I don’t like running unless I’m running towards something or away from something. But I do run often because of the health benefits. I’ve always thought the right way to run was to land on my heel and then transfer the weight to the ball of my foot, and finally the toes. Now according to this article and this site I may have been doing it wrong.
The key here is to land on the balls of your feet and not extend the ankle past the knee. I’ve started trying it out this week, and so far I can feel a difference. Yesterday at the end of a 3 mile run I started feeling a slight pain in the tendons below the knee. Slowing down and focusing on keeping my form as described in the attached links eliminated the pain immediately. Today I ran for just 1.5 miles, but I made sure I followed the prescribed form very carefully. The run was easier than normal. Slower than normal, but it felt less strenuous.
With only two data points I’m not ready to say that this system works for me, but I’ll keep trying it out and let you know how it goes. I don’t know how to evaluate success, since I’m not an avid runner, and can’t really compare it to previous results. I’ll keep reading and running and we’ll see.
The Sharjah Corniche - A Nice Place For A Morning Run