Simple. Don’t think about it. What natural will come:)

I’m soooo far from an expert (probably the FARTHEST from an expert of anyone…see what I did there? :D), but I’ve spent a lot of time running on trails. I fell twice on my first trail run (a race), I started out with walking pretty much every downhill on our local trails, and I’ve grown waaaay more comfortable on trails since then.

First, in my experience, I tend to fall on the easier parts of the trail, because that’s where I start to autopilot a little. At least those areas tend to have less jagged rocks when I fall. 🙂 I think the more you run on the trails the more comfortable and sure-footed you’ll be. Your ankles get stronger, your balance improves, and you choose better lines. Try not to overthink it…just get out there and run as much on the trails as you can, pay attention to where you put your feet, and slow down if you need to. You’re probably going to be faster overall if you run slightly slower but aren’t constantly picking yourself up off the ground. 🙂

I’m pretty impressed with your war wound. In fact I’m kind of ghoulish and last year made a calendar for my squad’s coach of all the squad’s injuries that had been captured in a photo. I got a range of black and missing toenails, trail-running stacks and two full-on face plants. I don’t know if our squad’s particularly clumsy but I certainly had enough injuries to fill 12 months.

I’ve been using those tips on efficient running in my come-back. I figure the more efficiently I run, the further I can go if I have X amount of energy to spend. The only problem is that I try not to left me feet up too high which increases the chance of tripping.

I’d always been a forefoot striker, but that changed when I started training for ultras. The closer I get to walking speed, the more my stride becomes a walking stride, with the heel planting and the foot rolling forward, rather than the sprinter’s lever of hitting on the ball of the foot, then the heel, then “popping” back up. Now that I’m trying to run short and fast again, I had to relearn how to have my feet land; what’s been most useful is remembering that it’s a pawing motion – then I have to work on stride rate. What I learned about running on trails would fill volumes, but the more technical the surface, the fuller you want the contact between your shoe and the ground; you want to lift your feet higher off the ground than usual to make sure you don’t snag your toes on tree roots or rocks – and it helps to remember that large objects tend to move less when you step on them!

Weirdly, I started out as a natural forefoot striker. Then I forced myself to heel strike because I thought it was ‘right’. Then when I got a clue, I switched back. I do start shuffling a bit when I’m really tired though. I run so few trails, I have nothing of value to offer. I totally agree that midfoot striking is so much easier on the bod.

May be forefoot striking is a fad as well. That’s why I say just allow it develop naturally, don’t force either way. Nothing is one size fits all. I have no clue and don’t care which way I strike as long as I keep running. May be heel-strike seems to break, but they land further yet mid-foot striker doesn’t break but needs to have a higher turn-over for the same length covering? Ever considered that expanding energy might be pretty close? Check out these photos of OTM and find all kinds of strides coming on top of American marathon times. https://picasaweb.google.com/102416223972681439438/OlympicTrialsMarathonHouston21412
On trail, the most important thing is to have a good eye-foot coordination and not a certain foot strike. It changes with terrain way too much to even begin to think about it.