This memorable Nike television commercial, which aired in 2006, was a witty, ironic homage to “Chariots of Fire.” It heralded the early beginning of the barefoot running trend, albeit in well-padded shoes called the Frees. This was three years before Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run became a national bestseller– and which really became the Big…
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Seven Tips for Finding the Proper Shoe Fit
by Dr. Phil Maffetone — Understanding proper running shoe fit is the first step towards pain-free running and injury prevention. That doesn’t mean you should waste your time trying on or investigating those expensive, super-comfortable, padded, and built-up running shoes that keep being thrown our way each year by profit-hungry running shoe companies. If you…
The Pros and Cons of Video Gait Analysis — Runners Getting Their Body in Balance
By Dr. Phil Maffetone For the past several decades, video analysis of human movement has been used in virtually all sports by coaches, athletes, and healthcare professionals. Because of the relative ease of combining video and treadmill activity, this approach is now common in the evaluation of running gait. Properly applied, video analysis can be…
How Running Shoes Get Tested in Footwear Labs
This photo of a honking-big New Balance sneaker (taken from a 2009 issue of Popular Mechanics) shows how most of the major shoe companies test the exaggerated heel-cushioning of their conventional running shoes. No wonder many millions of runners unnaturally became accustomed to heel-striking. One could safely bet that the mechanical piston never experiences shin…
Conversation: One Runner Enlightens Another Runner
James works at Two Rivers Treads in Sheperdstown, West Virginia, which is also the headquarters and flagship store of the Natural Running Center. He recently published on the store blog a rather lengthy, and highly informative email exchange he had with another runner who was seeking his advice, Their online back-and-forth is reposted here. The…
How Body Weight and Nutrition Affects a Runner’s Gait
Tom Osler, a top ultrarunner in the 60s who later became a math professor and author of The Serious Runner, conducted a comprehensive study of runners and found that for every extra pound you carry, you will be 2.5 seconds per mile slower. Dr. Steve Gangemi aka “Sock Doc,” examines the biomechanical relationship between excess…
Proprioception
Proprioception is defined as the perception or sensing of your limbs in space (orientation) during movement of the body. Specifically in running, proprioception allows your mind to learn, with each step, from the effect of each movement and then adjust your limbs accordingly for future movements. Proprioception comes from the Latin word proprius, meaning “one’s…
Who Needs a Fuel Belt, When You Got a Fridge?
Pete Digby, a former paratrooper, carried a 40-pound fridge on his back at the 2010 London Marathon as part of a fundraising challenge for the Royal British Legion. Pete finished in 5:49. Will he run in this April’s race also toting a cooler? And does he keep his mobile fridge filled with ice-cold brewskis and…