tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1196651674832836865.post2623286791733539014..comments2023-10-20T06:31:29.919-05:00Comments on The Logic of Long Distance: What Does It Mean to Run Naturally?Jeff Edmondshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840746835757479590noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1196651674832836865.post-87389436390807103192010-12-06T10:34:33.787-06:002010-12-06T10:34:33.787-06:00Of course I'm reading - got to keep track of t...Of course I'm reading - got to keep track of the competition (ha ha). <br /><br />I understand the appeal of the "natural" argument - it's so tidy. And it's easier to say than "proprioception." Re heel striking, I think I can sum it up like this:<br /><br />If you want to learn how to run barefoot, you can't land on your heel first without a lot of pain. If a shod runner runs in a way that wouldn't hurt if barefoot, overuse injuries are unlikely. <br /><br />Other than that, the specifics of foot strikes don't really mean much to me. I try to let the foot land in a way that keeps me upright and moves me forward in the most comfortable way possible. Too many people (especially barefooters) look for "The Perfect Form" as if it were a static, rigid posture not to be deviated from. I think "Perfect Form" doesn't look like any one thing but rather is a constant flow of adjustments and deviations.<br /><br />Which, I suppose, makes me a deviant.Junk Milerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03723994360604534157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1196651674832836865.post-39990696730136481272010-12-04T16:14:06.611-06:002010-12-04T16:14:06.611-06:00Hey ace,
I was thinking about this comment on my ...Hey ace,<br /><br />I was thinking about this comment on my run today. There is something so satisfying about the immediacy of self-propulsion. I was also thinking about how running--when you get the right rhythm--requires no effort at all and is similar to a state of free-fall. Like a million little flights and landings. Since this is a post about Aristotle, it's worth saying that he liked to call humans "featherless bipeds." We have no feathers; we can't fly, but the closest approximation I've found is the bliss of an easy 10 miler.Jeff Edmondshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11840746835757479590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1196651674832836865.post-57121288235528720692010-12-04T16:08:19.226-06:002010-12-04T16:08:19.226-06:00Zach V,
That's a great point. The automobile i...Zach V,<br />That's a great point. The automobile is a great thing, but it's had a lot of unintended consequences--from politics in the Middle East to health issues at home. I do think that a big reason why East Africans are strong distance runners is the lifestyle. I think we also have to recognize some sort of genetic component to their domination as well. I think that the field of epigenetics may help us analyze the issue even better. It could be that an active childhood or even adulthood "turns on" specific genes and may even determine which genes are then passed on, in an almost Lamarckian fashion.<br /><br />Thanks for reading!Jeff Edmondshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11840746835757479590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1196651674832836865.post-3732093514207087192010-12-04T16:02:21.201-06:002010-12-04T16:02:21.201-06:00Barefootjosh, first off, thanks for commenting! I ...Barefootjosh, first off, thanks for commenting! I was hoping that a barefooter or two would comment. I agree that barefooting and minimalism can be a great way to learn to run. My off the cuff opinion is that the best reason why barefooting helps folks run better is because it increases proprioception, literally making the runner pay attention to his body. I just wanted to use Aristotle draw attention to the way in which running naturally is a broader issue than just footstrike or what sort of shoes than you wear. Sometimes I think there is a tendency to reduce the idea to this--maybe because it is a simple thing to do.<br /><br />Finally, there's heel striking and heel striking. The folks at Science of Sport have done some really interesting stuff on footstrike. This piece (http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/04/running-technique-footstrike.html) is a good place to start, but I encourage others to read all of their stuff on barefoot running and shoes--their views have grown more nuanced as the body of research has grown. Obviously good running form is about a variety of factors that include the whole body--just as there is a tendency sometimes to reduce "running naturally" to minimalism or barefooting, there is also a tendency to reduce form to footstrike. Both of these are important ways to analyze how to run better, but we should always be careful not to reduce complex issues to single issues just for the sake of having An Answer.<br /><br />Thanks again for your comments; glad you are still reading!Jeff Edmondshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11840746835757479590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1196651674832836865.post-28014760984629676352010-12-04T13:24:54.392-06:002010-12-04T13:24:54.392-06:00probably my favorite thing about running is the se...probably my favorite thing about running is the self-propulsion, the fact that i am moving myself by myself, and that's why it really doesn't bother me that i don't run fast or even that sometimes when i am "running" i am actually walking. i mean, i do like to run fast - it's a rush (rush... fast... haha!) but i don't feel compelled to "work on my speed". now that i am thinking about it, i think this is probably a part of why i hate treadmills so much - that whole going nowhere thing doesn't fulfill the need to self-propel, it doesn't have meaning, it's artificial. and, this is probably why i take the stairs. well, this, and the fact that elevators are not to be trusted. it's one of my favortive things about summer camp or about an solid urban area like NYC - you can get where you need to be on foot. there's a lot to think about here. maybe i should get a blog of my own. haha.acehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17240130164195040602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1196651674832836865.post-11308675236794455852010-12-04T06:33:51.546-06:002010-12-04T06:33:51.546-06:00Great stuff.
You know, people used to walk to w...Great stuff. <br /><br />You know, people used to walk to work (gasp!). I see the popularity of running as directly related to our dependency on automobiles.<br /><br />Isn't that the story behind Kenyan running excellence--their kids don't take buses? We're so afraid of letting our kids be abducted that we drive them half a mile to school. Not a good way to let the body move naturally.Zach Vnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1196651674832836865.post-8381625300963143122010-12-03T19:14:40.309-06:002010-12-03T19:14:40.309-06:00Excellent post.
Re:
"Getting back to nature,...Excellent post.<br /><br />Re:<br />"Getting back to nature, then, is less about footstrike and minimalism and more about finding ways to let the body move, constructing situations where we are forced to run in a variety of ways."<br /><br />I almost entirely agree. The emphasis on foot strike comes from the observation that heel-striking is a very jarring way to run, and might be injurious. It's pretty much impossible to run on the heels when the feet are, shall we say, au natural. <br /><br />Learning how to run fluidly and efficiently is important if you (general you, not you you) want to run and race happily for a long time. I would argue that running barefoot (for reals) is the easiest way to learn how, but don't think it's impossible to learn with pretty much any kind of shoe on.Junk Milerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03723994360604534157noreply@blogger.com