Can you feel if you midfoot or heel foot strike while running?

wtf kinda question is this? "Can you feel how you run" Um yeah??? Are you confused if you heal strke or not, if so just look down. It's pertty easy to tell, or just look at your shoe tread.

Yes.

absofruitly, as a midfoot striker it feels awkward to heel strike. its almost difficult to do, especially while maintaining a respectable pace

I just checked a few of my old shoes. There is thread wear areas on the forefoot, heal and midfoot areas.

I had someone analyze me on a treadmill awhile ago and he said I had a slight heal strike. Sometimes while running I'll try to make an effort to avoid any heal striking but it's hard to tell. I don't think just looking down I can tell if I'm planting my midfoot squarely on the pavement before the heal comes into contact with the ground.

Go run around have anyone look at your foot and tell you if you can't tell.

Don't have any runner friends that I can ask. Anyway, maybe I'll try something like taping a piece of tape to my soles on my next run and see where the wear is.

If you wear a thick-heeled shoe, that could cause you to heel strike, even if you're a fore- or mid-foot striker. The lesson here is to ditch the shoes or go minimal, like the five finger.

How about zero drop shoes? Do these help promote midfoot? I'm not about to go minimal shoes, I need the cushion.

Haven't you ever seen a picture of yourself running?

If I try to land heel first I feel a jolt. I land on my forefoot, but settle lightly and quickly on my heel. At least that's what I've been told. The wear on my shoes confirm it.

You feel that you "need" the cushion because you probably land on your heel. Do fore- or mid-foot striking.

I always thought I was a mid foot striker until I started racing and all of my race photos showed heel striking.

The outer front of my soles wear down after about 300 miles and the heels show absolutely no sign of wear. Still, on race photos it looks like I strike midfoot, even heel striking if going slightly downhill.

bababa wrote:

Can you feel if you land on your midfoot while running?

Doesn't your phone have video capability?

Record yourself running from the side, and from the front at three different paces: easy, "tempo", and near sprint. You should be able to tell from the video. Many people get worse as they speed up.

This is all one guy talking to himself!

people's heel strike gets worse as they speed up? are you sure?

flaminghipster wrote:

people's heel strike gets worse as they speed up? are you sure?

I'm not 100% sure, but I got the idea from the article below. It also matches my experiences with some recreational-type runners.

** The part I'm referring to is near the end, in the "Are Your Overstriding?" section.

(Coach Roy Benson)... "The three effort levels are important, Benson explains, because many runners, especially those without a background in scholastic running, become overstriders only when they try to go faster.

Do you disagree, or were you just curious?

bababa wrote:

Can you feel if you land on your midfoot while running?

Midfoot strike should feel like you are landing on the outside of your foot. Once contact is made your foot will slightly roll in.

Changing foot strike from heel to midfoot is more the result of making contact with the ground in front of your center of gravity (heel strikers) versus under your center of gravity (midfoot strikers).

There are many excellent runners who are heel strikers, including world class. If you are running injury free as a heel striker then why change? Unless you want to run sub 13:30 5k or sub 4 then it doesn't matter.

The only thing I feel when I run is the hate in my heart.

Notice that shalane and meb are heel strikers, and the best marathoners the US has at the moment