A few days ago I was driving to a friend's house and was distracted by a runner, running up the road in front of me. What caught my eye was his running action, fluid, graceful, just beautiful. I drove slowly towards him and along side him and yes he was wearing next to nothing on his feet.. a barefoot runner! I wanted to slow down and talk to him but I did not want to disturb his run nor did Iwant to appear creepy.... I was already curb crawling!
What was it about his running action that caught my eye?
- He was upright
- Head not moving
- Feet landing under him and kicking up behind
- Arms pumping at his side
In his book Born To Run, Christopher Mc Dougall is training to take part in an Ultra Run with the Tarahumara and is re-learning how to run. Eric, his trainer ties a rope around his waist and has him pull againt the rope then releases the rope. Eric urges him to "remember the feeling of straining against the rope." This apparently keeps the feet under the body, with the hips driving forward and 'heels out of the picture.' Eric follows this up with having him watch Kenyan mathathoners who he says run like kid in a playground with their feet landing under them and pushing back.
The next day with all this in mind I set out on my run in the morning. I have eaten, kept hydrated and am ready to go. Every 5 minutes I remind myself to run like a child, heels kicked back and arms pumping. When I do I feel like I am running like the wind, with grace and fluidity my head not moving, balancing my body; I am chasing the lion. A few minutes later I lose it and return to my old ways.
I am still running with my regular trainers so at the end of the run I take off my shoes and run up an down the street barefoot. How does this feel? Well to be homest I think I am so focused on not hitting stones that all form seems too go out the window which is contrary to what I am supposed to do! I need to get my water shoes and try in those next time.
And so.. onto the next time..
