Uncategorized

Zero drop is one of those bits of running jargon you hear floating around long before you really know what it means. In simple terms, it’s exactly what it sounds like: there’s no height difference between the heel and the forefoot. No slope. No built-in lean. Your foot sits level with the ground much like it does when you’re barefoot in the kitchen making that first coffee. Most traditional running shoes come with a drop of around 6–8mm, meaning the heel is slightly elevated. It’s a design choice that can encourage a longer stride and take some load off the calves and Achilles. Zero-drop shoes flip that idea on its head. They don’t try to guide you forward they just let you run. The result? Often a stride that becomes a little shorter, a little quieter, and a bit more underneath you. Your lower legs and intrinsic foot muscles tend to take on more responsibility. For some runners, that can feel more efficient or more “natural.” For others, it can feel like a rude awakening. Zero drop is also frequently paired with wider, foot-shaped toe boxes. The thinking here is simple: give the toes space to splay, let the foot stabilise itself, and allow impact to happen closer to your centre of mass rather than out in front in a heavy heel strike. It’s part biomechanics, part philosophy. But, and this is important, zero drop isn’t a shortcut to better running. It’s a different stimulus. Moving from a higher-drop shoe to zero drop increases load through the calves, Achilles and plantar structures. That can be positive in the long term if managed well. It can also be a fast track to niggles if you rush it. The smart move is to treat it like any other training change. Introduce it gradually. Start with short, easy runs. Maybe even just some walking. Let your tissues adapt before you start chasing mileage or pace. Like most things in running, it’s not about right or wrong. It’s about what works for you, your history, your mechanics, and what you want from the miles ahead.

There is no money in blogging. I am very aware of this fact. No brand has ever asked to sponsor a blog post or paid for the advertising on its fringes. Yet for the past decade I have sporadically, yet passionately, written on this little quiet corner of an internet overcrowded by its own loudness.

Last Thursday I ran for the first time in two and a half weeks and I didn’t fully realise why until I started to run. I put it down to a myriad of things at the time; blisters from my 112km walk as part of the Virtual Race to the Stones, going back into the office for work and a busy personal life. It wasn't until I started my run and allowed my mind to wander did the real reason bubble to the surface..

As the race nears, I’ve had a lot of people on social media ask why I signed up for the Marathon des Sables in the first place. It is a fair question, why would someone who only five years ago […]