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We Evolved to Run But We're Doing It Wrong

news.nationalgeographic.com

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Re: We Evolved to Run But We're Doing It Wrong

#51

Post by WhitneyLand »

rosser wrote: post #9

The Fine Article doesn't really go into how we're doing it wrong, beyond a passing mention of barefoot running, and some dissing of treadmills (which is hyperbolic and orthogonal to reality; you can run "correctly" or "badly" on a treadmill or on the street or trail). I used to run a bit. Did an informal "couch to 5k" over a couple of months, before I'd even discovered that was a thing. The single most effective thin…

You're exactly right it's a big mess of conjecture. He's not done research or methodical testing.

Nutrition, excercise, running, all seem to make anyone comfortable giving advice, with even the smallest amount of anecdotal personal experience.

Why is it you can walk into a gym (or any place) and be told with such confidence the best way to run, eat, sleep?

It's not that I don't want to hear it, I'd love to hear how to best do these things. Just don't make every bit of advice you have an extrapolation of what worked for you or for what you saw work for one other guy.

Barefoot running sounds great to me. I like to do it, it feels good, it's very intuitive, it evokes the romance of nature, freedom, even spirituality. Does that prove the commercial products out there have no benefit? Does it prove everyone should switch to barefoot running? Does it mean I should go down to a gym and try to convince people to do it?

Re: We Evolved to Run But We're Doing It Wrong

#52

Post by eritain »

WalterSear wrote: post #49
ak217 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been running recreationally since high school, I average about 20 miles/week, an even mix of road/trail. I'm also a bit heavier than a typical avid recreational runner, putting more stress on my legs and feet. Having gone through a variety of shoes, I'd like to caution people about the minimalistic shoe trend, especially if you run mostly on pavement. It's true that overly cushioned shoes can cause heel strike a…

>Also, "pushing off with your heel" is not a thing. It's impossible to finish the liftoff from the heel while running. So what is going on in this picture? https://i.makeagif.com/media/3-05-2014/hQcYHP.gif I see the maximum force being applied just as the heel leaves the ground. Maybe the maxima is >just< slightly after, but the heel is still involved.

The ball of the foot is doing the pushing at that point, and the ball of the foot finishes the liftoff. Try and take a few steps where the ball leaves the ground before the heel, you'll see.

Re: We Evolved to Run But We're Doing It Wrong

#53

Post by nthcolumn »

rosser wrote: post #9

The Fine Article doesn't really go into how we're doing it wrong, beyond a passing mention of barefoot running, and some dissing of treadmills (which is hyperbolic and orthogonal to reality; you can run "correctly" or "badly" on a treadmill or on the street or trail). I used to run a bit. Did an informal "couch to 5k" over a couple of months, before I'd even discovered that was a thing. The single most effective thin…

Ultra-long distance dudes from Mexico the Tarahumara allegedly run like this. I also heard a story about some guy in Aussie who ran like that - won some crazy long distance race too, smashing the record. It is true that a man will beat a horse in a race if the man is allowed to pick the distance. How about that for evolution? The ultimate persistence hunter.

Re: We Evolved to Run But We're Doing It Wrong

#54

Post by mcappleton »

rosser wrote: post #9

The Fine Article doesn't really go into how we're doing it wrong, beyond a passing mention of barefoot running, and some dissing of treadmills (which is hyperbolic and orthogonal to reality; you can run "correctly" or "badly" on a treadmill or on the street or trail). I used to run a bit. Did an informal "couch to 5k" over a couple of months, before I'd even discovered that was a thing. The single most effective thin…

I ran cross country in high school and I just ran barefoot around the neighborhood. I'd run 10 miles barefoot sometimes. I had Vibrams but didn't like em as much.

The great thing about running barefoot is that you can feel the ground under your feet. It makes it much more interesting to run and less boring.

Re: We Evolved to Run But We're Doing It Wrong

#55

Post by sillysaurus3 »

rosser wrote: post #47
ak217 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been running recreationally since high school, I average about 20 miles/week, an even mix of road/trail. I'm also a bit heavier than a typical avid recreational runner, putting more stress on my legs and feet. Having gone through a variety of shoes, I'd like to caution people about the minimalistic shoe trend, especially if you run mostly on pavement. It's true that overly cushioned shoes can cause heel strike a…

> Also, "pushing off with your heel" is not a thing. It's imprecise language, to be sure. I think it's more about where you're concentrating the force. If you look at the .gif that 'WalterSear shared down-thread, you'll see that the greatest force is just before the heel lifts, not after. That's the difference, I think, between "pushing off" with the heel or the forefoot: where, specifically, in the stride the maximu…

So can anyone sum up what the right way to run is?

Re: We Evolved to Run But We're Doing It Wrong

#56

Post by Retra »

lawpoop wrote: post #12
positivecomment wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Treadmill is bad because it was invented as a torture device and one famous person died three years after doing it excessively. It is like running without any of the good stuff". This is an actual argument from the article.

Can't say I disagree with him on that

You would agree, then, that drinking water is bad for the same reasons?

Re: We Evolved to Run But We're Doing It Wrong

#57

Post by ak217 »

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #55
rosser wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also, "pushing off with your heel" is not a thing. It's imprecise language, to be sure. I think it's more about where you're concentrating the force. If you look at the .gif that 'WalterSear shared down-thread, you'll see that the greatest force is just before the heel lifts, not after. That's the difference, I think, between "pushing off" with the heel or the forefoot: where, specifically, in the stride the maximu…

So can anyone sum up what the right way to run is?

In my experience, here are the things to be actively controlling: don't hunch over (keep your back relatively straight), keep your arms bent at 90 degrees and swing them moderately (not too little, not too much), don't lock out knees, don't heel strike (strike with the blade or ball of your foot, whichever you prefer). If you're swaying side to side, you may need to place your feet closer to the centerline of your body. Everything else should come naturally.

Re: We Evolved to Run But We're Doing It Wrong

#59

Post by spodek »

The article mentions hunting by running as an evolutionary adaptation suggesting running distances, not necessarily sprinting.

I have to imagine running like hell to escape predators as a major part of our evolutionary past. It would seem consistent with the effectiveness of high intensity interval training as well as how satisfying the feeling of exhaustion after running as fast as you can for a while.

Re: We Evolved to Run But We're Doing It Wrong

#60

Post by tshadley »

acconrad wrote: post #10

> On the phone from London, the author told National Geographic how he was inspired by his Irish uncle, who ran in the Olympics, and why he believes running barefoot is more natural—and less likely to result in injury. I stopped reading right here. Ask a podiatrist if they've seen a rise in plantar fasciitis as a result of barefoot running. Not everyone has the biomechanics to jump into barefoot running[1]. Not every…

A few sentences down:

"Most beginners give up when they get injured because they’ve done too much, too soon. Most of the benefits from running derive from going very slowly."

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