1. Land lightly and lift quickly
2. Don’t heel strike!
3. Run by Feel (lose the GP unit and learn to feel the paces)
4. Barefoot is the baseline (when in doubt, run barefoot for a bit and let your body self-correct)
5. Don’t forget the hips
6. Balance is critical (practice it every single day)
7. Strong feet is the trunk of the tree (weak trunk and the tree dies; strengthen the feet daily)
8. 99% of the current Running Shoes are terrible (select shoes that don’t interfere with the natural functioning of the foot; any combination of a heel differential, inflexibility, and/or too much cushion can hurt you as that is not how the natural foot functions)
9. Practice, Commitment, Patience and Dedicated is required to learn how to run (you can only figure things out through repetition)
Nice list. Couple questions:
ReplyDeleteDon't forget what about the hips?
How do you practice balance?
Hi Doug,
ReplyDeleteThe hips, and of course the core, is where we should derive a lot of our power in running. This includes hip exercises, strengthening and stretching. I use a rubber band for many of my hip stretches and at times, I'll even consciously focus on my hips as I run. For kicks, while you are running place both of your hands on your head and watch how much you engage your hips and core.
As for balancing, I balance on one leg many times during the day and then do with my eyes shut. Sounds easy but most folks can'd do it with they eyes open much less with their eyes closed. Try to work up to 1 min. each leg with the eyes closed. You can also do squats on each leg. I also do daily feet stretching which helps my balance including toe pulls.
HHH