Inspiration
Most people I know don't share my enthusiasm for running. Neither did I until about 6 years ago! I started running to see if I could successfully compete in a cross-country 10k race organized by the running club in our neighbouring village, and enjoyed that experience enough to want to get better at it.
My main source of inspiration has been the book Born to Run, by a journalist called Christopher McDougall. Setting out to discover the secret of painless long-distance running, McDougall journeys to the remote and inhospitable Copper Canyons in northern Mexico where the reclusive Tarahumara people run ultra-marathon distances on rugged mountain trails in nothing but thin-soled leather sandals - just for fun. He explores the thesis that man evolved the ability to run long distances, primarily as a hunting strategy - we are, literally, born to run. And he tells the gripping story of what happens when the Tarahumara meet and compete with the leading ultra-marathon runners of the day in grueling 50 and 100 mile races in the mountains.
So many people I talk to think that running is a high-impact sport that eventually destroys your knees. But I've found that running doesn't hurt or cause physical damage if you do it right. One of the big takeaways from Born to Run is that the orthodoxy promoted by the running shoe industry - that you need lots of cushioning under your feet to protect them - is just plain wrong. Our feet are extremely complex structures of bone and muscle that are beautifully adapted to cushion the impact of each running stride we take, and wrapping them up with foam and air pockets and "motion control" elements just stops them from doing what they know how to do best. The less you put on your feet, the better.
I'm completely sold on minimalist running - which means running as close to the barefoot condition as possible. To me, that means shoes with very thin soles, next to no padding, and absolutely no raised heel. It takes time to adapt to running in these kinds of shoes if you're used to normal trainers. You have to learn to land mid-foot, rather than on the heel, and you have to strengthen the under-utilized muscles of your feet so they can handle the load. When you get this right, it feels like you are just floating along on air ... okay enough already.
