If you want to run injury-free: run softly.  Recently, Gretchen Reynolds of the NYTimes wrote a great article summarizing some original research published in December 2015. The take-home message is this: no matter how you strike the ground (heel or forefoot), regardless of what kind of shoe you wear (minimalist, neutral or motion control), whether you wear orthotics or not, runners who strike the ground more softly (lower vertical impact – or less pounding) are injured less often.

My favourite quote from the article is “One of the runners we studied, a woman who has run multiple marathons and never been hurt, had some of the lowest rates of loading that we’ve ever seen.  When you watched her run, it was like seeing an insect running across water. It was beautiful.”  – Irene Davis, a Harvard professor who led the study

Your running tip for today is to gradually change your running stride so that you strike the ground with less force.  Incorporate some strategies to absorb the shock of hitting the ground, and you are less likely to be injured.  Of course, for those of you worried about your performance, this may have an adverse effect on your speed, but if you want to keep running injury free for years, read the article below for inspiration.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/10/why-we-get-running-injuries-and-how-to-prevent-them/

Run Softly