Today was a jogging day. I passed the 100 mile mark for this year!
I am working hard on developing "soft running" form, also called midfoot running or natural running. It reduces impact forces and overuse injuries. If I am going to run now and into old age, this is something I need to develop to keep my joints healthy.
I first read about this in "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. The Tarahumara of Northern Mexico's Copper Canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental run this way. They are very private people and live in widely dispersed settlements, so have a tradition of long distance running. All ages and both sexes are runners. They are extraordinary at endurance running. They have a running game that can last several days and cover hundreds of miles. They use the toe-strike method of running.
Barefoot runners and minimalist shoe runners use this method. It is something that must be built up slowly as our feet and ankles have lost the muscle strength they should have thanks to the very supportive shoes we all wear. Liken it to wearing a cast for a broken bone...when the cast is removed much muscle mass has been lost. It is same with wearing supportive shoes for 59 years.
I have been working at this slowly. I have been trying the form while still wearing shoes. Taking short strides which land under the body, not ahead of it; landing forefoot, not heel. The secret will be to increase my cadence to 180 steps/minute. I haven't timed myself but am probably still at 120 steps/min..... jogging speed. I have tried doing a little actual barefooting, and am up to running about 1/2 mile that way. If I increase the distance too much too soon I get right forefoot pain, so will take my time. I do take walks in minimalist footwear. I wear moccasins (Soft Star RunAMocs). I also do foot strengthening exercises.
There are several minimalist shoes on the market as of this spring made by nationally known running shoe companies. I will soon go try some. I will also revisit this subject again as I am reading other books on the subject, plus I will update you on my progress. I am an experiment of one.
"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle--when the sun comes up you'd better be running." A Proverb, often attributed to Roger Bannister, 1st runner to break the 4 minute mile.
Looking together in the same direction.
Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart.
No comments:
Post a Comment