Hello again dear friends. My apologies for once again dipping below the radar. As many of you already know, three weeks ago, after 3 and a half years of courtship, Ameesh and I have decided to get a joint bank account and celebrate with a really big party. The blessed union will take place this November, and wedding planning has already been an all-consuming pastime. Therefore, I pre-apologize for any major lulls in writing as decisions such as centerpieces and fillet vs. salmon may be in the forefront of my mind for the next few months.
I did have a recent health related revelation, that I wanted to bring up though. This one goes out to the runners, as I’ve been experimenting recently and I think I like it.
A few months ago, one of the members of the gym I work in was wearing those “skin” running shoes. Maybe you’ve seen them, but if not they are essentially like toe socks, but instead…think toe shoes. Individual toes make them look more than a little strange, but the idea is that they simulate running barefoot, as our ancestors must have before Nike could get their paws on them. Since we most likely evolved walking and fleeing from animals and enemies without the support of Dr. Scholl’s, the way we naturally distribute our weight while barefoot must actually be better for us than the liberties we take with well cushioned soles, enabling us to put pressure on our joints in ways they weren’t designed to be used.
Most people, while wearing running shoes, or any shoes at all for that matter I guess, will take a step with the heel of the foot first, flexing our foot up and then rolling through the rest of the foot, back to front. When running barefoot, it’s actually intuitive to sort of gently leap onto the ball of the foot first and roll through front to back instead. When thinking about this, I was reminded of the way dancers run, knowing first hand from nearly 20 years of strict classical ballet training, the smooth gliding feeling of running across the stage in pointe shoes. In fact, it wasn’t very long ago that I saw something on the news about scientists studying the ergonomics of dancers vs. other types of athletes, since dancers get many fewer ankle injuries compared to the general population of athletic people. The scientists were studying the very act of rolling through feet, the way dancers are taught to run and come out of jumps, and comparing them to other athletes. It was quite interesting. This theory also made me think about the stories in high school history class about how the Native Americans were known for being so quiet as they tracked through the woods so as not a soul could hear them approaching….was it because they were shoe-less and running/walking this way? Hmmmmm…….
So when I realized I needed new running shoes, the thought popped into my head about changing the way I run instead, thinking that flattened out old running shoes might actually be more like running barefoot than a brand new pair of fancy air-cushioned sneakers.
I put the theory to the test, when I was mid-way through a run last week and completely forgot that I had wanted to make this change. I began my jog around my neighborhood with the typical running heel strike first. About 10 minutes in, and more out of breath than I’d hoped to be, I remembered the theory in landing on the ball of the foot first. So without stopping and re-starting, I began to leap gracefully from foot to foot instead. And… I instantly felt better. Within three or four steps, I actually felt less winded, and I felt MUCH lighter on my feet. There was something about it that felt much more effortless. I was pretty amazed. The best thing was how sore I was the next day. It was a new kind of calf soreness, one that I haven’t felt since my days of taking off too much time between dance seasons, and how I felt the day after my first ballet class in a while. Most people wouldn’t like that feeling, but I always appreciate being sore in new ways, since I know I worked under-used muscles!
I’ve been running a couple of times now, in my old shoes, with the new gait, and I love it. It just feels lighter, easier and like I can get an extra half mile to mile out of a relatively short run.
Now, I certainly don’t consider myself a true runner. I never run more than 4 miles, and I certainly don’t do it daily, so I’d be curious to know if any more serious runners out there have heard of this theory, or the funky shoes, and have tried it. Just goes to show you that everything we create, (not that I don’t appreciate a cushion-y pair of shoes, especially after a night of high heels!), in an effort to make our lives more convenient or “protect” us from injuring ourselves from doing what the body was naturally designed to do… is creating more problems in the long run! That doesn’t sound familiar at all does it?
Sometimes I really think our bodies just need to go back to ancient basics. The way we move, the way we eat, the way we sleep and think… If we could combine that with a few modern amenities…(like Whole Foods salad bars and really comfy mattresses) we might be a lot healthier..and happier…species!
One Response
April 19th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
YES! Read ‘Born To Run’ if you haven’t already. The author is one of the more outspoken advocates of barefoot running…just keep in mind that asphalt and concrete weren’t around when we ran barefoot after our food, either. Come running with us!
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