I sort of do.
When I first started running, I was a fore-front runner - that is, my fore-front hit the floor first rather than my heel. This is how you run when you sprint, and when you play sports such as football or hockey, and also how you run if you're bare foot.
Anyway, when I decided to run the London Marathon I read up on runnersworld.co.uk about what I'd need to do, and the main advice was always to ensure you had the right running shoes. So I went to a specialist shop who played around with my feet to determine if I was a over-pronator, neutral or an under-pronator. They decided I was 'neutral' and then advised that I get some running shoes with a huge mid-sole for cushioning (but I didn't need any stability aids in the shoe like an over-pronator might).
This all sounded very scientific to me, but with these big bulky trainers on it made me heel-strike, rather than run how I was previously. I'd read in articles that heel-striking was the right way to run for long-distance runners - and as all the running shoes were built for this style of running I thought they must be right.
They weren't. Not for me anyway. After a few months of running and as I built up the training miles, I got a really sharp pain in my knee that meant I had to stop if I was running. Really, really painful.
So again I went onto the web and to runnersworld.co.uk to see what it was. I found out it was my
ITB. Again, a lot of the advice mentioned trainers, and if they're old they'll lose a lot of their shock-absorption. But I read a post from some people on the forum there advocating fore-front running. They also said that if you fore-front strike (rather than heel strike) you don't need bulky trainers to do the shock-absorption, as your legs are bent (rather than being straight as they are when you heel-strike), and your knees act as natural shock absorbers.
It all made sense to me, and I read more and it all made more sense than the idea of relying on a bit of foam in a midsole to absorb the shocks of running miles and miles on the road.
I read about POSE, and this is a very formulated way of fore-front striking and again it made sense. It also emphasises a high cadence and very short stride with the point of impact always below the centre of gravity rather than way out in front of you. It's actually a very similar style to Michael Johnson - and it works for him!
I didn't adopt the POSE technique, but went for something that felt natural for me that still used a lot of the principles in it.
I read an article by Gordon Pirie (
www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Pressbox/2204/Gordon_book_040104.pdf) and this was absolutely spot on as far as I was concerned. Out went my heavy, well-cushioned running shoes, and in came some very light running shoes with very little midsole for cushioning. I didn't need it! I then trained with no ITB pain, and ran the Marathon in running shoes that are advertised as being for 10K races maximum.
Read the Gordon Pirie article, it makes a lot of sense.
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