Dr. Mark’s brilliant Natural Running video

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella is not only FAST (he won the US Air Force Marathon this year), he’s committed to understanding the facts of barefoot running (and minimalist, too).

As a physician, professor, and owner of Two Rivers Treads running shoe store, Mark is all about getting people running safely, enjoyably, and easily. Plus, he’s a really nice guy.

Mark just released an incredible video about “Natural Running.” His emphasis in the video is about running barefoot, but his point is that if you run with a natural gait, you may be fine in a minimialist running shoe, too.

Check out this video and let me know what you think.

One of my favorite parts is simply seeing mark run… FAST. There are so many critics who say “You never see barefoot runners who have any speed” (forgetting, of course, Abebe Bikila, Zola Budd, Ron Hill, and many other fast, barefoot Olympians).

I also like how Mark doesn’t emphasize exactly how your foot is supposed to hit the ground other than “don’t heel strike.” A number of us, including Mark and Pete Larson (of www.runblogger.com) have been saying, “There will be individual differences in how you land on your foot — from flat-footed, to fore-foot — that will depend on your physiology and biomechanics as well as how fast you’re running and whether you’re running uphill, downhill, and even on the surface.”

That said, most new runners may want to focus on a forefoot strike at first, if for no other reason than many of us have lost our proprioceptive skills from years of wearing shoes and may think we’re mid- or fore-foot landing when we’re still heel striking. I’ve had more than my share of runners try to convince me that their heels never touched the ground, even when looking at video showing them clearly heel striking.

Thanks to Mark for this great addition to the world of barefoot and natural running.

The content of this post does not constitute and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.