Humans seem to know how to run naturally. Run down the hallway in your house with no shoes on and your technique is likely very good. Strap on a pair of nice, t

Humans seem to know how to run naturally. Run down the hallway in your house with no shoes on and your technique is likely very good. Strap on a pair of nice, thick, impact absorbing running shows and your technique often goes out the window. The problem with most running shoes is that they permit you to run terribly without (immediate) pain. They allow you to land with significant pressure on your heel or back half of your foot without really noticing. The flex in your foot and elasticity of your calf muscle help significantly in absorbing the energy of your foot striking the ground (and ideally returns some of it). Try this test: Without shoes, bounce up and down on your toes. Now try again on your heels. Ouch! And yet this is how many people run without noticing. Of course significant knee/ankle pain comes at some point. I'd recommend to anyone who experiences knee/ankle pain from running to try running without shoes for a very short distance, take note of your technique, and then replicate that with shoes on (or buy some very thin soled running shoes like those five-fingered variety). Your calf muscles will likely hurt like hell for the first few runs (because you weren't using them before), but they will soon adjust.