Are we really born to run?
I’ve got a bunch to talk about this week including my group run last Thursday, a book review, my first “injury” and my upcoming letter to potential donors. So let’s get to it.
Thursday evening I ran with a few of my teammates from the DFMC - Courtney, Amanda and Melissa. They’re also bloggers, so be sure to check out their blogs on the links to your left. As mentioned in my last blog post, we did a loop around the Charles River that began and ended at the Crossroads Pub. It was the first time I’ve actually trained with other people, and it was really nice! The run flew by, and before I even realized I should be tired we were back at the pub with a pitcher of beer. One thing about running - you don’t feel as bad about having a couple beers on a weeknight if you’ve already run 5 miles. All in all, it was a really nice experience and I plan on getting to as many Thursday team runs as possible. I’m buying into this whole concept that running doesn’t have to be a solitary endeavor.
On Saturday morning, I woke up early (not on purpose) and decided to start reading a book that was given to me by an old friend I met for lunch last week. The book is called Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. I finished it on Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, i have trouble putting a good book down. It was a fantastic read - great characters, amazing and true story, plausible reseach and theories, and of course the timing is appropriate given my current activities. To say the very least, I was motivated and energized by this great piece of storytelling. Why stop at 26.2 miles when you can run 100?
One matter that’s addressed in the book is running technique. The author’s original motivation for writing the book was to find an answer to the question most runnners ask at some point in time: Why do I get hurt? Through his research, he’s able to make several suggestions about how to run “correctly” from a physiological perspective; imagine running barefoot and you’re in the right direction. In any case, rather than landing on your heels you should land on the front of your feet (toes pointed down when landing rather than up). So midway through the book on Saturday morning, I went for a run and tried to emulate the form he describes. It felt good for a while, but kills the calves. I’m sure they get strong quickly this way, but for now I’m in pain - the opposite outcome from what was supposed to happen. However, I’m not giving up. I’ll suffer from sore calves now in order to prevent some of the more damaging injuries down the road that could completely derail my training and perhaps even prevent me from running the marathon. The author of Born to Run managed to compete in a 50 mile race within a year of making similar changes to his form…
For those of you that haven’t stopped reading yet, my last comments are with regard to the letter I’ll be sending friends, family, colleagues, etc. asking for their donations. I plan on getting it out in the next week or two, so keep your eyes open. I’ve collected $1,250 already - but I’m only 1/8 of the way to my goal. Thanks to those who have already donated! For those of you that haven’t, there’s no time like the present!
