect anything too dramatic from a different shoe, but you may just shave a second or two off your run time and that can be the difference between 1st and 3rd place in a sprint distance triathlon.

Jerry crossing the line at Ironman Florida 2008.

Jerry Cody lives in Durham, North Carolina. If you are in Kona in the next few years, be sure to look Jerry up, because he will likely be racing.

This idea is not original, but doing this is particularly helpful for runners. I first learned of this from Tim Luchinske at his excellent blog, Jog Hard. He has a video there as well of him doing the same drill, and he is much better at this than me, not to mention an hour faster at last check in the marathon (3:30 to 2:30, or something ridiculous like that). I’ll let you draw your own inferences of there being a correlation.

After practicing this periodically over a few weeks, I was able to get both of my legs balanced and do it around 15-20 times with each leg. This exercise works all kinds of stabilizer muscles in your core as well! You will also notice my minimalist Chuck Taylors. In my opinion, people wear shoes that are way too over-corrective when strength/functional training. This is for a future post, but you should not wear running shoes while doing anything other than running! Don’t go to the gym and lift weights in running shoes, people! You are not getting the full range of motion in your calves and achilles and these, along with soleus, will stiffen and shorten, reducing the amount snap you get from them working in conjunction.

Tim’s protocol is below:

The first time you jump rope you should do:
Both Legs: ~30 jumps
Left Leg: ~15 jumps
Right leg: ~15 jumps
Build very gradually from there by doing 2 sessions per week and adding ~10 jumps per week.

Much more to come in the future on my opinions on footwear. Hear this, less is better! Anything with a flat bottom will make your feet stronger. Anything with a sloped sole, especially with a high heel, from tennis shoes to dress shoes, will make them weaker and not function like they were intended!

Again, running is a skill that you have to practice. You need to take your running technique as seriously as your swimming stroke or your golf swing. Running well requires proper form to take advantage of gravity. It requires a proper foot strike to prevent you from braking each time you hit the ground. It also requires a much higher cadence (how many times your feet hit the ground) than you are probably used to. If you want to make yourself a better runner in about five minutes, read on.

Forward Lean
Probably the easiest thing you can do to improve your running is to lean forward from your ankles. I know that sounds impossible but hear me out. I want you to try this now. Get up out of your chair and stand with both feet directly underneath you. Now, with both feet on the ground, lean a bit forward as if you were falling. Hopefully, one of your feet moved out and planted in order to keep you from falling.

Did you feel the movement from your ankles? This is what you want. Think of running as a controlled fall where you are catching yourself with your next step. Using your core, keep your spine in alignment and prop your head directly on top. When you lean from the ankles, gravity will take over. This will require you to expend less energy to move yourself forward. Eventually, with proper form, you will find yourself running faster at a lower heart rate.

Mid-Foot Strike
If you have been running for a while, you might feel comfortable with heel-striking, which is the way most folks run. However, it is much more efficient running with your entire foot hitting the ground directly beneath your hlps. When you heel-strike, your stride is happening out in front of you. Each time your foot hits the ground, you are braking your momentum, not to mention to the fact that you are asking your knees to absorb most of the impact.

When you mid-foot strike (and you have proper posture with a forward lean as discussed above), you take advantage of momentum and gravity, rather than fighting against it. If you haven’t tried running this way before, there will definitely be a transition period, but you should notice immediately that there is less jarring, less pressure on your knees and more forward drive.

You will have less chance of injury running this way, and your speed will improve almost immediately, as you are not braking your momentum. In the initial phase, you may experience some soreness in your calves (gastrocs and soleus). This is normal, because you have not utilized these muscles in this way before. After a week or two, that will go away and you will be running better than ever, I promise.

High Cadence
It has been determined by scientific tests that the optimal cadence for most runners is between 90 and 100. This means that each foot hits the ground between 90 and 100 times per minute. I would be willing to bet that your cadence is somewhere between 70 and 80, which is what we hope to improve. A faster cadence means your feet are spending less time in contact with the ground. This means less jarring, less resistance, more speed and more efficiency.

A quick way to see where you are is by counting the number of times your right (or left) foot hits the ground per minute. An easy way to improve your cadence is with a metronome. You know, one of those things you used to see on your mom’s piano that keeps the beat? There are very small, battery-powered ones available that will enable you to set the “beep” to your preferred cadence

Depending on where your cadence currently is, set your metronome five beats higher than that. Try to run with it and see how you do. You want your foot hitting the ground every time it beeps. This will take some getting used to and will seem awkward at first. You will be out of breath because you aren’t used to moving your legs that quickly. Stick with it, however, and you will notice after a week or so that your cadence is improving and your heart rate is lower. This is good. That means you are running faster and more efficiently all while using less effort.

My Story
About four years ago, when I was starting out (and about 40 pounds overweight at 255), I bought a book titled Chi Running. It covered all of the principles mentioned above and tied it all in to Tai Chi, Eastern philosophy and the martial arts, which I thought was very cool. I started implementing the techniques immediately and saw rapid improvement. I even took a month long class from a local Chi Running instructor, which helped even more. To make a long story short, I ran my first marathon in 2005 (Chicago) in a fairly slow 4:32 (10:22/mile). I stuck with the techniques, which helped me to stay injury free, and maintained a weekly running schedule of about 15-20 miles per week at aerobic heart rates.

The next year, I ran my second marathon (Charlotte, NC) in 3:49 (8:44/mile). The following season, still using the metronome from time to time to make sure my cadence was still where I wanted it, I ran a 3:30 (8:00/mile) at Myrtle Beach. Of course I was in better shape each year from triathlon training, but I’m positive I would not be running as well without utilizing this method. Now, I’m a big guy, 6′3″ and 210 pounds. Not a runner’s build by any stretch. My knees do not bother me, nor does the iliotibial band syndrome I developed during a previous bought of running the wrong way a few years prior. I have done many triathlons, including two Ironmans, my last Ironman Florida in 2008 (11:06, fifth-place Clydesdale, 3:57 marathon).

Being as big as I am, and running as much as I do, one would think I would have more injuries than I do. Knocking on wood, I credit this to my running form and the Chi Running method. I cannot recommend this enough for people who are either new to running, or those who find the way they are running now is causing them to get injured. A similar method of running is the Pose Method.

There may be very minor differences, but the basic three principles are the same: a bit of forward lean, a mid-foot strike, and a quick cadence. So, as the title of this post suggests, you can improve you running with just a few minor changes that can be implemented on your next run. Get the Chi Running book or visit Danny Dreyer’s site to learn more about it. Check out the Pose Method site as well.

Both are excellent resources for improving as a runner. The next time you hit the trails, or pavement, or tread mill, try one of the techniques above. You will not be disappointed. Give it a good two weeks for you to really start seeing benefit. If you try a few of the ideas and they work for you, be sure to let me know.