Running Gait Analysis After Biking

Heh... you know those are great questions Jorge. Thanks for that. Now I know what to ask up front ahead of driving 100 miles each way.

I've had the high speed multi-angle analysis performed only to have the guy sit on the tape for a month and then decide he was no longer in business. I've also had a shoe sales girl/college cross country runner lean over and watch my feet while I was walking and say "yeah you're definitely neutral". I had a FOOTMAX assessment a year or so ago that indicated I was a pronator, but I didn't drop the $300 on the orthotics, I just went back to my motion control shoes from a previous analysis that said I pronate.

My GOAL with the analysis would be to make sure I have the right shoes and ideally to identify areas where I can improve my running economy. I don't know the degree to which those two concepts are linked however...

Good point.

Is this right?  What I mean is:  the specific joints and muscles that feel tired (for me) at the end of a long run are not precisely the same as the ones that feel tired (for me) after a long bike.  Maybe others have a similar experience.   So what I'm wondering is whether the effect on running form or economy might not be different in the two cases.  Just curious.

If your shoes are comfortable to run short and long distance they most likely will work for you for a mary off the bike during an IM. If your stride suffers off the bike it is going to be more due to a lack of endurance (fitness) than anything.

I would ask many questions before you drop down $$ for a gait analysis. The truth is that unless you get your gait analyzed with high speed camera frame by frame from different angles it is hard to tell anything about it. The equipment for this analysis is expense hence this tends to be pricey, yet the feedback you can get is limited to biomechanics. In terms of running economy the only way to measure this is by testing in a lab (how much oxygen you use for a given speed) and how changing your gait or running shoes can affect it. You will have to test before with your usual gait/shoes and after with a change in gait or sneakers and compare results.

Without this no one can tell you whether you are more economical or not! If someone says so, RUN away! They are just trying to sell you something Anyway, there is evidence that suggest that cushions shoes improve economy because in theory it reduces muscle work due to the shock absorption when landing. If you want to improve running economy you just need to run more; that’s the simplest thing to do. As you run more your body adapts and adapts to best natural gait to deal with the load and as you grow fitter you also improve your oxygen consumption which in turn makes your economical.

Here is a good read: http://www.sportsscientists.com/2007/12/running-economy-part-iii.html