You truly are motivating. What a great race. Don't get so disappointed on changing your running stride. These things happen. But good race anyway. Ovetta.

Good race, Karl.  I am interested in how your adjustment in mechanics works out.  Many years ago, I went from a toe strike to heel strike and thought I made an improvement in my efficiency.  I made the change after developing a stress fracture in the metatarsals, but I thought that the rolling motion from heel to toe used less energy.  At the time (25 years ago), I thought I was going with the conventional wisdom on the best stride for long distance running.  I have heard a lot more people talk about toe strike style in recent years.  Toe strike is probably for the gazelle-like runners like you rather than the plodders like me. (wink)

TW

The way it was explained to me was to picture a ball sitting on a table.  Its center of gravity is where it is touching the table.  If it is rolling, to place anything out in front of the center of gravity (e.g. heel strike) is to cause the ball to first, overcome that stopping motion, then to take advantage of the push off of the rearward kick.  It causes you to work much harder.

If, instead, you moved the foot strike to a point right under the center of gravity, there will be a reduction in the loss of momentum and less energy expended due to the shorter forward throw of the leg (the pendulum swing).  When you're running, you actually feel like you're just picking up the foot in the back and putting it right back down.  Its a very strange feeling at first.  Laerka equated it to feeling like Fred Flintstone.

I welcome any and all opinions on the matter.

Was there a sale on flourescent T-shirts in Atlanta that we missed???  What's up with those shirts guys???  I know the run was on a trail, but was the glow-in-the-dark shirts necessary???

Good job, Karl!  Congrats on your first Halfy!  Don't beat yourself up too much as a trail run will always slow your times down.  You will be faster on your next one, no question!

Well done! Great race, and great race report.

I'm interested in what shoes you wear when you're practising toe-strike. If I wear racing flats I find I do naturally toe- strike, if I wear my usual (stability) shoes then I strike first about midfoot. I put that down to the built up sole and heel in most shoes, so I'm interested in your experience.

Jane

Alan, it actually worked out pretty well.  The race start was in a Kroger parking lot and the first mile or so was along a 4 lane to the trail.  By the time we hit the trail, the crowd had thinned out to the point where we could all fit on the trail.  If this race grows beyond its present size, they'll need to stagger the start somehow.