The Last Heel Strike I’ll Ever Make
January 17th, 2011, 12:24am by Jake
It was just 3 weeks ago that I ran the Operation Jack Half Marathon, and my photographer friend snagged a couple good photos of me running. Like the one above. And looking at the snap, it became apparent to me that I had to face the truth– I’m a heel striker. Sure, I might have kidded myself and claimed I was a midfoot runner, but no way… the photo doesn’t lie. I’m overstriding, too, which goes hand-in-hand with heel striking. I saw that photo and said, “this far, no further!” A couple days off, a dune workout and an elliptical workout and fast-forward to Friday December 31. Last day of the year.
I nimbly laced up my shoes, and off I went. My heel wouldn’t touch the ground for 3 miles. That first run from Kelvin’s front steps may have been overdoing it, as I was landing on my toes and overcompensating in keeping my feet off the ground. Man, were my calves beat! The next day, I decided to try again. Didn’t know how it would work, but felt natural enough and I slowly struggled though another 4 miles. Now, while I was slow, my heart rate was pretty low & I didn’t get fatigued. Another day. Five miles, and Kelvin can attest that I kept my form for at least the first 2. But man, were my calves wrecked! Trying to even hop while playing Kinect was nearly impossible.
A day off, more dune & elliptical. A visit to the shoe store and it was time to leave behind the Nike’s that I’d worn for 12+ years. Something lighter, smaller heel, less cushion. Boom, Brooks something or other. Advice from Guinness World Record sand running guru Christian Burke suggested running barefoot in the sand, just a few miles at a time to help me improve my form. Decided to skip the planned 18 mile run, and instead climbed the dune 16 times (that’s like 5.6 miles) and ran 10 full miles on the soft sand wearing only sand socks. So much for easing into it! Another day on the dune, and time to take take the new kicks for a run. Six miles on the woodchip trail, landing mostly on the ball of my foot and a bit on the midfoot. A little more natural, and now my heel would naturally impact after the forefoot. A few more days, 3 on the treadmill, more elliptical time. Then Friday I pounded 5 miles on the treadmill, running 8:30-9/mile for the last 3 instead of the lazy 10:30/mile that I had been going. Tough, but I finished strong if tired. My plan for Saturday was dune & soft sand. I was a wreck on the dune, so that was shortened and I called it a day.
Now today, it was time for the next level. No surf socks this time, ambled to the beach and kicked off the Tevas again. Headed north, along the Operation Jack Marathon route. 5 miles, all the way to Marina del Rey entrance near Ballona Creek. Back again, another 5. But I developed a nasty blister on the right big toe, and raw skin was causing a bit ‘o pain. So intelligence briefly kicked in, and I climbed the hill full of energy but with a bum toe. Well, I needed to get back. So I bandaged the foot, put the surf socks back on and back down the hill. Heading south, I reached to the edge of Redondo Beach. And turned, and back. Another 6.5. Total for the day, 16.75, which is worth at least 20 on solid ground. A meandering 12:45 pace, tailing off substantially during the second act. But man, I like this barefoot running thing, at least on the forgiving soft sand of the beach.
So here I am, 3 weeks post that form, and I haven’t had a heel strike since. Will see if I can keep this up, there’s enough beach I suppose. One strategically placed kayak and I could run clear to Malibu, 15 miles one way. Still have to run long in the new shoes, at least 10 before jumping to 20. But at least I’m building my endurance while fixing my form. Catalina might not be so far away after all.
January 17th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
You weren’t in bad company– Do a Google Image search for Art of the Dunk and you’ll see that MJ was also a “heel striker.” ‘course, he was trying to sell you some shoes with a padded “Air” sole…
January 17th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Couple of images found on Google: First off the MJ poster I mentioned (obviously, he’s rolling off his whole foot to launch for the dunk). And then, on page 12 of the Google search, what do we have here?
January 17th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
I remember The Month of the Unannounced Haircut!