A Passion for Running

Time: 2:29
Distance: 16.4 miles
Pace: 9:05 minutes per mile
Average Heart Rate: 159

Last week’s long run was absolutely brutal (no energy). The week before, hindsight tells me I pushed the pace a bit too much (8:52 min/mile). Today was just right. I am depleted but not completely exhausted. I think it will set me up well for the rest of the week.

In other news, I submitted the following video clip to the posetech forum. I got really excellent encouragement from some of the gurus (Jack is King there). Historically, I’ve been nervous about posting video there because the coaches can be perfectionists whose detailed comments can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. That said, the coaches there are really excellent and have the best of intentions – to help you achieve good Pose Method running form.

It turns out that today my nervousness was not warranted – all I got was positive praise. I am relieved. Before I posted the video, I thought my form was looking and feeling good but, I was not certain of it. Now I am. That’s a good feeling for someone who’s spent the better part of two years at this!

So, for those of you who are interested, here is a link to a full-sized video of me Pose Method running (QuickTime mov format). In case you don’t have QuickTime, I’ve also embedded a smaller, more universally viewable Google Video version below.

I often get questioned on what it feels like to run using the Pose Method. Here’s the simple answer that just moments ago occurred to me:

Do you know the feeling of lightly touching on stairs as you go down them? There is that fine line between going too slow — when your feet begin landing more heavy and flat-footed — and going that speed where they just tightly touch the stairs.

That’s what Pose Method runners try for — that kind of quickness and lightness.

It’s all about quick cadence (turnover) and lifting the foot up almost before it touches the ground. And that kind of lightness can only be accomplished on the balls of one’s feet.

Does that make sense to you?
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Oh! Remember I introducted you to Megin? Well, she’s now run her first 5k. Go congratulate her!

The shoe of choice for pose method runners is the minimalist puma h-street. Unfortunately, it’s being discontinued and there is only one color left at the Puma store.

So, it was off to ebay I went where I bought this cool silver and black pair for almost half the price of a new pair ($44 + $13 for shipping to Canada)!

I’m bidding on this pair too:

My first pair lasted me about 16 months (the upper part finally tore) so I should be good for at least a couple of years.

Prior to beginning my barefoot and pose method running journey, I associated a particular kind of language with running – a language that I believe is very common among North American runners.

But my journey has changed how I think about running and, at the heart of this change is language – the words I associate with running.

I want to share some lovely words penned by Ken Bob Saxton – the guru of barefoot running in North America. These words eloquently illustrate the message I’d like to pass on to you. What you are about to read can be found in its original state right here.

As long as we accept the terms “strike” and “impact” to describe the way we run, it will be nearly impossible to find a gentle landing approach.

The key is not to strike, not to “absorb” impact, but to decelerate the foot, as it approaches the ground, by lifting the foot, before the foot “TOUCHES” the ground…

…Impact, and it’s absorbtion becomes almost meaningless, as one gets close to perfecting (no one is ever perfect) this technique.

How often do we hear people say they can’t run because the “pounding” is too hard on their bodies?

What do you think about when you see or hear about barefoot runners, or people running in shoes like these?

Or these?

For many people, I am guessing the reaction would be along the lines of, “ouch” and “the impact must be damaging”.

And yet, people are running in shoes offering no more protection than they’d get from slippers. People are running in their bare feet. And they are doing it without injuring themselves. How is this possible? Is it, perhaps, because they approach running differently?

Do the words we associate with running dictate how we run, how we interact with the ground, and in the kind of footwear we can run in?

Is it possible to exchange words like “impact”, “strike” and “pound” for others like “touch”, “lightly contact” and “tap” and, if we change those words – that mindset – can we change how we run and leave the language of injury behind?
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Interested in exploring this idea? I recommend visiting posetech and barefootrunning.org.