I have been invited to speak at a sports injury conference this August in Florida, and I hope that many who regularly come to this site can attend. The First New Paradigms in Endurance Sport Conference will be held at the Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, Florida, from August 3-5. Over 60% of runners are…
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Caballo’s Last Race…Copper Canyon Ultramarathon
Hey Everyone, Dr. Mark is relaxing at the beach with his family during this holiday weekend, so I am filling in for him this time around.– Bill Katovsky. Last week, the New York Times ran a marvelous, heart-stirring, and emotional wallop of a feature story about an individual whose life, directly and indirectly, touched us…
You Can Run a Marathon with Flat Feet, No Orthotics, and Minimalist Shoes — and without Injury
by Dr. Nick Campitelli. The debate continues amongst medical professionals, podiatrists, runners, and the media as to “Should we be running with supportive shoes with motion control?” For years the norm has been to support the arch with a custom or rigid orthotic to prevent overuse injury. This device was added to a cushioned running…
Why Isn’t Cross-Country Running in the Olympics?
by Bill Katovsky. The 3,000-meter steeplechase is always a fun event to watch at the Olympics. Runners must leap over 28 hurdles and 7 water jumps. The Kenyans usually dominate. The race’s origin dates back to 19th century England. Runners hoofed it from one town’s church steeple to the next. The steeples were used as…
Bill Bowerman, His Wife’s Waffle Iron, Nike’s Early Days and Birth of the Modern Running Shoe
The following is excerpted from the chapter, “The Running Shoe” in the new book, Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear, and the Quest for Injury-Free Running, by Peter Larson and Bill Katovsky — NRC *** Man spent several million years evolving as a runner. The athletic shoe has a much shorter history—about 180 years. But the modern…
Aerobic Training — What About Strength Workouts? (Part 3)
In the two previous parts of Principles of Aerobic Training, Dr. Steve Gangemi, aka Sock Doc, reviewed the critical components of building a healthy aerobic base that can lead to enhanced performance for all runners. In this part, Sock Doc turns his attention to strength training.– NRC We all can agree (hopefully) that strength is…
Facts on Foot Strike– Does It Matter If You Run with a Heel or Forefoot Strike?
The minimalist movement of the last few years has gotten runners focused on their feet. Many now know what research has shown: Foot-strike patterns are variable, and the specific interaction between the foot and the ground is influenced by multiple factors like speed, surface and footwear. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there’s…
Natural Running Center is Now on Facebook!
Natural Running Center is now on Facebook! We’ve been adding posts since late April. Lots of new stuff that you won’t find here on the NRC website. Like what, you ask? Here’s a sample: Fighting Father Time: Does Getting Older Automatically Mean Slower Times? A Mind-Blowingly Simple Way to Keep the Laces of Your Running…
Natural Running Camp for Youth
Grownups shouldn’t have all the fun when it comes to running naturally. This summer, Two Rivers Treads and For Love of Children’s Education Center will be hosting a Natural Running Camp for middle-school students from July 6-8, and high-school students from July 13-15. (Plans are underway to have an adult Natural Running Camp later in…
All Runners: No Immunity from Heart Disease
The circumstances surrounding Micah True’s untimely death while he was out on a routine 12-mile trail run in the Gila wilderness area of New Mexico have caused many runners to look inward…to their own hearts. According to the Associated Press, “While medical examiners couldn’t point to the cause of the heart disease, they said True’s left…
Barefoot Running in the Early 60s — Excerpt from New Book “Tread Lightly”
In the new book. Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear, and the Quest for Injury-Free Running, Dr. Peter Larson (Runblogger) and Bill Katovsky (Natural Running Center co-founder and editorial director) explore the reasons why pain is so frequently a part of the life of the modern runner, and search for potential solutions to the ongoing injury epidemic….
Autopsy Report: Micah True’s “Manner of Death is Natural”
It’s been just over a month that Micah True’s body was found in the rugged wilderness area of southwestern New Mexico. The legendary ultrarunner and memorable “Caballo Blanco” centerpiece of Born to Run had gone missing after a rather routine 12-mile trail run. An autopsy report released Tuesday by the Office of the Medical Investigator…
Some “Photo” Finishes: A Gallery of a Few Favorites
Dr. Phil Maffetone’s Music and Wellness Tour
My small town of Shepherdstown, West Virginia is privileged to be one of about dozen towns to have a special visit from Dr. Phil Maffetone who is a best-selling author of health and fitness books, the former coach to countless world-class and recreational athletes for decades, and a member of the Natural Running Center’s Advisory Board. …
Natural Running Through the Generations: Grandson of a Boston Marathon Champion Continues the Barefoot Running Tradition
We received the following email and photos from Jacob Edwards, a youngish distance runner who definitely has the speed gene and a rekindled love of barefoot running, a passion first nurtured by his legendary grandfather John J Kelley.– NRC Dear Natural Running Center, For the past 13 years I have been a competitive runner…
Small Kenyan Town is Where Great Marathoners Live and Train
With a population less than Taos, New Mexico, the small town of Iten, Kenya, which is located in the high-altitude (8,000 feet above sea level) Great Rift Valley, has become the go-to training place for world-class marathoners. A recent article in the New York Times about Iten’s runners revealed the following: Male and female Kenyans…
Walk Right Before You Run (and Only in the Right Shoes)
Half of the customers who enter Two Rivers Treads in Shepherdstown, West Virginia have no interest in running or buying running shoes. That’s because we are not exclusively a “minimalist running store”. We also carry shoes for walkers and hikers. We want people moving and there is no safer, accessible, and natural movement than walking….
Celebrate Family Fitness and Joy of Running
I had the privilege to speak for the second straight year at the Boston Marathon Sports Medicine Conference hosted by the American Medical Athletic Association (AMAA). Last year, my presentation was on barefoot running (the hot topic of 2011). This year, I spoke on healthy aerobic development for life and the work of legendary New…
Aerobic Activity for Runners — Gradually Build Your Endurance Base and Understanding High-Intensity Interval Training (Part 2)
Gradually Build Your Endurance Base. This the second installment on Aerobic Conditioning for Runners, by Dr. Steve Gangemi (aka Sock Doc). Go here to read Part 1. Building your aerobic system is vital whether you’re a marathon runner, or an average guy or gal looking to be as healthy as possible. But you have…
New Documentary Film About a Town of Runners in Ethiopia — 8 Olympic Gold Medals, 10 World Records
Runners from tiny Bekoji in the Ethiopian highlands have won eight Olympic Gold medals, broken 10 world records and won 32 world championships. These numbers are other-worldly. Now there’s a newly released documentary about this amazing mecca of endurance athletes called “Town of Runners” by UK filmmaker Jerry Rothwell. As one of the coaches…
Boston Marathon Finisher Brian Boyle Continues to Have an Iron Heart
Three years ago, I had the privilege of working with Brian Boyle on his memoir,“Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back from the Dead.” On the way home from swim practice, Brian’s future changed in an instant when a dump truck plowed into his Camaro. He was airlifted to a shock-trauma hospital. He…
Health Risks of Drinking Too Much Water Before or During a Race: Beware of Intoxication and Hyponatremia
by Dr. Phil Maffetone. Drinking fluids during training and racing will soon be reaching a boiling point of controversy and not for reasons most runners might suspect. Dehydration, and how to keep it under control, is nothing new. What’s been bubbling up in the media for the past few years is hyperhydration—drinking too much and…
Boston Marathon 2012 — Meet the Heat
With the hot temperatures putting a distinctive stamp on the 2012 Boston Marathon, I wisely played it safe. I finished 10 minutes slower than last year’s time (2:37), yet came away with fourth in my age group (45-49). More importantly, I avoided the medical tent by following good racing practices. I wasn’t here to see…
Aerobic Activity is the Foundation to Your Health and Fitness (Part 1)
Aerobic is one of those fitness terms that doesn’t get much respect these days. An analogy is the late Rodney Dangerfield in a sweaty T-shirt on the treadmill at the gym. (No, that gross-out movie was never made, but a working title might have been called “Humping Iron.”) The fitness term du jour is “cardio,”…
Chris McDougall and the Search for Caballo Blanco
It’s been only two weeks since the body of ultrarunner Micah True, aka Caballo Blanco, was found in the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. As with any unexpected tragedy, there’s still a lingering mix of shock and disbelief. In a riveting piece for Outside Online, Christopher McDougall describes the weeklong search for his friend who had…