Toe run or not toe run. Now that is the question!

Another question I hear a lot is: Should I run on my toes as Somebody has told me that I should. This is something I have a personal bias towards so I thought instead of offering my bias, I would do some objective, evidence based research around this subject, and, there is very little evidence for this! Mainly, all I could find on an extensive search was what people found works for them on various running websites and associated chat forums! So, with that in mind, I am going to do a lot of thinking out loud. First of all, let's look at the biomechanical way in which we all walk:

The first stage is heel strike, then foot flat, then comes mid stance, followed by heel off. The final stage is toe off. And the cycle starts again. We have evolved over many, many years to walk like this and by and large, the human race has managed to ambulate like this without risk of injury. So why would we suddenly change this when we decide to increase the impact rate, speed and cadence? Toe running

There are people who say you should run on your toes. Let's look at what this does to you biomechanically: The muscles we have to incorporate to perform this are your calf complex and the extensor muscles of the toes. Try walking around your home all day on your tip toes or ladies, what is it like to walk around in high heels all day or all evening? Your calves and knees will ache! Runners report achy muscles and joints as it is, why would you exacerbate this more by running at distance on your toes? Additionally, buy running on your toes, you narrow your base of support, you shift your centre of gravity forward and reduce the impact footprint with the ground. All of these combined mean you are an increased risk of having a fall, particularly if it is wet or icy and you are going down a hill.

Heel strike

Although this is an accentuation of the normal gait cycle, many runners are critical of this running gait, however there is no evidence to support this. Many people pertain this to a slower running style, the risk of achilles tendinopathy and a reduced propulsive force. However! A study by Michaud, conducted in January 2016. reported there is no difference in injury between heel or tow strikers! You can read the full article here: