The Lost Art of Running

I finished this book yesterday. After climbing, the sport I most enjoy is running. I am not a great runner and I am going by seasons but still there are few things better that a good run (with a good sweat) to feel you alive!

Due to injuries and time (I can’t have it all) I haven’t run as much as I would like but now with more daylight, I want to start doing it again and rest a bit of the bike.

This book is a bit of motivation and improvement. Mainly to run better without getting injured and coping with current ones.

The main idea is the body to move fluently as it was done in the past before we became office / chair-addicted. So it is not just a mechanic system of muscles, tendons, bones, etc. The missing element is the fascia (info1)

So taking that point of view, running takes a different approach. The author uses plenty of examples for natural African runners to ultra runners.

The summary is:

  • Foot Placement: Dont be afraid to using the whole foot. Thing of the tripod position
  • Cadence: around 175-180
  • Stride length: The key is to “cycle”.
  • Posture: Stand tall!
  • The head: look at the horizon, not down!
  • Arms: coordination with body
  • Natural lean: I think this is connected to the posture
  • Breathing: control it for not over-breathing
  • Mind: Some of the points above, need our mind to be conscious to make them happen and as well to remind us we are doing well. And this is very important for ultra races.

So, in my next runs, I will try to put in practice some of these points!