Where are your feet when you run?

Ken Schannen said:

You're welcome, in advance. I've provided the group smart-alecs with a softball subject line for
their amusement. See what you can do.

But I actually have a real question. When you run, do your feet actually land in a line, like
running a tightrope? Or some distance apart? I've looked at mine, and it seems that my feet land
slightly apart...so that if they were on the ground together there would be maybe an inch
separating them. What is ideal? It seems to me that the closer you get to "running a tightrope"
the less rolling movement there is after impact. I'm trying to find solutions to my shin problems,
and wonder if foot placement might make a difference.

As you run faster, your feet will (usually) fall more and more into the tightrope line. At a slow
jog, your feet will be farther apart. Go run in the snow for a bit, you'll see what it looks
like. This is one where you probably just do the right thing naturally, since it's mostly a
matter of balance.

-Dave

--
work: dga - at - lcs.mit.edu me: angio - at - pobox.com MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
angio.netangio.netOpen ↗ (note that my reply-to address is vaguely despammed...) bulk emailers: I do
not accept unsolicited email. Do not mail me.

Ken Schannen <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

But I actually have a real question.

I doubt it...

Quoted message said:

When you run, do your feet actually land in a line, like running a tightrope?

It's best to not let them hit the ground as you run, much less impact.

Quoted message said:

Or some distance apart? I've looked at mine, and it seems that my feet land slightly
apart...so that if they were on the ground together there would be maybe an inch separating
them. What is ideal?

Man Ken, keep asking dumb questions like these, and I'll start to regret my decision to let you stay
around. Signed, TheModerator TBR

Quoted message said:

It seems to me that the closer you get to "running a tightrope" the less rolling movement there is
after impact. I'm trying to find solutions to my shin problems, and wonder if foot placement might
make a difference.

I'd suggest where to put your foot, but I doubt your leg will bend backwards to go up there.

Ken Schannen <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

You're welcome, in advance. I've provided the group smart-alecs with a softball subject line for
their amusement. See what you can do.

But I actually have a real question. When you run, do your feet actually land in a line, like
running a tightrope? Or some distance apart? I've looked at mine, and it seems that my feet land
slightly apart...so that if they were on the ground together there would be maybe an inch
separating them. What is ideal? It seems to me that the closer you get to "running a tightrope"
the less rolling movement there is after impact. I'm trying to find solutions to my shin problems,
and wonder if foot placement might make a difference.

-Ken

Running in the snow recently I've wondered about this also. My footfalls are like yours, essentially
two tightrope lines, left and right. My thoughts about this currently are that trying to make both
feet land on a single line would involve significant hip movement which might be detrimental to
performance and to hip and back joints.

A quick question for you: do your feet make much noise when striking the ground? That might be a
clue about why you are having shin problems.

Looking to hear more from others on this topic.

Just thoughts at large from Ed

Ken Schannen said:

When you run, do your feet actually land in a line, like running a tightrope?

A guy on my x-c team really did run like this, and it was quite conspicuous -- and inefficient. It
looked like he was laboring.

Scott

In article <[email hidden]>, Ken Schannen

Quoted message said:

You're welcome, in advance. I've provided the group smart-alecs with a softball subject line for
their amusement. See what you can do.

But I actually have a real question. When you run, do your feet actually land in a line, like
running a tightrope? Or some distance apart? I've looked at mine, and it seems that my feet land
slightly apart...so that if they were on the ground together there would be maybe an inch
separating them. What is ideal? It seems to me that the closer you get to "running a tightrope"
the less rolling movement there is after impact. I'm trying to find solutions to my shin problems,
and wonder if foot placement might make a difference.

-Ken

If you draw an upside down isosceles triangle with the hips as the inverted base, and the pubic bone
as the inverted tip of the triangle, your hip joints are about half way between the line between the
pubic bone and the hip. And that is about a hand width between the joints.

When you run the pelvis torques forward and back. The more the torque, the closer you get to
touching down on either side of a stripe about an inch to two inches wide. With women who may have
wider hips, when they run their feet may move even close to a straight line rather than touch either
side of the one or two inch stripe.

The ideal is that the feet land | | and not \ /.

The hips should be moving as you run. That torque of the hits can add another 2 to 4 inches to one's
running stride without any extra effort.

If you are landing on the back of the heel of the shoe, they you are most likely overstriding that
is decelerating with each step you take.

If you are making a bit of noise on impact of the foot, you are most likely lifting your entire
center of gravity more than needed and coming down hard. The shin spliints are often the effect of
the continual and unnecesary deceleration with each running step.

If you march up and down in place and lean from the ankle only half an inch, you'll still be lifting
your feet up and down, however every time you place your foot down, you have traveled 3 or 5 inches
forward and all you are doing is lifting your feet up and down and gravity is moving you forward.
Your feet place themselves under your center of gravity so that you don't fall down; you simply fall
forward catching yourself gracefully with each lifting of the knee and placing of the foot.

There is no moderator on rec.running. So the comments of TBR regarding being "The Moderator" may be
true, yet we know not what he is the moderator of, given that rec.running is an unmoderated group.

In health and on the run, Ozzie Gontang Maintainer - rec.running FAQ Director, San Diego Marathon
Clinic, est. 1975

Mindful Running: mindfulness.commr.aspOpen ↗ faqs.orgrunning faqOpen ↗

"Ozzie Gontang" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Ken Schannen

Quoted message said:

You're welcome, in advance. I've provided the group smart-alecs with a softball subject line for
their amusement. See what you can do.

But I actually have a real question. When you run, do your feet actually land in a line, like
running a tightrope? Or some distance apart? I've looked at mine, and it seems that my feet land
slightly apart...so that if they were on the ground together there would be maybe an inch
separating them. What is ideal? It seems to me that the closer you get to "running a tightrope"
the less rolling movement there is after impact. I'm trying to find solutions to my shin
problems, and wonder if foot placement might make a difference.

-Ken

If you draw an upside down isosceles triangle with the hips as the inverted base, and the pubic
bone as the inverted tip of the triangle, your hip joints are about half way between the line
between the pubic bone and the hip. And that is about a hand width between the joints.

When you run the pelvis torques forward and back. The more the torque, the closer you get to
touching down on either side of a stripe about an inch to two inches wide.

Have been surprised how narrow a path one can use.

With women who may have wider hips, when

Quoted message said:

they run their feet may move even close to a straight line rather than touch either side of the
one or two inch stripe.

The ideal is that the feet land | | and not \ /.

The hips should be moving as you run. That torque of the hits can add another 2 to 4 inches to
one's running stride without any extra effort.

If you are landing on the back of the heel of the shoe, they you are most likely overstriding that
is decelerating with each step you take.

If you are making a bit of noise on impact of the foot, you are most likely lifting your entire
center of gravity more than needed and coming down hard. The shin spliints are often the effect of
the continual and unnecesary deceleration with each running step.

If you march up and down in place and lean from the ankle only half an inch, you'll still be
lifting your feet up and down, however every time you place your foot down, you have traveled 3
or 5 inches forward and all you are doing is lifting your feet up and down and gravity is moving
you forward. Your feet place themselves under your center of gravity so that you don't fall down;
you simply fall forward catching yourself gracefully with each lifting of the knee and placing of
the foot.

There is no moderator on rec.running. So the comments of TBR regarding being "The Moderator"
may be true, yet we know not what he is the moderator of, given that rec.running is an
unmoderated group.

Just remember empty boat.

Quoted message said:

In health and on the run, Ozzie Gontang Maintainer - rec.running FAQ Director, San Diego Marathon
Clinic, est. 1975

Mindful Running: mindfulness.commr.aspOpen ↗ faqs.orgrunning faqOpen ↗

Ozzie Gontang <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

That torque of the hips can add another 2 to 4 inches

onto our penises?

Ken Schannen <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

You're welcome, in advance. I've provided the group smart-alecs with a softball subject line for
their amusement. See what you can do.

But I actually have a real question. When you run, do your feet actually land in a line, like
running a tightrope? Or some distance apart? I've looked at mine, and it seems that my feet land
slightly apart...so that if they were on the ground together there would be maybe an inch
separating them. What is ideal? It seems to me that the closer you get to "running a tightrope"
the less rolling movement there is after impact. I'm trying to find solutions to my shin problems,
and wonder if foot placement might make a difference.

-Ken

When I've seen my footprints in snow or after running through some wet ground I have noticed that my
footsteps form a single straight line.

I have only had shin splints years ago. I used to wear Avia shoes (their marketing gimick was the
cantilever sole). When they would wear out I would develop shin splints. I guessed because my feet
were not being supported on the outside by the shoe. New pair of shoes always solved it. I have
never experienced shin splints with any other shoe I've worn.

I'm not sure what (if anything) all this proves. I have always thought the source of shin splints to
be from wrong or not enough cushioning. Let them go long enough and they turn into serious stress
fractures. At least that is the experience of a runner I know who had to take around 5 monhts this
year to let his shins heal.

Hope this helps.

Andy