A Brooks Run Happy Day

Today was just a perfect Brooks day.

And it all began with the magical words--- "I'm gonna need you to take your shirt off"

Umm, maybe I should back up a bit.

Shortly after Brooks ID Run Camp I contacted Dave, the VP of marketing and my newest BFF and told him I would be swinging back through the Seattle area in two months. I mentioned that I would love to come back to the offices to see everyone, and casually hinted that if they need any lab rats I would graciously volunteer. Thankfully, he picked up my hint and offered to hook me up with the biomechanics team and let me be a lab rat. So, just a few days ago I donned my Brooks finest and headed to their offices for the afternoon.

When we arrived we met with the biomechanics team, Eric and Andrea. They have quite possibly the coolest job ever. They spend their days measuring various parameters of runners in different kinds of Brooks shoes. They also do rigorous testing of potential new Brooks models and compare them to other brands currently on the market. Basically, as Eric put it, it’s not just enough for Brooks to create products that they think are the best, but it’s important that they exceed the other brands out there.

After Eric further explained Brooks technology to us he took us into the room full of Brooks shoes to be launched over the next year or so. Sadly, he prevented me from taking any pictures, and I can’t really go into specifics, but…I can say that you guys are in for some friggin cool technology and shoes in the next year.

After the tour of Brooks’ latest and greatest, it was time to get analyzed. Eric began by determining precisely what shoe my Auntie should wear. He comes from a biomechanical background, and in his pre-Brooks life worked on designing prosthetic devices. As he measured and questioned her, I chatted it up with Andrea in the corner. Andrea has a physics background, and is very happy to have gotten a position at Brooks. Andrea loves her job—I mean LOVES. These Brooks employees are so happy and bubbly that it almost seems fake. Whatever it is that they pipe through the air system (oxygen? Endorphins? Some new-age performance enhancing drug?) I want it.

After Eric was done with my Aunt, he moved onto me. He began by measuring how much my inner arch bones collapse when I put weight on them. This is one way to test if you are a pronator.

According to their measurements, I only pronate 1.3 mm on my left foot and .3mm on my right. They only start recommending stability shoes when people pronate 3.0mm or more. So, according to Eric, I basically don’t pronate at all (from the standing test….more on my running results later). Combine that with “normal” arches, and I have a foot that is ideal for neutral shoes. Obviously, this is good because the last thing you want to hear is that you’ve been running in the wrong shoes for the past two years.

After the shoe diagnostics, it was time to get measured and nodded up. To study biomechanics, Brooks uses a network of reflective balls. These balls are put on specific bony landmarks and then a series of cameras capture the reflection in a 3-D space. So, what happens is that when you run, the computer system picks up the reflections and stores them in the computer as data points. It’s basically the same technology that the film industry uses to simulate human movements when they do 3D animation.

So, this is where the whole “take your shirt off thing” comes into play. Eric very gently mentioned that the test works best if a girl is only in a sports bra. So, I reluctantly shed my shirt in the name of science. Let me tell you, this whole process is not for the body-conscious. First of all, you have to get on a scale (this confirmed my suspicions that I gained about 5 pounds from cafeteria food over the past few weeks). Then, they wrap the balls around your legs so tightly that you are well aware of every once of fat on your thighs. By the time I was done, I felt like the Michelin man, and walked like him too.

Here's one with a flash showing the reflectivity of the balls:





Once I had shed any semblance of dignity, I made my way to the catwalk for some force testing. I ran up and down the catwalk about 20 times as they collected data on the force I exert while running. With all the lights and attention, I almost felt like I was Heidi Klum---that is, until I looked down at my legs and their sausage-like appearance.



What I looked like on the computer (notice the black dots)

After they got enough force data, they showed me what some sample data looks like. They weren’t able to show me my data, because it takes a significant amount of processing, but they showed me another lucky tester’s results. The video shows a runner as he runs across the force plate. The size of the blue bar is the magnitude and direction of force he is exerting. The graph to the right shows force—the part that is above the line (positive) is the downward force exerted with the initial strike of the runner. The part that is below the line (negative) is the force the runner exerts in pushing back off the force plate. Basically, Eric explained that the more area under both those curves, the more energy the runner expends. Brooks is constantly trying to redesign shoes so that those curves are as small as possible, thus making the runner more efficient.

After our class on running force 101, I headed off to the treadmill. While on the treadmill, they used the computer to capture my movements while I ran, but also used a camera zoomed in on my feet to further analyze my gait. Eric asked “so, how fast do you usually run?” and in my typical type-A runner manner I replied “well, it depends on what workout I’m doing and how far”. I believe I may have seen an eye roll from him, and he said “well, we like to have people run at least 8:00 min miles”. Pah! Easy! “How long do I have to run?” I asked. He replied “oh, no more than five minutes, if that”. Before I knew it, I suggested I run at a 7:30 pace. Andrea manned the computer, Eric manned the camera, and I was off and running and what I thought would be a few minute gig.


Due to “technical difficulties” (personally I think they were pulling a prank on me) I ended up running a lot longer than expected---almost 1.5 miles--- and quickly transformed into a sweaty runner. Oh well, that’s an extra speedwork session to add to the logbook!


After my run we reviewed my gait on camera.

Remember how I mentioned that from the standing test I don’t pronate at all? Well, interestingly the camera shows otherwise. On my right side, I slightly pronate. Almost the instant I turn in I correct it, so Eric said it really isn’t bad enough to warrant stability shoes. But, it may explain the shin pain I’ve had on my right foot in the past few weeks. The hills I’ve been running have probably aggravated it, so I think it should get better now that I’m back home. Regardless, it was very interesting to see my gait!

After the lab session we hopped over to the Brooks outlet.

When I went to check out, the cashier Stevie looked at me and said “umm, are you with corporate?” Not knowing what the right answer was, I sort of stumbled and said “why do you ask?” She said “well, you are dressed head to toe in Brooks, so I figured you were corporate.” I explained my brief story to her, and she seemed pretty interested. She ended up giving us the corporate discount anyways! Score!

All in all, I have to send out a major Mahalo to the Brooks biomechanics team.

Not only did they put up with my incessant questions, they also totally entertained my inner dork. A day of science AND running? Can life get any better?

FYI: Brooks is always looking for new labrats, especially if you are in the Seattle area. If you would like to experience this process, go to brooksrunning.com/labrats and tell em FrayedLaces sent ya.