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HEEEEEEL STRIKa!

Open and shut: Running 'barefoot style' where the foot strikes more toward the front than the back is generally safer and better for your health.

The New York times featured yet another study out of Harvard http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/why-runners-get-injured/ that says among other things:


"Of the 52 runners studied, 36 (59%) primarily used a rearfoot strike and 16 (31%) primarily used a forefoot strike. Approximately 74% of runners experienced a moderate or severe injury each year, but those who habitually rearfoot strike had approximately twice the rate of repetitive stress injuries than individuals who habitually forefoot strike. Traumatic injury rates were not significantly different between the two groups. A generalized linear model showed that strike type, sex, race distance, and average miles per week each correlate significantly (p<0.01) with repetitive injury rates."

I'm looking forward to more studies showing that a forefoot strike is generally better for the body...but until then here's another nail in the coffin...thanks to the guys at Harvard for doing the hard work to prove what many of us think we know.


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