I’m a heel striker. That means my heel is the first part of my foot to touch the ground when I’m running. Google it, and you’ll see that it’s not recommended, and it’s something I work hard at correcting because of all the problems it can cause (heel pain being the most obvious).
Not to be too spiritual (and also with a bit of tongue in cheek), but I think that heel striking is of the devil, and the Bible backs me up (check it out for yourself in Genesis 3:15)! I think the devil is still slithering around, looking for heels to bite because of how heel striking can affect our ability to move.
But what’s fascinating to me is how it gets corrected.
Experts will tell you that heel striking results from bad alignment and a weak core. As a leader of an organization, those words leap off the page at me! If the church I lead isn’t aligned in our mission and isn’t strong at our core, then we won’t move as effectively and efficiently as we can.
So often, our answer is to try harder, work longer, or reach farther, but a quicker pace won’t overcome a bad running form. In fact, correcting a bad running form typically starts with things that don’t involve running at all. Crunches, planks, toe raises, and lunges are exercises that can target and strengthen a weak core, and the stronger the core, the better the form.
When it comes to walking (or running) out the gospel, it’s all about alignment and strength in the core, and when we’re weak there, our heels become a target for the strike.
