Natural running – everything you need to know

Running has accompanied humans since practically the beginning of our evolution. Once, we ran away from predators, often through very hostile terrain. Today, we put on comfortable shoes, play music, and run on smooth surfaces.

Before you get angry at us, marathon runner or warrior from Runmaggedon, calm down – we exaggerated a bit!

However, the fact remains that today, the adventure with running begins with the choice of... footwear. Barefoot running is not a very popular running style, but more and more people are starting to practice natural running, and the "return to roots" seems to have new supporters all the time.

What is natural running? What should you watch out for? What are the techniques of natural running?

You can read about it in our article.

What is natural running

In most of today's running shoes, we can find very similar features - cushioning, thicker soles, heel-to-toe drop. This forces us to walk from the heel, because in such shoes it is really difficult to run differently. The heel itself doesn't have cushioning, so running from the heel without the right shoes could quickly lead to injury and joint damage. Standard running shoes don't replace the natural cushioning of the foot, but shift it to another part.

Meanwhile, the best friend of the natural foot movement is... midfoot running!

Natural running is a technique where no other cushioning is needed except that provided by the midfoot.

The structure of the midfoot, supported by tendons, allows for an even distribution of weight. The Achilles tendon absorbs the impact, the toes work, and the foot itself (through, for example, pain signals) informs us that our technique is wrong.

How to start natural running?

Learning natural running is not an easy task. Since childhood, we have been taught to move in shoes, and during PE lessons, we often hear “run on your toes,” which is also not a good solution. To start running from the midfoot, you first need to get used to the natural movement of the foot and strengthen its muscles.

How to strengthen the foot muscles?

Start walking from the front of the foot on soft terrain, such as grass, to get the foot used to a more natural movement,
Strengthen the foot muscles by doing the right exercises. The foot is often neglected in training,
The first natural runs should be short and done preferably in minimalist shoes,
Learn natural running techniques such as the POSE technique,
Strengthen the calf muscles, toes, try to spread your toes wider or use, for example, separators to get them used to a more natural alignment.

If you feel ready, it's time to start learning natural running. The mentioned POSE technique created by Dr. Romanov is perfect for this. Its elements include:

Landing on the front of the foot and bent leg,
Relaxing the lower part of the limb to absorb the forces caused by the foot's impact with the ground,
Performing a short movement in the swing leg,
Relaxing, especially in the shoulders,
A straight position in the hips and leaning forward through bending the ankle joint.

The most important thing at first is running a maximum of 3-4 kilometers twice a week to start. Speeding up should be done by increasing the number of steps, not their length.

What to watch out for when running naturally?

If you want to start running naturally, you should follow a few rules:

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, natural running requires a different foot movement. Changing your running technique can be a long process.
Don’t underestimate learning natural running, focus on technique and proper foot placement.
Start with small steps, even the feet of born runners can be distorted by improper footwear, and learning may take longer.
Don’t try to run naturally in cushioned shoes, this defeats the purpose.
While running, focus on the proper movements taught by the POSE technique.
Run in natural shoes, look for shoes that have zero drop (flat soles) and are free of cushioning.

If you approach the whole learning process properly, you will notice positive changes in your body thanks to minimalist running.

Minimalist shoes and natural running

The topic of natural running is best started by choosing the right minimalist shoes. Sounds like an advertisement, right? But almost every portal will tell you straight out - minimalist shoes provide the necessary protection for the foot while running, and their construction forces the natural movement of the foot.

How?

They protect the feet without affecting their natural movement.
They have a completely flat, super flexible sole.
They provide plenty of space for the toes.
They lack stabilization and cushioning.
They are very lightweight.

If you want to run without worrying about stepping on a stone or glass, natural shoes will make the transition to running technique painless and smoother.