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Posted by simon on 4/9/2007 on simon's blog
Part of the problem with the latest crop of aches and pains (see my previous blog about 100 mile weeks) is that I need new shoes. Not only are most of mine (I rotate them like crazy) getting worn, but my strength and flexibility has been steadily improving over the last six months and as a result my body is dealing with ground contact in new ways. I'm a forefoot striker, which has always made foot choice difficult. An inflexible, high-arch type to boot. And I supinate, rather than pronate. Lately I've started noticing I am landing even MORE on the edge of my right foot than ever, while the new strength in my feet and ankles seems to be making the left foot land "differently" -- to the extent that I'm getting Achilles soreness. The running shoe industry is obsessed with promoting the idea that a "natural" gait involves striking the ground with the heel first. Almost every shoe is over-designed, over-engineered and over-technologised in an effort to make "heel to toe" transition as easy and as painless as possible. Well, I've never been a heel striker. And if you watch elite athletes you'll come to the same conclusion as me; 90% or more of them are NOT heel-strikers either. Yes, this may be a function of speed. So maybe the industry isn't concealing a bio-mechanical truth in order to sell more and more "protection" to people who wouldn't need it if they were taught how to use the foot strike designed by nature to activate the arch, ankle and calf muscle complex to do its job as the ultimate shock-absorber. My favorite running shoes are the old-style Nike Frees. Designed to mimic "barefoot" running - they don't of course, but come close. But even Nike couldn't resist whacking on a massive shock absorbing heel. The newer Frees have been "improved" with harder soles and what amounts to arch supports. Ridiculous. Anyway, at last, finally, and about time, we have a shoe that has been designed for forefoot runners -- and to encourage heel strikers who want to change, but don't stand a chance in their old shoes. These shoes are so new I'm waiting for them to arrive here in Boulder, which is where the developers are based. So a full report and introduction on the Newtons will have to wait a week or so. Meanwhile, you can check out the range here. The Newtons result from more than 10 years of work -- producing 7 patents -- put in by running gait guru Danny Abshire and techie Brian Russell. They represent what may be the first real fundamental breakthrough in running shoe technology since Bill Bowerman started playing around with his wife's waffle-maker. I'm not counting air soles and cushioning and what-not. This is the first effort to re-think things from the ground(strike) up. I'll be interviewing Danny for the full story next week, and also hope to have some pairs of Newtons for you guys to win in a new competition... more later. | |
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At last! Shoes made for forefoot runners!
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2 comments
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dave albo says:
Simon, this is INCREDIBLE news for me---also a forefoot striking supinator with some tendency towards achilles problems. The heel in pretty much every running shoe has gotten bigger and bigger and bigger... to the point of freakishness. Its as if the entire industry is geared towards people with severe problems rather than those with minor issues. I feel like I must try to run in spite of what each and every available shoe is doing to me. When I put on spikes and my heel can actually be flat on the ground its a big shock to the achilles area (big increase in range of motion, risk of injury maybe goes up).
Anyway,Danny Abshire did a form clinic for our training group (I was out of town) and I heard good things. I'd be very glad to test a pair of Newton's out.
Dave
simon says:
Yes, after doing a Pose Method Clinic with Dr Romanov I switched to the virtually heel-less shoes he recommends (Puma High Streets were the ones I used). A lot of the Pose runners use these type of shoes, which are basically "fashion" or "lifestyle" (as they call it!) versions of track spikes. But like you, I found it a bit too much of a shock on the Achilles given that almost every running shoe has a built-up, "protective" and/or "cushioned" and/or flared heel.
What I do right now is rotate shoes, so I am rarely in the same shoe for consecutive runs. The problem is they all wear out at about the same time :) I wear road racing shoes whenever I can get away with it, as they are generally closer to the ground. In fact some of my most comfortable runs during the winter -- in terms of foot and leg health -- were those done wearing my "best" racing flats with Stabilicers strapped on.
It was at that form clinic organized by Ric Rojas that I first met Danny and he explained what he was up to. I've high hopes for the Newtons. They do appear to be about he first shoe that will NOT get in the way of our style of running, and they have some exciting additional features.
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