Natural Running Center

For the past 12 years, I have dissected and modified hundreds of pairs of shoes, taught running form clinics around the country, opened a minimalist store in my home town of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, directed races (from 5K fun runs to marathons), got local children excited about running, and most importantly listened with all my [Read more...]

My wife’s grandmother lived to 103, and the holidays just past have reminded me of how she lived. She was not a runner, nor did she do a lot of cardio, except for sauce stirring and daily walks to markets and church. Our own local legend Frank Buckles who lived to 110 ate in this [Read more...]

Every now and then, you come across an old movie or documentary that stops you right in your tracks. “On the Run,” a 1979 documentary about New Zealand’s legendary running coach Arthur Lydiard and his training methods is one such treat. In this 19-minute short film, you are witness to some amazing footage as Lydiard’s [Read more...]

Huge Congrats to two Natural Running Center’s Partner Stores –Natural Strides Running and Elite Feet –who were selected as  one of “The 50 Best Running Stores in America” at The Running Event in Austin, Texas– which is a fast-growing expo and meeting-and-teaching ground for running store owners and their employees. Best of all, it’s where [Read more...]

The following essay on where matters stand today with minimalism  –and what will they look like tomorrow — was penned by Blaise Dubois. It originally appeared on his lively, informative, and tell-it-like-it-is bilingual blog on running and injuries. Many of the old guard in the footwear, medical and running biz who are wedded to the [Read more...]

It’s a dilemma and challenge for many marathon runners. You have two important races that are only six weeks apart, and you want to perform well in both. Several weeks ago, I placed tenth overall in the Air Force Marathon. But come next weekend, I will be racing in the Marine Corps Marathon along with [Read more...]

Please enjoy this excerpt from a new book called “FARMACOLOGY:What Innovative Family Farming Can Teach Us About Health and Healing,” from my colleague Dr. Daphne Miller.  Dr. Miller is a fellow Family Physician and we met a little over a year ago at an event promoting Nature Prescriptions.  Dr. Miller is one of the nation’s [Read more...]

Barefoot running is back in the news. Or rather barefoot-style running shoes. It’s the kind of “news story” that has “legs”. Yet the media angle is often misleading. I will quote from the first sentence of the story that appeared on the International Business Times website earlier this week: “A recent study seems to indicate [Read more...]

Though it’s been several weeks since Freedom’s Run was held here in West Virginia,  I am still receiving emails and from visitors thanking our neighboring towns for the friendly welcome they received as runners.  We would not have been able to pull off this event — marathon, half-marathon, 10K, 5K, one-mile kids run — without [Read more...]

Got Stress? We all have it enter our lives, some experiencing stress more frequently than others. How we deal with it has been the subject of countless books, magazine articles, and talk shows. Too many people, unfortunately, attempt to self-medicate their way past stress, ranging from the daily jolts of caffeine to doctor-prescribed pills. But [Read more...]

Natural Running Center’s shoe review editor Nick Pang also helms the website Minimalist Running Shoes, which goes into great, useful detail about all the new shoes now hurtling through the commercial pipeline. Nick’s shoe database is much larger than NRC’s, and includes many shoes in the casual, walking, lifestyle and even golf category. I often [Read more...]

As we enter or transition into the first weeks of the new year, it often means aligning our personal goals with training and racing in the coming months.  So now is also a good time to summarize some of the basics about transitioning to minimalism, especially for those new to natural running and who what [Read more...]

NRC readers, This spring and summer we have a full menu of courses and clinics to help you become a healthier runner. If you are interested in learning the Lydiard methods in deep detail come to our 3-day course in Shepherdstown, WV. For those of you wanting an international experience follow the link to our [Read more...]

There is a lot of confusion around the term elastic recoil vs. braking in running.  A critical feature of efficient running is a strong and stable base of support.  Without this foundation, there can be no efficient transfer of energy. Our tendons are highly adapted to storing and releasing energy under tensile strain.  Jay Dicharry [Read more...]

A recent study of less than 40 East African tribesman showed that most  land on their heels while running at a slow pace on a compliant surface (not pavement) and when they sped up most changed their pattern to midfoot landing.  Some in the media then grabbed onto this small sample and somehow arrived at [Read more...]

Blaise Dubois is a physiotherapist and founder of the Running Clinic  from Quebec City, Montreal, whose multi-day course on the prevention of running injuries has attracted the interest and attention of health professionals, coaches and running enthusiasts around the world. Blaise also tells it like it is, as readers of his bilingual blog–French and English– [Read more...]

This instructional article is part 2 of a 3-part series.  See part 1 here with video. We hope that your glutes will enjoy becoming smarter. And why is that?  As was explained in part 1, runners often have under-performing glutes that can lead to big trouble. When our behinds are slow and fail to do [Read more...]