What is Running?
Tim Rees
Paul has decided to start running. He goes to a little running shop tucked down a side street; this place is for proper runners, runners who really know their stuff. After a couple of hours hammering his credit card he’s feeling empowered and ready to ‘pound the pavements’. So, this is what it feels like to be a runner. How can he fail with all this stuff?
A couple of days later Paul stands in front of a full length mirror admiring himself.
“Wow, Paul are you going out running?” says his girlfriend with a smirk.
Paul grumbles, “Yes, I am truly ready now”. He continues, “I’ve got my bespoke orthotic innersoles and trainers with a Spacemaster Mesh, Cuprothermo Technology and a nano scale metal film”.
His girlfriend isn’t listening whilst she searches for the receipt for all of his stuff. “I doubt I’ll even need the built in Guidance Line and Propulsion Trussic!” he titters.
He turns on his all-in-one GPS and heart rate monitor, alters his compression leggings, double checks his marathon pouch for gels and takes a sip of an isotonic drink from his running bottle. One last layer and he can leave the house; high viz jacket – check, performance gloves and beanie – check, Ipod volume up – check. He slams the door behind him whilst his girlfriend wavessomething around and shouts incomprehensibly. Bliss. He’s only forgotten one thing. He doesn’t know how to run.
Have you ever stopped to think that perhaps you need to learn the skill of running? Eh?! I hear you say, everyone knows how to run! Well, I’m afraid this is just not the case anymore. We are natural runners, however due to our modern lifestyles we have become out of touch with our bodies compounded by the fact that the running trainers we wear are hindering our best efforts. Therefore, injury rate is up since there invention and as the running shoe becomes more complex it accentuates the problem. Modern human beings are used to sitting for upwards of 10 hours per day. Their spines are flexed more than extended and as a result of this ‘seated posture’ abdominals, spinal erectors and glutes are weak. Shoulders are protracted and hamstrings have been forgotten about. This does not stand you in good stead when you want to move, let alone move correctly. Running should be natural and is natural. It is the Human Being that is fast becoming less so.
Every able bodied human being should be able to run pain free for extended periods of time. If you can’t then something’s up. Statistics vary but depending on the study between
“Each year between 1/4 and 1/2 of runners will sustain an injury that is severe enough to cause a change in practice or performance.”
Ok, because we sit down all day we have become weak and out of touch with our bodies which is obviously going to be a problem but is there something else that might be contributing to our running injuries? Could it be our running shoes? Let me clarify something, I don’t think running shoes are evil with a vested interest in seeing you injured, in fact I think they are the most comfortable shoes ever made and they have the ability to make even the ‘coach potato’ somehow look athletic. However, running shoes today encourage poor biomechanics and it is that faulty running gait that causes injury and detracts from your full potential. Own a pair of running shoes by all means, just don’t run in them!
Did you know that the feet have the same amount of nerve endings as the hands? Everyone knows any task performed with gloves on is harder! The highest concentration of nerve endings in the feet are in the toes and forefoot (more specifically the ball of the foot). The foot comprises ¼ of all the bones in the human body, “...a masterpiece of engineering” Leornado Da Vinci. The feet have evolved so perfectly that their design has remained unchanged for millions of years; Crocodilian if you like. The feet need to be allowed to ‘feel’ the ground so that they can provide information for the brain to determine what needs to happen when and in what state of tone.
“...the plantar (under-) surface of the foot contains sensors that detect the loading forces under the foot. If the foot is encased in a soft shoe with a smooth inner sole, the plantar surface of the foot misinterprets the actual loading being transmitted to the skeleton and the soft tissues when running...the end result is that the loading of the skeleton will, according to his theory, actually be greater than if the runner ran barefoot”
Hominids (an anthropological term for all modern and extinct primates that walked on two feet) have been bipedal for perhaps as long as seven million years. Four million years ago the Laetoli footprints, as they have become known, were perfectly preserved in ash from a volcanic eruption in what is now Tanzania. They show the tracks of three of our human ancestors and many anthropologists conclude that they were made by feet identical to our own. The human beings that we are today (Homo Sapien Sapien) have been around for a fraction of that time, approximately 40 – 50 thousand years.
Shoes have evolved for a reason. Of course no one, whether a 10 thousand year old hunter or 30 year old Salesmen from Corby wants to slice their foot open on something horrible. The thought of it sends a shiver up my spine! There is a vast difference between a shoe that provides warmth and protection to one that alters gait.
There isn’t a single study that proves running shoes prevent injury. However, there are plenty that indicate the contrary. In fact they may even be the single largest contributor to running injury.
There is also not a single study that shows running shoes prevent the so called ‘faulty movements’ like over-pronation. When running the body experiences between 1.5 to 5 times body weight on a single leg every step (the forces multiply somewhat when sprinting). Take an average weight male runner and consider those forces and you will reach a figure of 110 tonnes on each foot per mile. You don’t have to be an expert to realise that any biomechanical errors in gait will create a problem.
“...shoes, shoe inserts and orthotics do not act by altering the preferred joint movement patterns. Rather, they alter lower limb muscle function during stance phase of running thereby influencing comfort...”
“Products deceptively advertised as performing well, that are actually ineffective, might attenuate caution sufficiently to heighten injury frequency above levels existing before their introduction”
Anti over pronation devices and orthotics do not prevent the foot from rolling inwards as your bodyweight goes through it (stance phase). A little bit of plastic against five times your body weight, come on! What happens is the orthotic (or custom-made innersole) pushes against the arch of the foot which makes the brain alter the tone of the muscles in the lower leg and foot. I am not denying that they can prevent pain. I’m pointing out an assumption that we all make about something rather than listening to the science. We all know what the assumption is the mother of! Once the biomechanics are correct over-pronation (see the Haille Gebresellassie video on my website) does not occur because the time on support (the time a foot spends on the floor) is markedly less. This is so because correct gait encourages a faster cadence. Pronation as part of a correct running gait is nothing to fear and certainly not something to attempt to prevent. Wear and tear and eventually injury occurs when a runner lands on the heel in front of their body and then pulls it from the floor behind them because there is a lot more time in which damage can occur. The elastic structures in the feet and legs are being charged by your body weight and gravity and are trying to give you kinetic energy back as elastic recoil. However, when the body weight is still on the elastic structures preventing that return an excess amount of pressure goes through them. Structures like the Plantar Fascia, the Achilles and the ITB not to mention the 100+ ligaments and tendons in the foot. Interesting enough the aforementioned parts of the anatomy feature in the majority of running injuries.
“...Robbins and colleagues claim the incidence of running injuries is reportedly 123% higher in wearers of expensive running shoes...”
Another popular myth in the bio-mechanics of running is that we propel ourselves forward using the quadriceps (front the thighs). It’s known as the generation phase, propulsion theory, and push off/toe off. It is complete nonsense and another assumption. Studies done with EMG sensors proved that the quadriceps do not at work at all during this ‘push off’ stage. That means they cannot be pushing us forwards. If you film a runner and slow it down you will also notice the fact that their rear foot isn’t in contact with the floor during this phase and/or the leg is straight. Try pushing your body weight off thin air with a straight leg! The absurd thing about this is that rather than trying to find the cause of these results, which are comprehensive, Scientists called it the ‘Extensor paradox’ and moved on using this faulty science as a cornerstone to the rest of their ‘biomechanics of running’. This is still taught at Universities today.
We move forward by falling, controlled falling. To begin running first we have to fall forward, this should be done from the centre of mass (for arguments sake; the hips). This is made possible by gravity, the controlling force in our universe, and body mass. One foot lands under our centre of mass whilst the other one pendulums into position ready for the next step. This happens in walking too although the gaits are quite different. Correct foot placement during walking is a hotly contested subject and is something I have yet to consider at any length.
Two of the main differences between walking and running gait our:
1. In running your point of contact with the ground goes from 1 to 0 and back. In walking it is 1 to 2 and back.
2. In running the feet land further behind our centre of mass the faster we go, this increases ones angle of fall which determines speed. During walking the foot lands slightly in front of our centre of mass, in sprinting it lands further behind.
The angle of fall is measured from your point of support (foot on the ground) to your centre of mass. The steeper your angle of fall the faster you’ll be travelling. However, it is not as simple as just falling at a steeper angle to go as fast as you like. An athlete will train for years in order to have enough explosive strength to be capable of pulling his feet from the floor (with the hamstrings) quickly enough to maintain a steep angle of fall (there is of course more to it than that!) If they can’t manage it the net result is either a nose dive into the floor or more often a slowing down in speed. A lot of people strain the hamstrings if they break into a sprint because the demand on them increases beyond their capability. They are no longer capable because we don’t tend to condition them when running anymore. Many runners have a lazy gait which involves trailing one leg after the other meaning the hamstrings don’t pull the foot towards the bottom until they risk losing it behind them!
Dr. Romanov, the creator of Pose Running (Posetech.com) was one of the first people to consider the facts I have mentioned above. He decided to look at movement from a purely scientific perspective rather than making assumptions. What he came up with is an incredibly efficient running gait backed up by science with no convenient paradoxes misguiding us. He also discovered that the modern running shoe was a hindrance because it alters the natural biomechanics of the feet and reduces the brains ability to apply appropriate tone to the muscles in order for them to function correctly during running. Your feet need to be strong, bouncy and responsive. Wrap them up in a pair of squishy running shoes and stand by for trouble.
We are making assumptions when we wear running shoes to reduce impact. It makes sense but it’s totally wrong. Here’s a section of the fantastic book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall:
When E. C. Frederick, then the director of Nike Sports Research Lab, arrived at the 1986 meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics, he was packing a bombshell. “When subjects were tested with soft versus hard shoes,” he said, “no difference in impact force was found.” No difference! “And curiously,” he added, “the second propulsive peak in the vertical ground reaction force was actually higher with soft shoes.” The puzzling conclusion: the more cushioned the shoe, the less protection it provides.
(I highly recommend ‘Born to Run’ it is an enlightening book and a terrific read).
In fact, since then studies have found a difference. Softer shoes create more impact through the body! Try it yourself, get onto a treadmill and run for 5 minutes with your running shoes on, then take them off and run for 5 minutes. The noise is reduced massively for starters, no more thump, thump, thump! Most people I have helped with running gait analysis and correction shift their first point of contact onto the balls of the feet, rather than the heels, within seconds. Some are a little more stubborn but with time the signal eventually gets through; “get off your heels, it hurts!” I had a client that asked me to take it easy with him after falling from a horse and injuring his back. I asked him to take his shoes off to reduce the impact through his back. He was dubious but did as I asked and, well, try getting him on the treadmill with his trainers on now! When you get a sec try standing up, jump a little and land on the heels with straight legs. Ouch! You can feel the shockwave travelling through the body and all the way into the skull. Remember, when you run it can be as much as 5 times your body weight going through 1 leg!
I teach people correct running gait on a treadmill because it’s a safe environment. There are no pieces of glass, no bottles or dog pooh. This is hugely important because it takes the fear out of taking your shoes off which means the technique is much better immediately. If people are worried, consciously and subconsciously about stepping on a nasty they end up running on their tip toes. Their calves are ‘actively landing’ which means they are contracted when the moment of impact occurs. This produces Achilles problems and calf strains and is a very common problem when switching from the heel toe running to forefoot running. If you are trying to run on the forefoot take off your running shoes because they will not allow your forefoot to land first because of the size of the heel. A runner will have to point his toes towards the ground (dorsiflexion) in order to land forefoot first and we know that causes problems. I currently have marathon runners training in £4.00 plimsolls; this way they don’t have to shell out if they want to experiment with how it feels away from their beloved running shoes.
Remember, running is natural and incredibly good for one’s health when done correctly. I wanted to write this article to enlighten those of us who believe running is about kit rather than skill.Running is a skill that you must learn whilst at the same time allowing the body to adapt. When you start running correctly you will use more muscles than before. Instead of hanging off your spine and sticking your bum out because you have weak abs, core and back you will start to get stronger and more toned. Using your hamstrings to pull the feet from the floor quickly will increase your speed and tone the back of your legs. The glutes will help out the quads to eccentrically contract (a complex suspension system way better than your Range Rover!) as they work in synergy to take your body weight step after step. Running will give you the bottom you would pick out of acatalogue if you could!
The next time you see a group of runners have a look at their bums (it’s all in the name of science). How many of them are surprisingly wobbly or out of tone? Whilst you’re doing that look at their gait, I bet you won’t see the same style twice. Everyone has their own idiosyncrasies. Name another group of mammals where the individual has his/her own running style. Imagine how strange it would be to see a herd of Wildebeest where each one had a funky running style of its own.
“Take any ten of us and you will probably find every possible biomechanical running abnormality ever described (and a few that defy description).”
Running should:
Improve cardiovascular endurance
Increase V02 Max (everyone has a different potential)
Increase muscle strength and endurance
Improve posture
Improve muscle tone throughout the body
Loads of other good things too (weight loss, increased serotonin levels....)
Be associated with injury
Have a negative effect on posture and flexibility
Disproportionally tone the quads.
Leave you with a sagging bottom.
As the statistics and research stack up against the modern running shoe the manufacturers are coming out with new models like AdiZero and Nike Free. Basically, they are finding ways of selling you trainers that do less for more but without you noticing. A few layers of plastic and rubber with some nano technology and anti this and that will never contend with millions of years of evolution and it’s ridiculous to think so. The biomechanics of running have been based on assumptions and faulty science. In my opinion the best running shoes out there are Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot although they are eye wateringly expensive when you consider the staggering lack of product! Vibram FiveFingers work for some too although if they separate your toes more than normal this will increase the tension on the muscles and ligaments in the foot which may lead to an altered gait. Try barefoot running on a treadmill first and keep the distance down to about 400m the first day otherwise say hello to some blisters. Remember, the feet have to adapt and get stronger. The elastic structures in the feet are avascular (no blood supply) which means adaptation takes much longer than for muscle. Slow and steady, listen to your body and get an expert to help you.
Tim Rees
Primal Training January 2011
(With thanks to Dr. Romanov and Lee Saxby)
Primal Training
