4 ms·
Overstriding tends to jar the hips, no matter how cushioned the heel. I did notice that the irregular footing in Saturday's snow--running over others' footprint
by balding_n_tired 17y ago
Overstriding tends to jar the hips, no matter how cushioned the heel. I did notice that the irregular footing in Saturday's snow--running over others' footprints--enforced a different stride.
- rdtsc 17y agoBesides that, humans have probably evolved to run through grass, mud and sand, I am not sure that running on concrete or broken glass (in the city) would work as well.
- jared314 17y agoHence the shoes geared towards barefoot running. Vibram FiveFingers, Feelmax, Nike Free, etc.
- rdtsc 17y agoBut I understand that their soles are very thin, thus they still don't protect against the impact when running on a concrete sidewalk.
- nfnaaron 17y agoNot them by themselves, but they have you striking on the ball of your foot, or mid-foot at most. That reduces the sudden impact on your foot and leg. Heel striking is like driving a post (your lower leg) into the ground. Striking on the ball of the foot converts the force into rotational energy (pivoting around the ball, and around the ankle) and spreads it out over time.
- rdtsc 17y agoI wasn't talking about the heel strike, it is understood that this is about barefoot running. So the strike is on the ball of the foot. I was just saying that even striking the ball of the foot many times against concrete is a lot harder on the feet than doing the same on grass, mud, or sand. The idea behind barefoot running is revert to the conditions for which the human leg has been adapting to for many thousands of years. My argument was that perhaps we haven't yet adopted to very hard surfaces, such as asphalt or concrete sidewalks ...
- blueben 17y agoYou think humans never ran across rock or hard packed dirt?