I read an answer to a runner’s question the other day that greatly perturbed me for several reasons. First was that the expert’s response did not address the main problem. Instead his recommendations would lead to further deterioration of the runner’s technique and to poorer progress in the long run.
More specifically, the runner was concerned with the noise that he made when his foot landed on a treadmill. According to the expert, many runners take too-long strides and slap their feet. But if you stride is too long you would invariably be landing on the heel. There would not be any slapping of the feet.
The runner was advised to take shorter steps with the feet low to the ground. The runner was told to practice running with a fast shuffle by increasing the number of steps taken per minute. This is one of the worst recommendations that can be given to a bona fide runner. When a runner has good technique his feet do not stay close to the ground. They get at least knee high or slightly higher when running faster.
By having a runner “shuffle” the legs remain fairly straight which is more costly energy wise and very ineffective as it leads to slower running, not faster. Runners who shuffle are typically the slowest in a race and are exemplified by the ultra-marathoner. Is this the model that runner should follow in order to run “quietly”?
Also since when should running be quiet? In order to exert more force against the ground the runner should accentuate the foot touchdown so that he can have an even stronger push off. Runners should not strive to be as quiet as possible. They should concentrate more on proper and effective technique and not worry about whether touchdown is loud or quiet.
It is no wonder that there’s so much confusion in the field. There are many myths out there and only you can determine their usefulness. Do not incorporate the misleading information because as the saying goes “garbage in garbage out”. To not fall into this trap; it will require research on your part in order to determine what is best for you. The more you can understand what is involved in running, the better you will be able to evaluate the many recommendations (myths) given to runners.