Successfully overcame problems with severe overpronation

Your story is interesting but you don't describe this "new" form very well. Since that is the most important part of your turnaround could you please describe the form in more detail?

If I'm running barefoot on a field:

1) I bring my leg out in front of me. From the knees down, my leg/foot is completely relaxed.

2) I'll land flat on my foot, though with more weight on the back of my forefoot than on the heel. My leg is mostly straight but maybe bent a little at the knee

3) Upon landing, my knee absorbs the shock either immediately or almost immediately. Doing this is hard on your knees when running on hard ground, but it feels normal (or should feel normal) on a field.

4) Also upon landing, I momentarily engage my upper hamstrings to bring my leg back at the same speed as the ground.

5) As my leg starts to pass underneath my waist (I no longer use terms like center of gravity because the physics are too confusing) my forward momentum carries me off the ground. You know how you move up and down a little when you walk (or a lot, if you try to take big strides when walking)? Well, you also move up when running as your leg comes underneath you. This 'up' effect is big enough when your running to give you plenty of height off the ground. That's how I understand it anyway.

6) I'm off the ground by the time my leg has moved under me. I do not need to kick with my lower hamstrings or calves.

If your running with shoes on hard ground:

Basically same principle except that I will land on my heels. (If I land flat on my feet or strictly on my forefeet, my ankles will get crushed from overpronation.) So yes, this is harder on my knees. But over time I've learned to adapt, and I can get a pretty good stride going after I've warmed up for a few minutes. Pace becomes limited to what my knees can take since I'm still not putting energy into kicking behind me.

Not going to let the thread die just yet.

I'm trying to picture this form and all I'm getting is a vision of a band drum major doing that high stepping semi-run across a field. It's kind of a funny vision, really.

Post a video on Google. I'm ready for a good laugh.

matt21 wrote:

Not going to let the thread die just yet.

It's already dead. That first post was a thread killer, if I ever saw one.

Morons.

hey matt don't feel bad i know what you mean i was going through some rough times this past track season and figured out i was just running wrong. i took a lot of time off but i am now in better shape then i have ever been. one thing to remember about form is to have quicker strides. a longer stride is slower and more harmful to your body because it slows you down, and you are in the air for a longer amount of time increasing impact and chance of injury. just do what you need to do in order to run and don't let others get you down. i have to go, will talk more later.

I'm just surprised that no one has yet confirmed what I described about running form. I've seen guys a lot better than me run like this.

It's not the form that's the key, it's the fact that you're running barefoot. There's tons of evidence to support the superiority of barefoot/minimalist running. Do a search.

The form you describe is somewhat similar to that employed by some barefoot runners, like Ken Saxton (Barefoot Ken). Below is a link to the website he created. It's a poorly designed set of pages, but if you hunt around you will find good information. He has some videos of himself demonstrating his running form somewhere on the site. Summing it up, he is moving in a smooth, low-impact way. If you can do this, while barefoot on firm ground, then you probably have an efficient, safer way to run.

http://www.runningbarefoot.org/?name=How