The Secret to Injury-Free Running

Barefoot, forefoot, Chi, natural ... These are the biggest buzzwords in running today and some of the loudest voices in the movement urging a return to a more "natural" running style (illustrated) are the makers of Newton Running shoes.

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a symposium hosted by Newton on the subject of natural running -- which they consider the key to faster, injury-free running.

The lectures are being offered around the country and are free and open to the public. The one held at the Track and Field store in New York last Wednesday featured Newton co-founder Danny Abshire and training director Ian Anderson, who also heads the company's research and development.

At the crux of the argument put forth by these two longtime runners is that midfoot/forefoot running mimics how you would run barefoot, and is therefore the most natural way to run. Newtons aim to emulate barefoot running, while offering the protection of a shoe.

"When we run barefoot, we don't land on our heel," said Abshire. "If you're barefoot, you think, I'm going to run fast and light because the ground is hard and hot and it's going to hurt. So you run quickly and economically because you don't want to stay on the hard surface long."

Most modern-day running shoes, however, have focused on the cushioning in the heel, encouraging a heel strike, which Newton proponents say not only slows you down, but also throws your body out of alignment, leading to injuries.

They hammered this point home by calling on a member of the audience who insisted she was a natural heel striker and invited her to kick off her shoes and run barefoot across the floor. At first she landed, just as she said she would, with a loud -- and painful-sounding -- heel strike. On her second pass, however, she did exactly what the Newton makers argued we all naturally do -- she moved onto her midfoot and ran quickly and quietly across the room. They strongly suggest you to try this yourself.

Just in case the demo wasn't enough to convince us, Abshire and Anderson came armed with photos of runners -- one in the midst of midfoot running, the other leading with her heel. And they pointed out the ideal ankle, knee and spine alignment of the midfoot runner, contrary to the heel striker whose upper body appeared to overly rotated.

They also passed around dissected running shoes from popular brands like Asics and Nike, revealing the steep hill built into them due their souped up heels. Some have as much as 15 percent grade hill, which Anderson said forces you to lean back in compensation and out of proper alignment. Even racing flats aren't flat, it turns out -- many have as much as a 10 percent grade hill in them.

Newton shoes are certainly gaining favor with the promise of injury-free running. And the once out-of-reach prices are coming down -- some Newtons are now as low as $150. That's by no means cheap, but it's nearing the prices of a typical pair of Asics or Mizunos.

If you're curious about Newtons, I encourage you to find a retailer who sells them and take them for a spin in a store with a treadmill. Just be aware that these feel very different from the reinforced heeled shoes you're used to, and will require a period of adjustment. You should also seek out of their traveling seminars and form clinics this summer, where if nothing else, you'll benefit from their refresher course in proper running form.

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