Running Shoes Are Tools?

So Use Them Accordingly!

Running shoes are no different to any other tool, including a hammer. (A) my hammer, (B) cut myself on a nail, due to inattention, while setting this up, (C) wrong angle of hammer, (D) easier to do it right, than fix it, (E) correct angle of hammer, (F) effective hammer stroke. NOW! Think running shoes.

Work WITH your running shoes!

They are wonderful tools, just like a hammer is a tool!

Running shoes play a big role in my life, but I have to work with them for an optimal experience.

Don’t just put on your shoes, and expect to not think about them anymore. You’re a team, you and your shoes. Running shoes are not supposed to be a crutch. In fact, if you use crutches incorrectly, without thinking about them, you can damage delicate structures in your armpits.

That’s the problem with earbuds! People are listening to music, instead of listening to their bodies. Foolishness, in my not so humble opinion.

I was running track, yesterday evening, focusing on how my feet were working with my new Altra Running Shoes.

It was fascinating, how many different ways I could land (not on the heel), and direct the pressure through my feet, to the rest of my body.

For instance:

The cheapest, and most effective, set of Feldenkrais lessons you’ll ever find.

• On the outside edge, from mid, more towards the front, rolling onto the ball of my foot.
• Directly on the ball of my foot, staying high.
• Allowing my heel to drop, to spare my Achilles tendons and calves.
• Landing on the outside edge, rolling into the ball, then flicking back, to drive my body forward.
• Dropping down to the heel, after the catch, gently, then pushing back, from my feet, hips, shoulders.
• Running from my shoulders, while focusing on soft feet, as recommended by Jack Heggie, in his wonderful, Feldenkrais-based running book.
• etc., with no two landings being exactly the same.

This kind of variation is critical for avoiding repetitive motion injury.

Furthermore, in the Ironman, you have to run (well, run/walk) a full 26.2-mile marathon, on legs (and arch machinery) that are pretty tired from a 112-mile bike ride. There is no way I can do that run on the balls of my feet, or without using every trick I can to spare my calves.

So! Pay attention for the full benefit and enjoyment of your run.

FitOldDog