Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
I hope you guys remember the difference between training hard and breaking yourself.
Muscles can be made stronger with good training, joints and bones will be damaged by unnecessary gut-checks.
When you hit 50 or so, you will know the difference, but by then, it may be too late.
Running barefoot in sand may be a good tool. Running barefoot on pavement is definitely not, unless you anticipate a life span of 30 years or less.
TR
|
Thank you TR. If you do not mind, I would like to explain, briefly, why I am running on the forefoot.
To clarify, I'm really trying to prevent injury by switching from an unnatural heel-based strike to a more fluid and bio-mechanically sound forefoot strike.
I will paste a selection from Olympian Gordon Pirie's (free) online e-book, "Running Fast and Injury Free"
"The champion runners, who all have to run correctly, do not make much noise when their foot lands. When the fastest runner runs, he is very quiet on his feet. Excessive foot noise indicates that you are striking the ground instead of caressing it. You are dissipating energy which should be utilized in propelling yourself forward. This shows bad timing. The force to drive you forward
should only be applied after the foot has settled on the ground completely. Striking the ground, especially with the heel, causes trauma and makes the runner susceptible to injury.
The nerves conveying tactile sensation from the foot are predominantly located in the forefoot. When the ball of the foot touches the ground, these nerves “alert” the muscles of the legs, which involuntarily react to absorb the shock of landing. If a person hits the ground heel-first, this reaction of the leg muscles will be considerably less, and consequently more shock will be
experienced at the point of contact of the foot, and be transmitted to the bones of the leg. This jarring is guaranteed eventually to cause injury to the ankle, knee and/or hip joints.
It is therefore important that a runner lands on the forward portion of the foot, with the knee slightly bent, and with the foot placed beneath the body. By doing so, the runner will make use of the body's own efficient shock absorbers - the arch of the foot, the calf muscles, and the quadriceps muscles in the thighs - and in this way reduce the stress experienced by the heel,
shin bone, knee joint, thigh bone and hip joint. It is these areas which are stressed the most when the heel strikes the ground."
(Courtesy of
http://www.gordonpirie.com/ )
In any case, I just mean to explain that I am not trying to be stupid and look like a stud - but rather, I am trying to strengthen my feet and run in a style conducive to longevity. I was terribly foolish by doing too much forefoot running, too soon, and I wholly concede that point.
I apologize if I have rambled too much!
Have a good day.
Regards,
Derek