Why Rethinking Running & Resilience Helps Non Runners Too
There’s a persistent belief that there’s a “right” way to run. A perfect form that keeps us efficient, fast, and injury-free. Yet, when we look at the evidence, that idea starts to fall apart.
Heel striking, for example, is often blamed for injury. However, there’s no solid research to suggest that heel striking is inherently harmful. It simply shifts more load to the knee and hip. Forefoot striking, in contrast, places greater demand on the ankle and forefoot. Each style has its own distribution of stress.
The issue isn’t the load itself. It’s how well we tolerate it.
Tissue tolerance builds through exposure. We gradually increase what the body can handle by progressing movement depth, distance, frequency, speed, or surface variability over time. Rushing into sudden changes—like going from no running to sprint intervals, or shifting technique without preparation—is where problems usually arise. Injuries tend to happen when we move from doing very little to doing a lot, very quickly.
Running is a highly individual activity. Style is shaped by terrain, anatomy, training history, footwear, and speed. This makes uniform advice difficult to apply. There isn’t one optimal gait or footstrike, only options that may or may not suit a particular person at a particular time.
This concept isn’t limited to running. Walking, gait, lifting, even recreational movement—each can benefit from the same mindset. Instead of chasing the perfect form, we might focus on building capacity. Tolerance improves with gradual exposure. Movement becomes more sustainable when we work with our body, not against it.
Perhaps the better question to ask isn’t how should we move?, but how do we increase our ability to move in different ways over time?
