Nothing too serious today, just a funny little animated clip on what it means to be a barefoot runner. Enjoy:

http://youtu.be/theHXQP9Bo0

Barefoot 5K tomorrow with K in Bayfield. Spreading the barefoot "gospel" far and wide.

Keep Rising.....

Running as a Way of Life....

As is evident from K's posts on this blog there is an alchemy to running that is physical but also goes beyond simple cardiovascular & metabolic conditioning: subtle shifts in how we perceive the world we live/run in as well as subtle shifts in how we experience the body we live/run in.

I would completely agree with K, that running or any physical activity is not the exclusive realm of youth, but rather is fundamental to our lifelong existence. As we age our functional fitness is the real rate limiting step of our freedom and independence and we should be investing in this area of life as much as we do our RRSP and Pension Plans. The degree to which we have become acculturated to the 'western' or 'modern-industrialized' cultural paradigm often relates to the degree of frailty we may experience as we age:

http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=4709685

http://www.jstor.org/pss/2742729

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2011/05/news/at-90-florida-man-is-oldest-ever-to-race-a-duathlon_29618

While running is not a panacea to all that ails us physically and metaphysically, it becomes a thread that when woven through our days and lives begins to reconnect our frayed interconnectedness with our natural world and our natural selves. I believe that smile and floating that K describes is in part the animation of this 'reconnect'. It reaches beyond the experience of our run or race and begins to influence how we move in the rest of our day, our relationship to the foods that 'fuel' our movement and life and ultimately our priority of investing in our natural functional fitness throughout our lives.

This has all come into greater view for me as I've been running less in the weeks that followed my becoming a new dad. While my miles may be less my investment to running has actually increased and I have realized what we do with the time between our runs affects our running as much as the miles we log. Danny Abshire, founder of 'Newton Running Shoes' discusses this in detail in his book 'Natural Running' where he highlights that we must redevelop our capacity to run by reconditioning many if the small intrinsic muscles in our feet and legs as well as the larger muscles and systems that govern our balance, proprioception (positional sense) and integration of movement within our core and entire body.

So while I have been at home hard at work as a 'dad', I have been spending more time reconditioning these areas primarily through the use of calisthenics, yoga and "CrossFit" principles (constantly varied integrated functional movements and exercises in order to develop integrated functional fitness - strength, balance, coordination & metabolism). Low & behold, my running has actually improved despite the decreased miles. The improvement is related to the improved economy of movement (running form) as a result of this type of training.

And beyond the calisthenics and "CrossFit" conditioning, the extra time at home has allowed for a greater emphasis on preparing fresh whole food meals. I have been able to further learn how to consciously nourish the development of healthy muscles & ligaments as well as the energy to fuel movement, conditioning and the motivation to attend to these areas of "health" while on the steep (and sleep deprived) learning curve of being a new dad.

So while running is often viewed as a means to an end to influence our weight and appearance; it can be a more pervasive element that informs almost every area of our lives: nutrition, rest/recovery, reconditioning, psychology, relationships, social interaction (including blogging) and the larger priorities of our lives....

It is this underlying pervasive alchemy that I reference when I use terms like "soul endurance athlete" or "soul runner"; which specifically reaches beyond the use of endurance athletics or running as a means to an end, to emphasize them as a thread that weaves throughout all the elements of our lives, subtly shifting their interconnectedness and re-animating our interconnectedness with the world we live in. It becomes a "practice" - something we do externally to influence ourselves internally physically and metaphysically.

I certainly won't disagree with anyone who chooses to run to drop a few pounds or feel better about themselves physically and emotionally, but I also believe when you find anyone that 'loves' running it is the soul alchemy they are experiencing. Perhaps seeing it this way & trying to describe it, I may help a few folks shift their perception of running as a twisted form of pleasure derived from self induced pain and punishment, and may be able to ignite their own "love" of running.

Running is a primal experience of who and what we are as living beings: movement, breath, energy, perception, awareness and motivation out under a vast expanse of sky. When we experience our own life on this intrinsic level aside from cultural/societal position, role, status, gender or function we are also experiencing the essence of what we all are as human beings. Not only does running reconnect us to our natural world, but further it reconnects us to each other.

Any races, marathons or other events no longer become 'why' we run, and are rather a lens to focus our motivation, time and priorities to keep us running and connected to our lives and life in its largest meaning.

So go ahead, take off your shoes and begin the first few steps of running. Take is slow and methodically, after all, you have a lifetime to experience it....

Born to Run - Here's the Proof

First, my thanks to K for inviting me to be a guest contributor to the blog.

Now, imagine if you will the sensations of freedom, joy, meditative awareness, pure-self expression and effortless-effort all combined together. I offer to you that this experience is available through running and that, except for a small group of exceptions, we were all BORN TO RUN.

As briefly mentioned, in January 2010 I was decidedly a non-runner, or as K so eloquently puts it "I use to run like a rock". With the goal of completing an Ironman Triathlon I reluctantly took up running. Having not run in more than 15 years and with previous forays in running delivering pain and injury I decided to do my homework before heading out the door. After several weeks and many hours of reviewing the medical and scientific research it was clear there was a decidedly biomechanical "correct" way to run that optimizes our natural evolutionary design. Painstakingly and persistently learning and applying the techniques and theories (very slowly at first) I have steadily enjoyed significant gains in my ability to run. While I am by no means "fast", I continue to put my emphasis on correct mechanics, injury prevention and improving my running capacity. The speed will come with a lifetime of running still ahead of me.

Through my own experience and having continued to study "natural running mechanics" - also refered to as forefoot or midfoot running, barefoot running, evolution running, chi-running and pose-technique running - I am convinced the vast majority of people without pre-existing biomechanical impairments were indeed "Born to Run". I invite you to discover it for yourself.

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EVIDENCE BASED RESEARCH

I'll spare you the physiology and kinesiology but I will share with you several resources that solidly present the information:

http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html

http://www.posetech.com/pose_method/pose-techniques.html

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SEEING IS BELIEVING

For folks who want to skip the reading and see some of the more practical points, the following video links are useful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hqspH_OTzA&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2nZlKKgOAQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN1x3Ik1t5Y&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2qsSuUGGrM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3Nt4WgQed8

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PROOF IS IN THE PROCESS

I have now been running for approximately 14 months. While much of it has been success I have had several setbacks mainly due to trying to increase my volume too much too soon. Most of us have never discovered or been taught how to run naturally, and having never used these muscles and ligaments in these particular ways the process of adapting to this form of running is slow.

Consider if I put your arm or leg in a cast for several years then took it off. You can imaging that these muscles would be weak and prone to getting injured if you tried to do too much to soon. We have effectively done this by wearing overly supportive footwear, spending much time sitting and often doing exercises that shorten and tighten our muscles.

I would also acknowledge that some people have pre-existing injuries and mechanical impairments they were born with or acquired that may preclude entertaining the notion of "natrual running".

With these two large caveats noted, I would dare to say, by in large, running is our birth-right and a natural joy born of our innate abilities and senses much like laughing, gustatory pleasure, the enjoyment of music and inspiration derived from viewing breathtaking vistas. The degree to which we have been separated from this natural birth-right of running has been entrenched into our modern culture that often sees running as sadomasochism.

While nearly everyone can experience an almost instant sense of gratification and joy when they first re-discover natural running, the journey beyond this neophytic glee is one best experienced with a large measure of patience and understanding. Below I have listed the TOP 10 TIPS of natural running also referred to as forefoot or midfoot running:

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TOP TEN TIPS

1) Proper biomechanical form is paramount. When starting out, exercises, drills and complimentary training methods that enhance your proper mechanics, elasticity and strength are far more important than how far or fast you run

2) Focus on light and easy movement when running.

3) Train by time NOT distance as it allows for physiologic adaptaton

4) Start with only 5-10minutes at a time

5) Do not underestimate the time needed to adapt. Accept small consistent gains.

6) Stretch your calves, hamstrings and feet after EVERY run

7) Work up to 2 short runs and one longer run each week

8) as a general rule increase your volume by no more than 10-20% per week and take one week in 4 OFF to allow muscles & ligaments to adapt

WEEK 1 - 3 x 5-10min fore/mid foot runs
WEEK 2 - 3 x 6-12min fore/mid foot runs
WEEK 3 - 3 x 8-15min fore/mid foot runs
WEEK 4 - OFF/ Adaptation
WEEK 5 - 3 x 10-18min fore/mid foot runs
WEEK 6 - 2 x 12-20min and 1 x 15-25min fore/midfoot runs
WEEK 7 - 2 x 12-20min and 1 x 20-30min fore/midfoot runs
WEEK 8 - OFF/ Adaptation
WEEK 9 - 2 x 12-20min and 1 x 25-40min fore/midfoot runs
WEEK 10 - 2 x 12-20min and 1 x 30-50min fore/midfoor runs
WEEK 11 - 2 x 12-20min and 1 x 40-60min fore/midfoot runs
WEEK 12 - OFF/ Adaptation
WEEK 13 - 2 x 12-20min and 1 x 45-75min fore/midfoot runs

9) Combine the above general prescriptive plan for adapting to fore/midfoot running with a "RUN-WALK" strategy by employing any ratio of running to walking you find reasonable (ie. 2 min running & 1 min walking). Gradually increase your running ratio keeping your walking as 1 minute until you are able to run more than 12 or 15 minutes at a time.

10) Pay attention to the signals of your body: at any point if you are experiencing sharp or persistent tendon or muscle soreness back-off. Focus on stretching, adapting and continuing to improve your biomechanical form with drills and complimentary training.

10b * When in doubt refer to tip # 1