Absorption - Why is Energy Return a Bad Thing?

If all is sequenced well, and if proper form is used, running is partially muscle (work) and elasticity (energy return). Both of which your natural human form is more than capable of; in fact, your body is built for these functions. Contrary to popular shoe-salespeoples' (and some doctors') beliefs, cushioning in your running shoe alters your running stride in a negative way: by limiting the natural elasticity in your running stride. Let's look at the mechanics.

When we land on the ground during our foot strike our muscles tighten and springy tendons lengthen.  Our weight is absorbed by springs in the feet and legs. If we hold that muscular tension until it's time to lift that foot back up, we get to take advantage of the spring tension of those tendons.  The stored energy in those springs act like a helping hand - a little springy assist to get us into our next stride.  

Seems like a system designed pretty well. So how do we mess it up? Think about it this way: If you sprung that spring tension prematurely then you'd have to use ALL muscle to get you into your next stride.  That's how we mess it up: by springing the tension early with well-cushioned footwear.  Cushioning absorbs the stored spring energy and you don't get the assist you would normally. 

Here's a visual that reinforces the point: Imagine you're bouncing a basket ball.  The stored elastic energy gets the ball 80% of the way up to your hand.  The other 20% comes from you using downward muscular force.  Think about how hard you have to push that basketball so it will return to your hand, dribbling down the court.  Now think about how hard you'd have to bounce the ball if it were on a softer surface, like a gymnastics mat.  A thick mat, like a gymnastics mat, functions as a cushion that will absorb a great deal of that stored spring energy. The stored energy is not returned to the ball.  To get the ball back up to your hand you have to push hard enough to make up for the loss in the ball AND the mat.  The springiness of the gymnastics mat (or any other cushioning-type surface) is horrible for energy return.

No surface is as good as the hard floor in returning the stored elastic energy in the ball. 

Similarly, no spring constant (in the form of cushioning) in a shoe will help the runner get that energy back.  The runner's muscles have to make up that work. 

Save your energy for running, not cushioning and see your speed and efficiency improve and your injury rate decrease (provided you use natural form).

Tip:

Note we have to "hold that muscular tension" - seems like a lot of work, right?  To reduce how long muscles are engaged while you run: speed up your cadence! Remember: Shock absorbed by springiness in your body is returned again in your next stride.

Bacon Beef Butternut Squash

Servings: 2-4
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 50 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Butternut Squash, ~ 2 Lbs cut in half
• 1 Lb Ground Beef
• 6 Slices of bacon
• 3 Small Onions, sliced 1 reserved
• 1 Stalk Celery, diced
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3 Tbsp Cinnamon
• Balsamic Vinegar ~ 2 Tbsp

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F
2. Cut squash in half and scrape out the seeds
3. Some people have said this is a pain in the ass to eat, I didn't mind but if you would like, you can peel it and see if it holds up in the shape to stuff it
4. Place face down in a pyrex dish with 1/2 inch of hot water and cook for 30 Minutes
5. While its in the oven, cook the bacon in a pan until crispy, set aside and leave the bacon fat in the pan
6. Add 2 of the sliced onions and celery to the pan and then add the beef
7. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste and your cinnamon
8. Continue stirring until the beef is finished, remove from heat and place in a bowl
9. Remove the squash from the oven, when you can handle it scrape out some of the guts, leaving ~1/4 inch of squash, add squash to bowl with meat
10. Crumble your bacon and add that to the bowl as well
11. Mix well and then stuff your squashes with the beef mixture and place back in the 350 Degree oven for 20 minutes
12. While your squash are baking, add your reserved onion to your sauté pan and cook them over low heat with your balsamic to caramelize them
13. Remove squash from oven, top with caramelized onions and Enjoy

The Five Failings of Paleo

Fail #1: We Don’t REALLY Know What Our Ancestors Ate

By studying the unique characteristics of the human body, modern hunter-gatherers, and our closest primate relatives, we can figure out with a high degree of accuracy what the diet of our ancestors prior to the advent of agriculture was.

In short, we are best adapted to run on two sources of fuel:

1. Animal Fat
2. Plant Starches

Prehistoric humans almost certainly ate a diet high in meat and vegetables, with some eggs, fruit, nuts, and seeds when available. And this is, in basic terms, the kind of diet I think most of us should eat.

But when it comes down to it, we can’t know with 100% accuracy how we ate. We have yet to find a magic phone booth that will transfer us back through time–Bill and Ted notwithstanding–to directly observe how our great-times-450-grandparents lived. Yes, we’ve found animal bones with knife scrape marks on them, and fossilized poop with plant matter, but we’ll never be able to go all National Geographic and directly study our caveman forebears in detail.

Although we clearly couldn’t have eaten dairy, grains, and legumes in large volumes, there is plenty of evidence that some of our ancestors consumed a little bit. It’s hard to believe that they disposed of the mammary glands of female aurochs when modern tribes such as the Hadza characteristically make use of every last bit of the animal.

A recent study has even suggested that we were grinding flour up to 30,000 years ago! (Shock! Horror!)

And if all that wasn’t enough, even if we knew exactly what we ate back then, most of those species of animals and plants likely no longer exist today. They have all almost certainly either:

• Gone extinct, or
• Drastically changed as the result of domestication.

We might have a pretty good idea of how our ancestors ate, but not a good enough idea to say that all people would be better off if they avoided grains, legumes, and dairy completely. It’s much better to test these types of food out on yourself to see how you do before you decide to completely avoid them.  The rest here

i'm migrating over to wordpress, slowly

http://paleorunners.com/nutrition/

Barefoot Running: Reviewing the Medical Literature

Peer-reviewed literature has indirectly supported barefoot running for the past 20 years. In this video, podiatrist and surgeon Dr. Nicholas A. Campitelli discuss why it is safe to run barefoot and explain how we see a reduction in injury by running the way we were designed to run.

Peroneus Longus and Brevis

Two tendons in the ankle/foot that seem to plague runners with soreness or limited mobility.  Due to poor circulation, tendons take a long time to heal.  But frequently loosening up the associated attached muscles is all the relief you need.  Loosen these puppies up early and often.

When laying on your side like you're using a foam roller, put 'peanut' centered along the fibula and rol these puppies out. 







Do this by laying on your side, the way you'd use a foam roller. I'm showing where the pressure should be applied in this video. I taped two LaCrosse balls together using cheap athletic tape. (more elastic tape would work a little better). I call this 'the peanut'. the middle of the peanut makes a nice gap so you're not pushing on the fibia. this should be done laying on your side rolling down the peroneal muslces- loosening them up will release tightness on the tendons below - even into the fascia of the foot. Seems FAR removed, but this is relieving my PF and chronic anterior soreness.

Feel the Difference 8mm Can Make

^^No, that's not a clever line for a first date.  (Video Here, and pasted below) Saucony is fiiiinnally admitting their shoes structure is flawed by reducing their heel raise.  People that rely on their shoe mechanics will be slowly transformed into running better... maybe!

My first attempt at having a better footstrike was by buying Newton running shoes, oping their forefoot lugs would just make me land mo' properly.  That was a bad idea.  Increasing cadence, landing in a more bent-knee stance, lifting and NOT pushing out behind you can only be learned through the natural proprioceptive feedback mechanisms that are already installed in your feet.   Listen to your feets!  And re-learn how to run through technique, not equipment.

(geometry of a heel striker - not good form, not a good way to learn good form)

An Inspired (new) Runner

"You, too, could become a pain-free runner".   Why would he 'want' to run, running hurts, tires me out!?  Can't you get on an elliptical machine with a Cosmo-mag and do the same thing?

That was the topic of conversation with a wanna-be runner over this weekend (let's call him Patient X).  He has/had back problems that kept him from running.  Why would you want to run, how should I change the way I run? Why/how could I possibly run incorrectly?  ((isn't that like saying I chew incorrectly??))

This made me think of my "becoming a runner" origins.  I used to joke that it'd take hours of cycling to be a 'work out' BUT... 10 mins of running and I was spent!  Why was running so much harder for me?  That led me down the path (path, sidewalks, roads and track) to become a better runner.  I approached it the way an engineer would and have a system that I love to share. 

We talked with Patient X about a forward lean, an upright posture, a cadence that is resonant with the variable elasticity of the running chain of muscles and tendons.  "Don't fight the road, ask for its permission to brush it with the paint strokes of your running stride" :).   He was enthusiastic and left for a run with probably an even 956 points to consider when running - maybe we gave too many tips at once... hmmm.  BUT, when patient X returned from a run the smile told the whole story.  "wow it all makes perfect sense" "when the road was slanted or when I was coming to stop I'd return to heel striking and it was jolting to feel the difference".  And my favorite comment "it's similar to a Segway - the more you lean the faster you go". I'm going to steal that analog, thanks Patient X (now affectionately know as Pati'-X.)  We look forward to following your progress Pati', remember 'lift-lift-lift...tap-tap-tap-tap...' 

Inspiring someone to make a change for the better feels great.  Most runners and crossfitters I've met have love "spreading the word" and inspiring others.   After my November Crossfit Endurance Coaching Certification, I look forward to inspiring others spreading the movement to re-learn to run naturally.  Full circle, baby! 

Training Tip: Ditch The Flip-Flops (sorry, they gotta go)

Training Tip: Ditch The Flip-Flops

Published: Sep 16th 2011 3:09 PM UTC by Jené Shaw

 

Although they date back to King Tut and Cleopatra, your favorite thong-style sandal may be bad for your running health according to biomechanical experts The Gait Guys (Thegaitguys.com), Dr. Shawn Allen and Dr. Ivo Waerlop.

In 2008 Auburn University researchers found that wearing flip-flops alters your gait, which can result in biomechanical issues from your foot to your spine. “In flip-flops the kinetic chain is essentially asked to function differently,” Allen says. “They can force changes in step and stride length, reduce function of the glutes, and compromise lower leg and foot intrinsic muscles, to name a few.”
When wearing flip-flops, use of the foot intrinsic and toe extensor muscles is reduced in the stance phase of gait. What’s important about this is that the toe extensors, found in the lower leg, are synergists for ankle dorsiflexion (the upward movement of the foot), which is key in running. Without ample function of these muscles, the toe flexors, calf and Achilles shorten and tighten, which impairs optimal ankle and foot joint function.
3 strikes against flip-flops:

1. Without sufficient strength in the anterior tibial compartment (the front of your lower leg) you are at risk for several problems, including shin splints.
2. Lack of adequate function of the toe extensors can lead to toe flexor dominance (look to see if your toes have a gentle curl to them at rest; if so, you are in that group!) which has implications with general weakness of the foot muscles responsible for arch strength and general foot health.
3. In order to keep a flip-flop on our foot, we tend to grip with our flexors, which forces us deeper into this scenario.

If you are going to wear sandals and you want healthier feet, The Gait Guys recommend wearing sandals that have straps that fasten to your heel or lower leg.

Great Pic

A Great Barefoot Story

A Great Barefoot Story - How a flat footed upper 30s man converted to low cushioning.  Inspired by a barefoot/minimalist group in google groups.  ((like our http://www.facebook.com/groups/214273081795/ ))

His experience was just like mine, my 1st half marathon was a disaster at age 38, i needed physical therapy after!

<<Still, I resolved to challenge myself more and sign up for a half-marathon. I accepted a friend’s invitation to join Globe’s first Run for Home race in 2009 and began to train in earnest.
It was a disaster. Although I finished in just slightly over 2:30, I was practically limping at the finish line. I woke up the following day with Plantar Fasciitis, shin splints, and a sore back, forcing me to take the day off.>>

the advice he got from a barefoot 'coach:

<<Ted listed three training goals for a successful transition to minimalist running:
1. Gentle and silent mid-foot landings
2. A quicker cadence through shorter strides and slightly bent knees for natural shock absorption
3. An upright posture with your core engaged, belly button pulled into the spine with no bending at the waist>>


Full Article here