Benno Nigg - A Voice of Reason in a World of Footwear Madness

Before you decide to buy a pair of overpriced running slippers, convert to a caveman diet or sell your car to buy an underwater treadmill to improve your running efficiency, lactate threshold or complexion consider some of the sound scientific work done in running biomechanics by Benno Nigg from the University of Calgery in Alberta.

With over 40 years of research Nigg has consulted for many shoe and orthotic companies producing unbiased and unique, albeit technical, conclusions on how the neuromuscular system adapts to running in various situations. Among some of his important conclusions based on his scientific research is that shoe's aren't necessarily the root cause of injury and that barefoot running isn't the answer to injury prevention for runners (can I get an Amen).

Below are a bulleted list of conclusions and hypothesis from an article linked below "The Role of Impact Forces and foot pronation:  a new paradigm"

-HIGH loading rates (the lower leg's speed with which it absorbs shock with ground) are related to a LOWER incidence of running injury.
-Evidence is lacking to support that impact forces are the cause of acute or chronic running related injuries.
-The 'new paradigm' on the role of impact forces states that they provide information for the body to chance the muscular 'tuning' in preparation for shock attenuation.
-These neuromuscular changes occur BEFORE the foot hits the ground in preparation for the impact about to take place.
-Experimental evidence supports that minimal improvement in injury prevention occurs when aligning the skeleton with shoes and orthotics.
-An optimal shoe, foot-covering, etc will REDUCE muscular activity and often metabolic cost at a given speed.

Nigg admits that further scientific research is needed to confirm the muscular tuning hypothesis.  This article had an interesting finding with practical implications.  When allowed to rate 5 shoe choices simply from most to least comfortable the subjects grading of shoe comfort was inline with the most metabolically economical shoe choice for them (measured in vo2 consumed at a given running speed).  Therefore the most comfortable shoes were also required the least amount of energy to run at the same running speed.

This supports the belief that if a shoe fits well and has a good 'ride' to you, it is likely to be a good option and perform well. Nigg would argue this occurs by minimizing both muscular vibration in the major muscle groups powering your running and therefore minimizing the metabolic cost of running.

Another reason to support your local retailers and RUN in your shoes before you buy them!

So this leaves the common questions "why do I get injured' still unanswered.  With millions of runners of various levels of athletic experience and ability this is certainly a complicated question to answer.

My short answer that could fuel a series of future posts is that few runners in our sedentary and impatient society tend to properly prepare for the strength and stability needed to safely run when coming 'off the couch'.  Even though impact forces may produce positive stimulus to bone growth, they also cause rotational torque in high levels about the ankle, knee and hip.  Without adequate and specific strength, range of motion and stability, overuse injuries like plantar fasciitis, illio-tibial band syndrome, 'runner's knee', etc are likely to manifest themselves.

Save the barefoot running for limited periods and think of it as strengthening for feet and speed training.  In the meantime get on the floor and work on your pelvic stability, single leg balance and ability to do quality single leg squats with proper form.


Nigg has a book out The Biomechanics of Running Shoes to continue the conversation on this topic.

Amby Burfoot conducted an interview on Nigg's scientific findings in January as well.


Complete Article

Clin J Sport Med. 2001 Jan;11(1):2-9.

The role of impact forces and foot pronation: a new paradigm.

Nigg BM.

Source

Human Performance Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, The University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. nigg@ucalgary.ca

Ethiopian Warm Up Routines

I've been intrigued by the extensive 'dynamic' warm up that is done by Ethiopian distance runners, presumably before intense workouts.  I'd heard antecdocal reports that Haile Gebreselassie had extensive running specific warm up sessions and that he would devote additional training during the week to 'gymnastics'.  Since then learned through an ethiopian-american collegiate runner that it's typical for an extensive form of this running based exercise routine to be done as it's own running session.  She indicated that the first time she performed 1 hour of these running based drills she was exceptionally sore for days.  Presumably the drills provided an aerobic stimulus (similar to a recovery run) combined with the coordination, power and speed of a 'low intensity' plyometric.

Although this video doesn't have the extensive series of running based drills that this athlete likely performed, this is an interesting video that includes some warm up routines performed by world class Ethiopian runners including Keneisa Bekele.

I think one of the traits this type of exercise routine has that is valuable is that it is supremely 'running specicific' in form and design and certainly provides a bio-mechanical rhythm that  is going to get a runner ready to run fast and efficient.

John Campbell - A Master to Admire

I've had this desire to dig up the dirt on a Kiwi I recalled had run quite fast as a masters runner in the 90's.  Being better with numbers than names I remembered a low 2:11 performance as a 40+ year old were among his accolades, but I couldn't for the life of me remember his name.  Futile google searches lead to my public position of the question today on my group run with some fella's.  They were no help.

No more than 5 minutes after they were gone and I finished the run did the name 'Campbell' pop into my head.  No soup for me...this was the name of the master I was searching for.

  

New Zealander John Campbell was clearly a 'hard' man, even by Kiwi standards and ran exceptional times for a master of 5k: 13.55, 10k:  29:07, Half marathon: 62.28 and Marathon in 2:11:04 in a Boston Marathon where he placed fourth behind Olympic gold medalist Gelindo Bordin.

Sports Illustrated has made itself useful for the details on Campbell's story which is more interesting than simply his world class performances...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1139859/1/index.htm

Persistence Hunting

I'm fortunate enough to have an intern this summer (thank you Joel, you did a great job buffing out the scratches on the car!). He's a running nerd and is clearly going to set some major personal bests next year in his last year of college cross country and track at Hameline University.

Joel has cobbled together the key literature on persistence hunting and provided an overview of the theory of of the 'Running Man' and how our favorite sport has played a strong role in shaping our current, cushy lives as modern humans. Check it out here.

There is a current interest in the persistence hunt.  This primarily stems from the hype of the 'Born to Run' Movement of which I touch on here. Its even rung enough bells that ESPN has put an online piece together on the topic.  David Flemming did a nice job chronicling the evolution of the theory here. The key player on illustrating how this theory has been practically used is Louis Liebenberg.  He's taken a serious scientific approach to record keeping and quantification of the persistence hunt. 
The BBC has created a program that provides first hand video of a South African tribe on a persistence hunt below.

Considering Liebenberg's work together with the video below and to a lesser extent, Lieberman's papers referenced in Joel's post, I'm most amazed by the mysterious aspect of tracking that seems to also play a key role in the ability to FIND the animal as it evades the hunters and gradually looses its ability to persist.  Yes it's impressive we can run an animal off its feet, but it's more impressive we can utilize reasoning based on the varied (limited) information around us to follow the animals movements as it leaves our site. 
It appears that Liebenberg's been a busy boy and has also produced a book on the topic of tracking which I'm considering devouring.






If you actually read this, let me know what thoughts, opinions or statements you might have on this topic. Anyone run down a deer?

Sprint Hills

Hill running is the center piece of many runners training.  Whether long runs on hilly terrain or maximizing high end aerobic running with one minute power hills runners find that hills add that resistance that leads to greater speed and strength.

One of the most unique use of hills for distance runners is the sprint hill that is seen used in world class marathoning.  Championed by Italian coaches like Luciano Gigliotti and Renato Canova, sprint hills are ridiculously short and FAST.  These 10-12 second uphill runs on gradients of 12-15% are justified in their addition to a distance runner's routine based on Henneman's Size Principle.  This principle states that motor units (groups of muscle fibers that are innervated by a single neuron) are recruited to do work based on their neuron's size.  The smallest neuron's having theoretically the lowest thresholds will be recruited first and with the lowest stimulus (ie. speed of contraction or force required).  The larger neuron's will be recruited later as exercise continues at low resistance or speed or with a larger force or speed production.

These sprint hills obviously will bring into the fold of exercise these higher threshold motor units often neglected particularly in marathon training.  My conceptualization on how this type of training then provides a ongoing benefit to the marathoner is in the ability for the total workload that the athlete undertakes day in and day out, which is focused on rising the lactate threshold, enables these high threhsold and energetically more 'costly' motor units to become more enduring through the endurance training undertaken.

Hood to Coast Training Program

Hood to Coast Relay Training Program

Program duration: 12 weeks

Recommended average weekly mileage (min) for the last 4 weeks prior to beginning the program: 10 mpw

Experience: Various abilities: Intermediate and Advanced runners recommended

Weekly miles for the training program (min to max): 12 to 30 mpw
Longest single run: 10 miles

Days a week: 4

Types of workouts: : long runs, track workouts, hills, pacing

Download the training program

Barefoot Running: Voices of Reason and Personal Experiences

I'll freely admit that the grinch in me is beginning to be annoyed by the barefoot running 'movement'.  It seems to draw those that are less interested in those who want to run as those who are interested in doing some thing different.  Now my annoyances aside the conversation brings up an important discussion (two really), what do we 'need' for footwear when running and is our natural anatomy inherently desiged to run long distances safely.

We know running shoes have a rich history of 'tradition' that has allowed concepts of their to design to remain largely intact over years (ratio of heel to forefoot height,  out-sole materials, lacing, etc).  With many manifestations of tradition just because it's been done one way for years, doesn't make it in everyone's best interest to continue doing it this way.

I'm not really interested in lending a lot of credence to the book 'Born to Run' which has really escalated this renewed interest in modified shoes and unshod running. In my opinion, McDougall wrote a tabloid piece that unnecessarily narrowed and misrepresented distance running into a world where success is judged by how far one runs and not how fast man has become at 'middle distances' and used one of the last remaining indigenous communities that largely rely on bipedalism for locomotion to support his argument.  His story would have been different if he had selected the Kalenjin as his subjects.  Anyway, this isn't my point...

An intelligent conversation on the role barefoot running may have had on our evolutionary development has come from Dan Lieberman.  His articles related to this are available here and here. 
He is now working on research with Irene Davis to show the benefits of barefoot v. shod running.  There argument is that when barefoot runners will be more plantar-flexed on contact and thereby have more ankle compliance that leads to favorable shock attenuation.  The paper can be viewed here.    This are interesting findings.  This type of ankly compliance is something I've notived in the unshod or minimally shod running I have done in the past (more below).  Ross Tucker from the Science of Sport has provided a comprehensive analysis of this research thus far here.  Tucker shows that although barefoot running can reduce initial impact forces in certain individuals, when those run barefoot poorly it can cause a six fold increase in these forces.  I was able to hear this research presented firsthand at ACSM in Denver by Lieberman himself.  I was underwhelmed by this largely due to his large amount of content in a short period of time and what I felt were a number of assumptions made on groups tested that lead to his conclusions; Tucker digs into the meat of these issues above.  I also felt it was very unprofessional for him to not disclose his conflicts of interest with Vibram from the outset of the presentation (only done w/out mention on a small font on last slide!).

Ok, I'm really sounding like an Eeyore here.  Don't misunderstand me, I love running barefoot.  I do it to some extent on a weekly basis and have extensively experimented with unshod and minimal footwear, primarily a decade ago when, ironically enough, I owned a running shoe store. 

In addition to running without shoes altogether I crafted (read: hack job) a pair of deer skin moccasins.  These were really sweet.  They were feather weight and the more you wore them, as with all leather, the more they formed to the feet.  I built up to running about 2 hours (~16 miles) in them on trails.  On roads I could go an hour.  Don't believe the hype, surface does matter from an impact perspective, even when one is a 'good' barefoot runner.  
My best pair of minimal footwear was a pair of Asics wrestling shoes.  The 'Split Second' had a split midsole that had thin rubber on the forefoot and heel without midfoot struture.  I cut the top off of them and short of acid washed jean shorts, I was ready for Def Leppard's reunion concert.  The furthest I ran them was 50K on trails.  They were perfect.

So what's my point.  Barefoot running is wonderful, liberating and feels very natural to me in moderation.  Surface does matter.  Running in sailing slippers is NOT barefoot running (proprioceptive v. support protection; a rant for another day).  It's not for everyone.  Frankly its' not for most people I see doing it. 

Ironically enough and widely known to good sports medicine practitioners (PT's, Docs, etc) that work with injured runners, aspiring barefoot runners seeking it for its injury prevention benefits would be best served by developing those evolutionarily unique, large gluteal muscles Liberman cites in his study here.  They are central and primary in effecting the movement of the distal structures of the leg in running. 

Coster out.