Review : Skechers GoRun

• Type : Transition shoe
• Use : Road running
• Price : About $90

Introduction
Before I met one of their reps at a race, I didn’t know Skechers had hopped on the minimalist bandwagon. As a matter of fact, I knew little about the company, except for the Shape-Ups models that left me dubious, to say the least. The rep explained that the GoRun was a shoe intended to help runners transition from a heel strike to a more natural, mid-foot strike pattern and suggested I try them for myself. I took a couple steps in them and was unconvinced, but curious. So I decided I would give them a real try.


First impression
This shoe has a unique design with the outsole curving upwards at the heel and 9 “pods” at the mid-foot, which elevate and curve it downwards. The idea here is that if you try to heel strike, the GoRun will correct your posture by “rolling forward” to your mid-foot, thus theoretically helping you adopt a more natural stride.


Road test
I ran two times with the GoRun. The first, a 5k commute, left me feeling very strange because of the elevated arch and the presence of the “pods”, which I felt impeded my forefoot strike. On the second run, the way back home from work, I had to take the shoes off at 3K and finish barefoot, because my arches hurt and my stride was totally off.


After discussing with the Skechers rep again, it became quite clear that this shoe is not made for runners who have a forefoot strike, which means it is not a minimal or barefoot shoe, nor is it fit for anyone running with a barefoot form. That left me with the problem of properly reviewing the GoRun, until I had the idea of asking heel strikers to give it a go at the running track, and see how they felt about it.


Track test
Without telling them my intent, I asked a range of runners to run a 400M lap with their standard shoes, than one barefoot, than one wearing the GoRuns. I wasn’t overly surprised with the results; the shoe only seemed to work well with heel strikers. They reported they could feel the shoe “roll” forward which, in turn, made them shorten their stride. They weren’t bothered with the arch section, probably because they are used to such “supports” in their conventional footwear. They were delighted with the shoe’s feather weight and with the sole material, which is very soft and flexible.


Shod runners with a natural form (mid-foot to forefoot strike patterns), on the other hand, were left dubious and reported they felt the arch section was “weird” at best, “impeding” in the worst cases. Aside from the sole, they liked the GoRun’s design and often compared it to the original Nike Free model.


Analysis
I didn’t notice a big change in the heel strikers’ postures, aside from the shorter stride. I was shocked, however, to review pictures from my natural runners, whose form was negatively altered in all cases. It seems the thickness of the outsole and its design had a negative impact on the natural runners’ form; it lengthens their stride and brings back a heel strike-like pattern, with the “roll forward” effect happening on the outside of the shoe, causing an under pronation. The example below illustrates the differences in form in a natural runner :

First, running in her usual Saucony Kinvara :


Second, barefoot :


Third, in the GoRun :



Conclusion
It became quite clear, during this test, that the GoRun is not recommendable to natural runners who have already learned to land on their mid-foot or forefoot. The elevated arch section, rounded heel and “sensor pods” will only impede proprioception and change their landing patterns.


Heel strikers, on the other hand, seemed to be “pushed” toward a shorter stride, which makes them land closer to their center of gravity, certainly not a bad thing. However, this made me wonder: shouldn’t runners learn better form themselves, instead of relying on the design of their shoes? Isn’t that exactly the same issue as with orthotics?


When all is said and done, learning good form is not only about where you land; it’s also about understanding biomechanics and making the conscious effort to kick off your shoes, re-learn proprioception and develop an improved muscular structure. But if all it takes to point you in that direction is a pair of GoRun to start your discovery of natural running, Skechers might have succeeded in creating a “transition” shoe.


High points

• Comfortable “Resalyte” outsole material
• Lightweight
• Roomy toe box
• Might help the transition of heel strikers who don’t want to learn barefoot

Low points

• A mechanical solution, similar in principle to the use of orthotics
• Elevated arch and “pods” impede a forefoot strike
• Definitely not for barefoot / minimal runners

The equipment for this personal review was supplied by Skechers, free of charge, without any conditions.

Natural Running Technique : Analysis

After attending Tina Dubois’ session, getting my posture analyzed and spending some time discussing with the Canadian coach about the technique, its applications and her vision as a trainer in barefoot / minimalist running, I gave a great deal of thought to the topic of running form.

Above and beyond everything, I have grown convinced that the act of running is somehow imprinted in our genes because it has played such an extensive role in our evolution. In our modern days, our lack of the need for running, coupled with an increased sedentarity and the use of padded shoes, has blurred that memory, so much so that we “forgot” how to do it.

But more than everything, I think the reason why we forgot it so extensively, with great consequences on our bodies, is our separation from the true source of healthy running: pure, unbridled, genuine fun.

Any kid under 5 or 6 years old stands as a living proof of what I’m saying. Cut them loose in a park on a nice day and watch them go; they’ll start running instinctively, naturally and without giving it a second thought. They’ll chase pigeons, race each other to see who’s fastest or drive the dog crazy. Look at them, too. They take short, rapid steps, close to their center of gravity, it’s true. But most of all, they smile and laugh and cheer and spin themselves silly. And then, they do it again.

Have you ever seen a kid, under such circumstances, turn around and ask: “Mommy, am I running right?” or “How’s my cadence?” or “Is this a good pace?”. Of course, you and I are not five-year-olds. But I have grown convinced that, maybe, we should be a little more like them.

In my small experience as a holistic runner, many people have come to see me and asked for my opinion on their form, their results or their training plans. That typical runner is anxious, self-doubting and immersed in numbers, from their training speeds to the amount of calories they ingest. Could it be that their greatest problem is the absence of fun? Why does running have to be so complicated? Why are we so obsessed about training, performance, plans and strategies?

With that perspective in mind, this brings me to what I liked about Lee Saxby’s Natural Running Technique: the natural bit. Take your shoes off. Jump in place a little bit. See how that feels? That’s how running should feel on your feet, too. Play a song at 180 beats per minute, or listen to a metronome and skip or jump from one foot to the other, following the beat. See how that feels? That’s about how quickly your legs should move, too, when you’re running. Add a little back kick to that last exercise and alternate legs while doing it. That movement? It’s what your back leg should do when you run.

Repeat each exercise a couple of times, and make sure to come back to these exercises every once in a while. They “teach” your body, by way of feedback, on how running should feel. So is rope-skipping, skateboarding (can’t push a skateboard from your heel, now, can you?), walking with stuff balancing on your head and climbing stairs, by the way.

The rest? Act like a five-year-old. Don’t run when you’re sore. Play other games. Develop an aversion for always doing the same thing. Get your friends to join you. Make new ones, too, when you go out to play. Drive a dog crazy. Smile. Breathe. Enjoy.

In my humble opinion, running doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. If you have all of the above basics right and still get injured, I bet my ugliest red Hawaiian shirt that it has to do less about running 178 BPM instead of 180 and more with one of the following:

• You ran too much, too soon, wanting fast results
• You overtrained because you had “lagged back” the past couple days
• You blindly followed a “training plan”
• You ran when you were sore or despite some pains, hoping to gain from your extra effort
• You didn’t allow yourself to rest because you thought you’d “lose your fitness”
• You never take it easy, always running hard
• You steadily run every day or every other day, no matter what

This is where I beg to differ from Lee Saxby’s technique. I am convinced no two bodies are the same and that any movement has to be somewhat adapted to “how we’re built” individually. The best judge for doing that adaptation is YOU. This applies from yoga to guitar-playing and, in my opinion, includes running. No matter what, if you apply a technique and don’t include your own body feedback in the balance, and eventually the adjustments that come with it, you’ll get injured.

I’m not sure calling some aspects of the running form “injurious” or “incorrect”, without looking at the runner, talking with them about their background, goals and injury history, is the right way to go. It only increases the feeling of inadequacy in the runner and takes away their responsibility in interpreting their body feedback and learning from their own experience.

With that said, I think there’s a lot to learn from the Lee Saxby method. The easy exercises, their natural simplicity and the use of the bio-feedback are very powerful learning tools and cleverly presented so the runner becomes quickly autonomous in their evolution. Coming back to those exercises is also the best advice anyone can get, because it teaches your body over and over again the proper way to move and feel while running.

In my opinion, any runner can benefit from exploring the Natural Running Technique. Watching themselves run on video, meeting other runners and talking about their technique, practicing simple, effective exercises to get or increase bio-feedback and body memory, these are all sound things for anyone wanting to improve their running, stay healthy and injury-free.

Coach Tina has helped me analyze the way I run and she showed me very simple ways of teaching myself and others the basics of natural running. She reminded me that it’s important to get back to these simple things every once in a while, just to make sure I don’t stray too far from the feedback of good body habits.

For the rest, I apply my own simple rule: run like a five-year-old. Smile. Breathe. Enjoy.