Like most people I know- I’ve just finished reading “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. The main feeling I got from it was a renewed passion for running, just wanting to run free! Just running for the sake of running, with no agenda, for the love of it. For that reason alone I would recommend this book to anyone who would like some fresh inspiration.
I loved one character, Jenn, and her approach to racing. Basically flat out until she couldn’t go anymore. It sounds exhilarating. However I’m not sure about her pre-race drinking:)
The book throws up a lot of controversial topics, ranging from shoes, injury management and causes, even diet. I do like a book that makes you think, and isn’t instantly forgettable. McDougall mentions studies that show a surprising correlation between cost of shoe and rate of injury! As cost increases, injuries rise rather than fall. The book throws up the questions, are we in shoes to make the shoe companies money? What about orthotics?
McDougall suggests that some medical professionals are a bit too quick to blame running for injuries, rather than the shoes- and hence the run technique. I think it’s a crying shame that people are told to stop running altogether when they get injuries that are in fact simple to fix.
My shoes have progressively been getting lighter and lighter, and less built up over the last 2 years, whilst I have been injury free. I’ve moved gradually over the last 2 years from training in “lightweight trainers” like the Nike Zoom Elite, to now shoes that are considered racing flats like the Nike Marathoner, Lunar Racer, Speed Spider and the Free 3.0. So for me, book confirms what Kristian and I have been thinking and doing, and that we’re moving in the right direction.
I’ve been making the move gradually, allowing my feet to adjust and get stronger. In January this year I finally threw out my orthotics. That was a fantastically liberating feeling. A pretty similar feeling to getting rid of the heart rate monitor! I didn’t like the idea of being dependent on them- like a crutch. I can’t tell if my lighter shoes have made me faster- there are simply too many other variables. They certainly have not slowed me down and it’s my longest spell injury-free. But I do agree that a lighter shoe puts you in a better position. One that is more upright with your feet landing underneath you, preventing the heel-strike.
A friend of mine tuned in on the diet aspect of the book. To be honest this part of the book washed right over me.
My take home message was to continue my gradual shift into lighter and lighter shoes. That the Trigger Point Performance Therapy approach to injury prevention and rehabilitation is the correct one. And that we are in fact “Born to Run”.
OOhh, and I do love a good quote…
“You don’t stop running because you get old.
You get old because you stop running.” Jack Kirk
“The best runner leaves no tracks” Tao Te Ching
So as the barefoot phenomenon gathers speed … pick up a copy of “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall and see what all the fuss is all about.
Charlotte
No comments:
Post a Comment