This is the third Q&A of the 40 Days series, with fitness and nutrition having gone live earlier in the month. Today’s theme: running.
You said that you changed your running technique. What does that mean?
I’d spent eight months with a recurring injury, and everything that is traditionally advised for this kind of tendonitis — staying off of the foot, industrial-strength orthotics, more cushioned shoes and even ankle immobilizers — weren’t working. So I started doing a lot of research into barefoot running, chi running, and midfoot striking. Each had “a-ha!” moments that made sense to me. They also had an equal amount of fluff that I disregarded, but the seeds of change were planted.
I've never had a book give me such an "a-ha!" moment as this one.
Then I read Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. In all seriousness, I wanted to get out of the bed in my German hotel room and run through the streets of Berlin in bare feet. Instead, I waited rather impatiently until we returned home to California. I ditched the orthotics, bought thin-soled running shoes (see bullets below) and started interval training, half-expecting my foot to give out and kill me. It hasn’t yet (knock on wood). I’d love to go barefoot, but so far I’m too much of a chicken to attempt it. Besides, where would I put my Nike+ sensor?
So what’s different about your technique?
By landing more on my midfoot than my heel, my stride is less jarring. If I watch my shadow as I run, I can tell the difference between the two: my head bounces up and down with each stride when I’m doing my “classic” heel strike, while I appear to be gliding when I do my “new” technique. My knees remain a little softer, never locked. I lean forward a bit, just enough to keep my momentum pulling me forward.
What does “midfoot” mean?
I think that the best way to describe it is to use extremes. Imagine running uphill. Your weight lands more on the middle or front of your feet, and you’re leaning into the stride. Now imagine running downhill. You’re leaning backwards and all of the weight is landing on your heels, like you’re trying to put on the brakes. Midfoot landings give you more of that uphill landing. And yes, this can be done on flat land.
Does it feel different to run the new way?
Yes, it’s less jarring. Obviously my foot feels better, but so do my ankles, knees and hips. It used to be that even a 15-minute treadmill jog would leave my back so tight that I couldn’t touch my toes or even sit down without insane amounts of stretching. Now I can do a three-mile run, sit down on the floor and reach beyond my toes, as if I had just been doing yoga. The difference is astonishing. There’s an interesting post about it in the NY Times blog from earlier this week.
Why do you do intervals? Why don’t you just lace up your shoes and run?
At first, I was worried about re-injury. Now I’m more confident about that, but I notice that my body still instinctively tries to revert to the old running form that I’ve been using for years. By slowing down and walking every so often, I’m maintaining good form throughout. It’s a lot like the idea behind Pilates: better to do eight reps in good form than 80 sloppy reps. Quality vs. quantity.
What tools can’t you live without?
My running arsenal includes:
- A Nike+ Sportband. I am no longer tethered to my dying iPod nano, and can use my much more compact iPod Shuffle, circa 2007.
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Who needs special sneakers when you have a binder clip?
A small binder clip. Don’t believe the hype that you need the Nike+ running shoes for the Nike+ sensor. While they’re an extremely cool idea, Nike shoes generally don’t fit me, so I’ve learned to improvise. I used stick-on Velcro for two pairs of shoes. I couldn’t find my Velcro this time, and learned that a small binder clip works just as well. Sorry, Nike.
- Thin-soled running shoes. This is the closest I can come to barefoot running. Some people swear by Nike Free, but they run too wide for my narrow foot. The Saucony Shay XC runs narrow (great for me, but perhaps not for anyone else in the world), and gives me the fit and flexibility to actually feel the terrain under my feet.
- Running tights. Nike makes great tights with a small pocket at the back waistband, large enough to hold credit cards, keys, or even an iPhone in case of emergency.
- Podrunner. Figure out what song has your ideal pace (mine is Billy Idol’s “Dancing with Myself”). Search for that song’s BPM on Google (176). Use that information to download an entire workout at your target pace. It’s no coincidence that my best-paced runs come from Podrunner mixes.
Keep those questions coming! I’ll post my next set of answers next Sunday.