On a suggestion from a running friend, I picked up the book Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. Chris narrates the book which starts off with a single question that can't seem to be answered by any doctor: "why does my foot hurt?" In search of the answer, he travels to Mexico to study the running habits of the Tarahumara Indians. The Tarahumara have lived for centuries in the deep isolated terrain of the lethal Copper Canyon and utilize techniques that allow them to run for hundreds of miles without rest. And how do they do it? With little or nothing between their feet and the canyon floor, that's how. No super cushioned Nikes, no pillowed Pumas. Just their feet. And guess what? Not only can they run hundreds of miles and chase down antelopes, but they do it all with a smile on their face. Pure enjoyment. If you were to ask me, I can't recall really enjoying any of my 20 mile runs. Not because I don't like the distance, but entirely because by that point, I'm in serious mind numbing pain.
Born to Run takes you through the history and trade secrets of the Tarahumara. It also takes a hard look at human evolution and trends in the running shoe market that have led to an increase in running related injuries over the past 30 years. Humans were in fact, born to run, and we sure didn't evolve to need fancy shoes to do it. Below is a short video clip that summarizes the results of a great study from Harvard University and published in the journal Nature, that explains the difference between the forces at work during impact while running in shoes versus running in bare feet.
So where am I going with all this? Maybe you've already guessed it. Bare foot. Well, almost anyway. In the interest of avoiding the need for frequent tetanus shots, I'm rarely running completely barefoot. Instead, I've been wearing "foot gloves" called Vibram Fivefingers. They are basically rubber covers for my feet so that if I step on glass or other sharp objects, I won't need to take a trip to the emergency room.
I've been running in Fivefingers now for two and a half months. Not only am I completely pain free, but I also have Superman calves and am really enjoying running again. It's more than being pain free, it's a whole new level of connection between me and the ground. It's liberating, it feels just like being a kid again. I think the Tarahumara said it best: "when you run on the earth, if you run with the earth, you can run forever".
My first real test of my new running technique will come this weekend. I'm taking part in a 12 person, 200 mile relay race that starts in New Haven, CT and ends in Boston, MA. We'll begin at 9 AM on Friday morning and hopefully reach Boston by 4 PM Saturday afternoon. I'll be running three separate legs of the relay, a total of 18 miles. All in my Fivefingers. If this goes well, I have even more ambitious plans for a race in July. Keep your fingers crossed and check back on Sunday for an update on the race!
I'll leave you with some of my favorite excerpts from the book Born to Run (thank you Kindle).
Just move your legs. Because if you don’t think you were born to run, you’re not only denying history. You’re denying who you are.
There’s something so universal about that sensation, the way running unites our two most primal impulses: fear and pleasure. We run when we’re scared, we run when we’re ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time.
Ultrarunning seemed to be an alternative universe where none of planet Earth’s rules applied: women were stronger than men; old men were stronger than youngsters; Stone Age guys in sandals were stronger than everybody.
In terms of stress relief and sensual pleasure, running is what you have in your life before you have sex. The equipment and desire come factory installed; all you have to do is let ‘er rip and hang on for the ride.
That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they’d never forgotten what it felt like to love running. They remembered that running was mankind’s first fine art, our original act of inspired creation. Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees, we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self-propulsion over wild terrain.
Just move your legs. Because if you don’t think you were born to run, you’re not only denying history. You’re denying who you are.
There’s something so universal about that sensation, the way running unites our two most primal impulses: fear and pleasure. We run when we’re scared, we run when we’re ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time.
Ultrarunning seemed to be an alternative universe where none of planet Earth’s rules applied: women were stronger than men; old men were stronger than youngsters; Stone Age guys in sandals were stronger than everybody.
In terms of stress relief and sensual pleasure, running is what you have in your life before you have sex. The equipment and desire come factory installed; all you have to do is let ‘er rip and hang on for the ride.
That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they’d never forgotten what it felt like to love running. They remembered that running was mankind’s first fine art, our original act of inspired creation. Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees, we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self-propulsion over wild terrain.
Good luck this weekend in the Ragnar! My best friend did one in NY last week and LOVED every second of it! And Born to Run is such a fabulous book...I haven't begun to barefoot run yet (not sure I ever will), but it really makes you think about what you actually 'need' to run. You really just need you. Glad you are running well in the 5 Fingers!
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