PureCadence Run #2: Let's Go To The Videotape!

I ran 1.5 miles outside today in the PureCadences with an average mile pace of 8:27. A little slower than yesterday, but I tried to concentrate more on my form than worry about moving fast. Prior to heading out, I did a little bit of research into proper midfoot strike running form. The general consensus was that midfoot striking requires a shorter stride. Heel-striking runners tend to run at a cadence of 120 bpm (beats per minute, for you non-musicians out there), while midfoot runners run at a typical cadence between 180-240 bpm. Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" comes in at about 118 bpm; some of the faster death metal comes in at about 240 bpm (Morbid Angel's "Dominate," for example, which is a classic of the genre). Just because of that, I already like this midfoot striking thing.

Francis Bacon

Yesterday, I think my stride was a little toe-heavy. I felt like I was digging in with my toes more than letting my foot accept the impact. Today went much better. I slowed down, tried to keep my weight centered over my footfalls, and worked on not "reaching" with my stride. My left Achilles area got sore by the end of the run, but nothing major. After the run, I felt a little tingling in my right outer foot, which happened yesterday as well. It faded both times. I don't feel any difference in the ankle tendinitis pain as of yet. On the bright side, the stress fracture pain hasn't flared up, although even with my traditional-style Brooks Adrenalines on, the pain doesn't start until into the 2nd mile of a run.

Now all that sounds good, but how much do you really know how your foot is landing when you run? How much is wishful thinking? Opinion, in my opinion, is just a synonym for bullshit. One of this blog's heroes is Francis Bacon, 16th century English philosopher and a pioneer of inductive reasoning and the scientific method. Let's be more Francis Bacon-like about this.

LET'S GO TO THE VIDEOTAPE!

I used my mom's treadmill and my iPhone to take some footage of my stride and foot strike, both barefoot and with the PureCadences on. I then used Windows Movie Maker and some "acquired" Youtube music clips to compile the footage, add some sound and some slow-mo, and below you see the results. First, the barefoot:

Pretty straightforward. I see a fairly clear midfoot strike, without a lot of heel.

Now for the PureCadence:

This is a little less clear. Some strides look dead on to the barefoot strike. There's also some definite reaching in there, and some times when the heel is getting down a little too early. Were I grading this midfoot strike, I'd give it a solid C+. Clearly there is more work to do.

For some comparison, here's some high quality video with better slow motion (but much worse music) of midfoot striking:

I think my stride looked like that at times. Other times the form was less pronounced. My strike seems a little sloppy sometimes. Still, that's encouraging. I'm not far off. I can do the correct motion, I just need to improve my consistency, something that should come