Just Run

Turns out, there is no single best way to run. Well, I guess there is, but it varies from person to person. As long as you're not doing anything too wackadoodle, you'll be most efficient at the stride that feels most natural to you.  If you try and change it, you'll probably just wind up injured. Instead, don't think about the "ideal" stride, and just run. As you speed up, you'll naturally move more mid-/forefoot. Now, the article doesn't say this (and my credentials are somewhat lacking), but I do believe this could be the reason why the mid-/forefoot striking showed more benefits for elite athletes compared to the rest of us (aka they are faster than us). 

The same argument holds true for the shoes we run in. I do not doubt that we evolved to run without sneakers (mainly because they haven't been around for long enough to effect the course of evolution). However, humans also did not evolve to run on sidewalks, or roads, or any of the other unforgiving surfaces that we run on. Therefore, I think that we do need ~10mm of something on our feet to mimic the types of surfaces that evolution has made us most efficient at running on. In fact, lightweight shoes have been found to decrease the metabolic cost of running compared to barefoot running. 

So, if something is working for you, be happy it is. You can certainly try new things (there could be something else better afterall), just listen to your body.

And thank you Jennifer for sending me this article!