Its better not to think about your feet at all!
All this talk about how your feet should hit the floor is starting to drive me crackers - not that its a bad thing people are talking about it - but that there is so much misleading information out there being pedalled by people who are very clever at making themselves appear to be experts, but are really not.
I'll try to answer this the right way:
If you run up on your toes for anything longer than sprint distances, you are going to put enormous strain on your calf muscles, which will inevitably rebel at some point; You will likely end up either with a calf injury(ies) or achilles problems.
I started out running as a heel striker, so much of the advice out there says this is the right thing to do, but it isn't, so after my own injury problems which I do blame on that heel striking, I have looked extensively into this footstrike business, through both study and practical application, and what I have found is this:
Whilst everyone seems to be preaching about maintaining an upright posture whilst running, this is precisely the thing that is going wrong. If you are unsure at this point, watch a video of the Kenyan runners winning any marathon you choose, then watch everyone else coming in about 10 minutes behind them. Notice the differences: Kenyans - straight backs and tight abs yes, but with a forward lean, and all the action of their stride seems to be going on behind them making it look long and graceful. The others - upright, shorter strides, harder effort, leg action seeming to be infront of them rather than behind.
Essentially, if there is an ideal, then it is to mimic the Kenyans. But how?
Wel the one single thing that I have found works best for me is something I found in a book called Chi-Running by Danny Dreyer. It goes like this:
When you start to run, don't! Just let your body fall forward, your leg will automatically come through to stop your fall. As your steps quicken (they will, you are falling) concentrate your mind not on running, but simply on picking up your feet behind you, not once your foot has hit the floor, but before it even touches.
I have honestly found that this just pitches your body into exactly the right posture and automatically gets your legs spinning at a really good cadence, and with that forward lean and high cadence, the feet seem to strike automatically in line with the hips and shoulders and it all feels neutral and minimum impact. I'm still getting used to it, and my running is inconsistent at the moment, but I think as much as anything that's because some days I find myself with more of a forward tilt than others. I am getting some really good runs though, on very low mileage, I'm hitting speeds that are right up there with my PB's, just not every day, yet. Best of all though, it is really easy on the legs. Only when I haven't concentrated and got the technique slightly wrong have I had problems.
So, get that posture right, and that leg action, and the feet will take care of themselves.
