What is Paleo Running? (in a modern world)
Paleo means prehistoric, early, or primitive.
Paleo Running means running the way we were intended to run. The
way we ran eons ago, before the Nike Air Sole or the Reebok Pump were
invented to mess up our gaits. We ran barefoot (or near-barefoot) and
with a gait that uses the forces of nature to our advantage (which also
prevents injury). We cannot avoid the presence of modernity. We can take advantage of the latest advances afforded to us by recent innovations without losing sight of our roots. 'Fitness' is a very misused term today. True fitness is using the body in the way it was intended.
How
did we run before we tried to correct our pronation or supination with
expensive shoes and corrective insoles? No one had to teach us running form and we didn't have to buy fancy contraptions to "correct" our bodies for running. We were built to run. Running is (used to be, anyway) an instinct.
In order to survive on the planet 30,000 years ago, early man (and woman) had to run (and run well!) to flee from predators, or to persistence hunt.
It wasn't an option. As we evolved, our bodies adapted to our
environment and our endurance running needs to improve our
survivability. For example, we have been given better heat tolerance
than non-endurance (but speedy) animals like predators(cheetahs and
panthers) and prey (rabbits and antelope). We even grew springy tendons
that our closest evolutionary relative, the chimpanzee, doesn't share.
The chimp is not made to be a runner. It's a better tree-swinger. Ever
wonder why it can be as difficult to stand in a line for two hours as it
is to run for two hours? Standing in place requires work from all the
the muscles designed to keep our tendons locked in one position. Our
bodies were built to move in certain ways (which don't include standing for hours or sitting in front of a TV or computer)!
If paleo running is an instinct, does that mean I can just go out and do it?
Not
anymore. Not if you've un-instinctivized your feet and your muscles and
trained them to run with additional (possibly injurious) support. Shedding
one's shoes for the first time, or reducing one's footwear to the most
minimalist of covering and support will induce soreness (and probably
injury).
Why?
First,
you're no longer using that natural and effective running gait. You
probably had that wonderful, natural gait when you were a very small
child, before you started buying well-soled, thick, springy running
shoes.
Watch
a three-year old run. Maybe not the most graceful sight, but I'll bet
she lands midfoot and "fall-runs" (leans forward from the ankles, hips
forward, lifting her heels - taking advantage of gravity).
Now
watch the average runner, clad in thick, bouncy running shoes. Nine
times out of ten, that runner is heel-striking. Bang! Heel hits ground
(body takes the shock of it). Push! Runner uses his small calf muscle to
push his 165-pound frame forward. Nowhere is he taking advantage of
gravity. Everywhere he is setting himself up for injury. Take those
fancy shoes off and try to run barefoot or in minimalist shoes and that
runner will likely be on the bench in no time.
Second,
you've likely never used the muscles required to run barefoot or in
minimalist shoes before. The cushioned shoes that have become every
runner's requirement have caused us to lose the muscles required
to run safely barefoot. In my case, reverting to the natural,
instinctive (barefoot) method of running resulted in me actually creating my
arch from where none had previously been. My feet are now stronger than
they've ever been. And more effective at doing what they're
instinctively designed to do.
Neo: "Why do my eyes hurt?"Morpheous: "Because you've never used them before."
It's
like that with running. Learn to run using your body as it was intended
to be used. Let your feet do what they have been designed to do. But do
it safely. Transition slowly to minimalist shoes. Get a coach who knows
barefoot/minimalist running and who will provide you with feedback
(seeing yourself run on video is a very big help.)
Go paleo! The runner instinct in you will love you for it.
