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POSE Method of running?
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Last week I developed a minor problem in my right calf, and worried I shouldn't run on it, went to see my physio, who gave it a deep massage, and suggested alternating ice & a hot wheatbag to treat it. This has all worked very well, and I am now back running on it without pain.
To get to the point though, the physio has also lent me a video on the POSE method of running, (see www.posetech.com). The technique looks very good in theory, and promises to help acheive my main goals to stay injury free, and run faster for triathlon.
Before I embark on trying the drills, and attempting to convert to the new running style, however, I wondered if RW writers, or any other runners had any experience of this method and would like to share their thoughts. I have experimented running on the balls of my feet and picking up my heels for a few strides her & there, but it does feel like it would take quite a lot of work to get strong enough to maintain that over any distance.
Also - does anybody know if any POSE clinics or training sessions are ever run in the UK?
Many thanks for any advice, Jane
To get to the point though, the physio has also lent me a video on the POSE method of running, (see www.posetech.com). The technique looks very good in theory, and promises to help acheive my main goals to stay injury free, and run faster for triathlon.
Before I embark on trying the drills, and attempting to convert to the new running style, however, I wondered if RW writers, or any other runners had any experience of this method and would like to share their thoughts. I have experimented running on the balls of my feet and picking up my heels for a few strides her & there, but it does feel like it would take quite a lot of work to get strong enough to maintain that over any distance.
Also - does anybody know if any POSE clinics or training sessions are ever run in the UK?
Many thanks for any advice, Jane
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Comments
More seriously . . . Is changing your natural running style wise? Potentially you might be exchanging one set of injuries for another.
Mim - I thought that might be the case, but couldn't find a similar thread. I've often wondered why some people naturally run so much faster than others with apparently the same effort, (I'm among the naturally slow). In swimming & cycling, you can get staggering differences in performance by improving technique, so I wondered whether the same was true of running.
I'm not condoning this method, just seeking opinion, however firey the debate gets.
Jane
You shouldn't underestimate the amount of effort (mainly concentration) required to switch over though, it's probably took me at least three months to adapt to forefoot running as a natural style i.e. not having to think about it.
The benefits, that I've noticed, are :-
1. I'm a little faster, this isn't some secret magic formula, it's simply that its easier to stay on the forefoot if you increase your cadence (stride rate) and the natural consequence of this is you go faster. This is at the cost of slightly increased effort though.
2. I've had no injuries since switching over. None at all, previously I'd never managed to run continuously for 6 months without any injuries.
3. Shoes are cheaper - you only ever run in very lightweight racing shoes as most of the common 'boots' are too inflexible and have heels that are too raised to prevent you running properly - hence the injuries (that's the theory anyway). Look in the back of RW magazine, shops are always discounting racing shoes e.g. Asic Tiger Paw so you can get them cheap.
The disadvantages are obviously the effort involved in retraining yourself and you will initially feel some slight calf pain (usually for around two weeks). This is because the calf is the main shock absorption spring and it's probably not used to performing this function currently.
If you decide to go ahead with this, my top tips for making this as easy as posssible would be :-
1. Buy some racing shoes from the outset. And make sure that they have a low heel and are very flexible. In fact the thinner the sole the better - avoid any with 'cushioning' or 'stability' features. I would recommend Asics Tiger Paw, NB RC150 (difficult to find) or NB RC240. I know you don't want to spend money if you're not convinced but you'll find it difficult in ordinary running shoes, and if you don't go ahead you can always use the racers for short races.
2. Try and increase your cadence early on. This obviously involves increased effort and so do shorter runs initially.
3. Avoid landing on your heels when going downhill. It's easy to take it easy downhills but if you do this you'll bang down on your heels with shoes with no cushioning (increasing your chance of injury). So lean forward and maintain the cadence.
Finally, if you're at all unconvinced by the theory - take off your shoes and try running barefoot. Which way do you run now ?
I have found it very easy to adopt the fore foot landing but when increasing my pace I still want to kick out and lengthen the stride rather than speeding the legs up.
I'm not a podiatrist but overpronation surely only applies to walking or running on your heels because its the rolling action of your foot when moving from heel to forefoot. I wouldn't have thought the pronation plays a significant part in running on the forefoot, so overpronation and supination shouldn't be a problem.
How do you think a bit of mixing & matching work during the transition? I did wonder whether I could do intervals of old & new style, but I guess that won't work as I wouldn't want to do heel-to-toe in uncushioned shoes, and you say forefoot landing will be difficult in my current shoe.
I guess I could try initially doing short runs in lightweight shoes with the new style, but still do my long runs "the old way" until I've built up the calf strength to attempt a longer run "the new way". I suspect this might make the overall transition take a bit longer, but at least I'll be getting the endurance benefits of long runs, (which I'll need for the 1/2M), and then I'd have to play it by ear as to when I think I'm ready to switch over for a triathlon run.
I think I'll probably invest in some lighter shoes to give it a go.
Thanks, Jane
Personally, having spent the last few months training myself I wouldn't want to risk undoing the work.
Also you'll find it quite hard work initially trying to run on the forefoot because it won't feel natural and when you get tired you'll naturally slip back to heel running. I think mixing styles will propbably encourage this, but you know yourself better than anyone - do whats best for you.
I just think it will be nigh on impossible for me to complete a 1/2M in March if I switch completely from now on, (after 6 weeks off-training in Nov-Dec, I still have to build the fitness to be confident I'll complete the distance). As a result, it looks like I have 3 choices:
1) Forget about switching at all for now.
2) Cancel the 1/2 Marathon, and concentrate on switching styles.
3) Start including the odd short run on the forefoot for now, and once I've got the 1/2M behind me start to increase the length and frequency of these.
I find that on my low FLM training runs at 9.5 min miles, my heal actualy contacts the ground lightly. Not sure what hapens when I speed up though.
I haven't changed shoes yet, but decided whilst out this lunchtime to try forefoot striking, and see how long I could keep it up for. It does take a reasonable amount of concentration on technique, (i.e.: not landing on the toes, focussing on lifting the heels etc), but after 25 minutes, when I thought I was getting tired, and attempted to go back to heel-to-toe running for a rest, the latter felt so heavy & slow that I went back into forefoot after only a few strides, and completed the rest of the 40 minute run like that!! My heels were brushing the ground occasionally after the forefoot strike, but certainly not heavily.
I doubt my technique is perfect, and I don't know how my calves will be tomorrow, but this definitely feels like the way to go. Although it required concentration, (which perhaps took my mind off the effort of running), and my heartrate was quite high (178 avg), it generally felt lighter, less laboured, and more efficient than my usual gait, and I think with practice I should be able to run faster this way. My cadence was approx. 160/min, which I think is faster than normal, but clearly could be improved on.
All in all a promising start... I hope.
I cannot believe the difference - my "natural" running style was appalling and made me injury prone. I switched after a repeat of shin splints that wouldn't budge. Now they are going despite running in a pair fo shoes that make racers look heavy (some Classic Tiger flats - 1cm of sole t/out!).
I used to run in motion control shoes with orthotics and now I can feel my legs hurt more in shoes with even minimal support. I am convinced that heels in running shoes are a bad thing that makes the problem worse. Radical I know, but I "had" to have orthotics for 13yrs and now I am doing ALL my running in racing flats AND I'm going faster at the same effort.
We really need to get this debate up and running again as I see people talking about getting orthotics on these forums every week. 13 years later I wish I had learnt to run efficiently (as opposed to "naturally") and never got them.
Tom - how's it going now - 6 months later?
All the essential ingredients are there:
1) Land on ball of foot, not heel
2) Land with knee bent
3) Land under Centre of gravity with knee, ankle and shoulder in vertical alignment.
4) Lift ankle under hips
5) Higher stride turnover resulting in very brief contact with ground when combined with (4).
Compare them with the average club runner landing with leg extended in front of body on heel - OUCH!
1) You probably have serious biomechanical issues in the first place.
2) You will need to get the technique VERY good to be able to benefit from less impact when running.
When done corrcetly though, the impact is minimal compared to "normal" <<cough, cough>> running. If you back problem is impact related this may well give you a whole new lease of life...
Had a gait analysis done last night - needed to know how and why I'm getting injured so frequently (anterior and posterior hip problems, lower back and most recently a calf problem). No one has ever analysed and commented on my running style before and I learnt quite a lot.
The podiatrist seemed more concerned with foot placement and pronation (and recommended use of orthotics) as opposed to looking at overall body movement (alignment of shoulders, spine, hips, knees and ankles etc) and running style.
Have always known that I'm very weak in core strength and stability and have generally neglected to work on these areas. Intend to change that now - Michael Yellis has an excellent book "Explosive Running" in which bio-mechanics are studied and portrayed in some detail along with strength exercises etc. Am enjoying following this - interestingly one of the things he advocates is barefoot running. He also comments on shoes as being a common cause of injury.
"Change support quickly from one leg to another
Raise ankle straight up under the hips
Make your support time short
Retain your support easy, effortlessly, light
Keep your support and body weight on balls of your feet (midfoot)
Don't touch ground with heels, keep them slightly above the ground
Don't move your weight to toes, pull your ankle up, when weight is on ball of the foot
Keep ankles fixed at the same angle
Don't move ankles back and forth
When on support, keep your feet behind the vertical line going through the knees
Don't try to increase stride length or range of motion to increase your speed
Keep knees and thighs hanging down and relaxed
Don't move your knees and thighs too far apart, forward and backward, during stride
Don't fix on landing, just lifting
Don't point toes and don't land on them
Your legs should land themselves without any muscle activity, just by gravity pull
Keep shoulders, hips and ankles along one vertical line
Arms performance is a natural balance for legs movement
Don't push off or toe off, LIFT ONLY
Keep your body leaning forward and free falling
ALWAYS KEEP YOUR KNEES BENT, DON'T STRAIGHTEN THEM"
They also advertise shoes designed for this technique.
BTW, got soem NB240s coming from Sweatshop's sale - £25 - bargain!
Certainly there will be more force dissipated at the foot rather than higher up the kinetic chain (why else would we run on our mid / forefeet when barefoot). This could be good or bad, as the extra stress at the foot and calf could lead to other overuse injuries at the foot and calf.
Have to add that my sister is and always has been a forefoot striker and has had more injuries than I care to think of - including knees and hips, but particularly at the foot with several stress fractures and more.
Whether this running style is really effective in reducing running injuries will remain unanswered until well conducted research in undertaken... Good luck to those taking the plunge though.
Re. Forefoot striking and injuries - simply striking on the forefoot may well cause problems, but that is merely a part of the whole. It is the LIFTING of the foot that makes Pose so injury-resisitant. The foot lands and is immediately back up again - it is supporting rather than pushing or driving.
Most forefoot strikers problems are to do with their pushing and driving - that actually often results in a braking effect (as Lydiard and other have pointed out) and injury problems. But that is not Pose. With Pose there is no driving with the Quads or pushing off with the calves (most calf problems associated with Newbies to pose are from doing it wrong) - you are simply lifting the foot under the hips (or at least in that direction) with the hamstrings.
This makes the the "typical foorefoot strikers injuries" and the pronation/supination VERY minor issues.
And as you point out, we do NATURALLY run on the balls of our feet if we are barefoot. It is the shoes that have made us run UNnaturally and now we are so used to it, we call it "natural". Or perhaps we should consider letting someone get in a pool with no lessons and swim "naturally" - let them develop their own "natural" style. I would rather be efficient than "natural"...
Most of your comments are relevant to forefoot striking, but not Pose. The two are not synonymous - the former is a subset of the latter.
But certainly Pose is a HUGE shift for many of us (I was particularly appalling)and therefore requires patience and things must be taken very gradually.
You should look at the message board at www.posetech.com to see many such responses dealt with more thoroughly. In fact why not post the same message and get a far more educated respons than my blabbering...
However in the spring I've read both Gordon Pirie's book and some articles on Pose. Seemed to make sense and so I've been experimenting with the method and have found that it is actually more natural for me to run in this way, however I am still using the orthotics in my shoes.
Why? Firstly when warming up (first km or so)I find that I am not able to use this technique and continue to use heel to toe. This is probably due to the calf muscles being a little rigid and also to the speed. This brings me to my second point which is that I have found that I cannot run Pose properly at speeds below about 12kmh (5 minute km/ 8 minute miles). This is not a big problem since that is my marathon speed unless I am trying to run a long, slow session but I would tend to run such a session mostly at marathon pace anyway. When I speed up to half marathon and up to 1km pace I'm finding that the Pose technique is giving me far more speed for the same effort.
Most importantly, all of the small problems that I had with legs, feet, ankles etc. are beginning to fade.
On Sunday I ran another marathon and most of it I ran with Pose technique. The first 25km went extremely well averaging 4' 45" per km which is faster than previous marathons and I felt really good. Unfortunately the day was very hot and I started to get cramps in my posterior thigh muscles. I don't think that this had anything to do with the Pose technique but more so with the heat, humidity and inability to keep myself sufficiently hydrated. Obviously I had to slow down and finished in 3h 32' instead of the 3h 20/25 that I was planning on.
The interesting point is that apart from lactic acid and generalised sore legs I now feel fine - no back ache, no shin splits, no achilles tendon problem and managed to go for a 7km run this morning at just over 5 minute/km pace. The only thing I could possibly complain about would be sore calf muscles - but considering 42km of Pose I think that is warranted.
So to sum up I believe that Pose definitely works in helping to avoid injuries, can increase speed significantly for the same output of effort. But, can be difficult to learn if you're not a natural fore foot runner and I have some doubts that it can be done at speeds much less than 12kmh but this should be verified by people who run normally at that kind of speeds.
Hope this adds to the debate and gives some food for thought.
"Coming soon! The first ever running shoe specifically designed for the Pose technique! Incredibly strong and light weight, it can be used for training as well as racing.
It is a completely new type of shoe. The heavy heel padding of conventional running shoe is removed. The focus of construction is on the ball of the foot, the landing spot for the Pose runners. This area will feature a special denser construction, that literally teaches the runner where to land, and how to run with perfect, injury free, technique.
This revolutionary new shoe, along with the revolutionary pose technique is sure to change the paradigm of running in the near future. A change from the injury creating heel striking, to the soft gentle landing of the running pose. This shoe is years in development, and will be available soon."
On Monday, at the podiatrist, was recommended a stability shoe as a minimum and to consider having orthotics. Last night though I fished out my old Asic Gel Lites (haven't worn these for over a year) and had a session running on balls of feet - found it easier than I thought, heel still lightly brushes the ground but no where near the same degree of impact. I did miss the forefoot cushioning though - will persevere with this.
Gordon Pirie's book seems to contain a lot of worthwhile suggestions which are certainly worth experimenting with.
I was very surprised to learn that most running shoes available are not of the optimum design (something I never considered before). I wonder why the shoe manufacturers continue offering only the current designs, especially as Gordon Pirie advised Adidas of this back in 1959.