Newton's Law of Running

Photo: Newton Running

Are your running shoes actually promoting poor form and increasing your chance of injury? The creators of Newton Running shoes say yes. How? "The way most running shoes are built forces you to land on your heel, encouraging the wrong type of running," says Ian Anderson, a company spokesperson, referring to the gel or air many manufacturers add to the heels of shoes for cushioning.

Newton Running shoes are part of a new crop of specialty shoes that are designed to encourage a midfoot/forefoot strike, which some experts believe mimics a more natural foot strike – one you would take if you were barefoot, and one that is often favored by competitive runners. If you haven't seen them on your friends or fellow runners, that's because this shoe is pretty pricey (about $175) and often on the feet of elite athletes, but you'll probably start to see them on mere mortal runners in coming months.The shoe, and others like it, highlight a recent debate stirring in the running community about foot strike, with camps divided between the midfoot, forefoot and heel strikes. The midfoot strike is characterized as having your heel and the ball of your foot landing simultaneously. The forefoot strike means landing in the forward part of the foot – generally the ball of the foot, and the heel strike, is exactly as it sounds – landing on your heels with your feet out in front of you.

The heel strike has come under fire lately, blamed as one major cause of running injuries. Critics say when you land in your heels, your lower legs and knees take the brunt of the impact. Anderson says a midfoot/forefoot strike (he uses the two interchangeably) along with a slight forward lean and a smaller stride, are essential to faster and less painful running. While you may think of forefoot running as the mark of a sprinter, Anderson insists that Newton running shoes can also go the distance.

I recently gave the Performance Stability Trainers a spin. The first thing I noticed was how incredibly light they were – under eight ounces. I barely felt like I was wearing a shoe. The second thing I noticed was the forefoot cushioning, which feels a bit like you're standing on a slope with your toes elevated and your heels lower in the back. This is called the "Action/Reaction Technology" which Anderson explained as "suspended air chambers in the forefoot that empty when you land on them, providing cushioning. When the air returns, you get some propulsion," he says. Since you're supposed to allow yourself time to adjust, my first run in them was very short.

The propulsion is no exaggeration – I did feel the shoes giving me a spring forward with every step. But I also noticed the absence of cushioning in the heel, at least as compared to typical running shoes, and I felt I spent my entire run (and a subsequent one) trying to negotiate a foot strike that fit the shoe. I'm not saying Newton's don't work – rather that it made me aware of how much I still land in my heels, though I'm working hard to become a midfoot/forefoot striker.

I definitely need to give them – and myself -- more time to adjust before I can say for certain whether they can help my run and my technique or are appropriate for long training runs. In the meantime, the debate will continue about foot strike and how much this – or any – shoe can help or hurt your running. But one thing is for sure, if you have a problem with your biomechanics, your shoe should help, not do it for you.

Would you give Newtons a try, or does the price make them not worth it?