PAIN IN THE BALLS OF THE FEET
This topic quite often appears on the Pose Tech forum. Pain in this area appears to be a byproduct of learning the Pose Method. Runners complain about this discomfort attributing it to the new technique. The situation is quite the opposite - this pain comes because of deviation from the proper Pose technique.
What lies at the bottom of this problem? First of all, this is the part of the foot which was never before used in such a manner. So, obviously the load on the balls of the feet is increased significantly. It would be OK, if the load didn't last long, but sometimes it does and is also intensified by other negative circumstances such as: landing in front of the body, holding the ankles rigid (heels high above the ground not relaxed), push off efforts, etc. However, in my opinion, the most important action which could be "credited" for this result is active straightening of the leg in order to bring the foot to the ground quicker. I call it "active" landing.
This artificial activity stems from our wrong understanding of its value as something improving the efficiency of our running technique. From the physics point of view, it is a false statement based on the wrong assumption that the foot landing on the ground faster causes the GCM or the body weight - to land faster as well, which is not true. The GCM always goes down with the same acceleration and the same speed, if its height is the same. So there is no way to bring the GCM on support faster, no matter how fast or how long you run, therefore there is no sense to rush your foot to the ground.
Our mind is tricking us into this wrong assumption that our body can land faster, if we put our foot on the ground quicker in order to run faster. In reality this creates an opposite effect. It stops movement and increases the impact on the ball of the foot; our primary area of support. Combine it with a thin sole of racing flats, which have only slight cushioning, running on a hard surface, etc., and you'll see that we are hammering the same place over and over again.
Where is a solution for this problem? No, it is not in more cushioning. It is in the proper technique, where the forced movement of the foot to the ground is no longer a part of it. The foot should not only move down to the ground passively, it should also be actively pulled up before it hits the ground. In the right scenario, the foot should land on the ground with almost no downward vertical speed and be ready to be moved up by the active hamstring work immediately after the body moves off the support. In this case, the impact on the ball of the foot is dramatically reduced.
A practical solution for this problem would be to concentrate 100% on the pulling movement, being aware that you are keeping your body weight on the balls of the feet. The pulling drills which are recommended in the book and video are very valuable here, but again, the most important thing would be your focus on this action. Running barefoot is a good exercise for this matter as well. Additionally I would recommend barefoot jumps and running drills with a rope for perfecting your soft and fast pulling action.
Dr.Romanov
