Back by Popular Demand?

I have been absent for awhile, though I have not in any way curtailed my running. In fact, I've probably been running as much as ever.

Admittedly, I stopped making posts because I was seeing little interest, if any. But, within the past few weeks, there has been a flurry of visits and posts, indicating substantial interest in the subjects I'm covering here.

So, I'm more than happy to resume my general coverage of the benefits of running, based on my research and nearly five decades of running experience. I still do all the reading and am constantly checking out new sources of information, simply for my own benefit. I'm more than happy to share.

But please let me know you're out there, and when I post something that really helps. And, conversely, when I don't.

It's great to hear from fellow runners ... and know that I can contribute in some small way, any way, to  keeping their interest and enthusiasm up.

It must be in the  air. I was running in the park near my home today and a guy asked me about my Vibram Five Fingers. We ended up talking for about 15 minutes.

Helping other people find the joy I've found in running? For me, that's as good as it gets.

Can we make pain our friend?

The so-called King of One-Liners, Henny Youngman, had a famous riff on the medical profession that included my all-time favorite line on pain management:

“I went to the doctor myself and I said, ‘Doc, it hurts when I do that.’” Youngman raised an arm. “The Doc said, ‘Don’t do that.’”

For me, that simple truth lies at the heart of the benefits of running barefoot: throughout millions of years of evolution, the human anatomy has perfected an elegant system of feedback that tells us we are doing something wrong. We know that system quite simply, as pain.

When we eat the wrong foods, we get an upset stomach (TV commercials notwithstanding). When we are running too fast, we get side-stitches in the short term, oxygen debt in the medium term and fatigue in the long term.

And when we runners pronate, supinate, over-stride or heel-strike, we have pain in our feet, legs and skeletal system.

Over the past 30 years, the footwear industry has rushed in with a solution. If you just wear the right shoes, with the right kind and amount of support, or so they would have us believe, the pain will go away.

If that were true, there would be fewer running injuries, fewer knee surgeries, less need for orthotics, and, in general, less pain. That, of course, is not the case.

When we run barefoot or with minimalist footwear, we learn very quickly about over-striding and heel striking. Usually in about the first 20 steps. We automatically adjust and find a rhythm, stride and cadence that works.

I’ll never forget the first time I experienced that particular phenomenon. In February of 2009, I ran my first marathon, even though I had been a runner for about 45 years at that point.

Immediately after that race, which I ran in a pair of Nike Frees, I began to experience tremendous pain in the outside-middle area of my left foot, right in front of the heel bone.

That pain continued for months. Then about May of that year, I happened to pick up Christopher McDougall’s book, Born to Run, and read with great fascination the information he presents about running barefoot.

Figuring I had nothing to lose, I tried it and was amazed at the results. The pain went away almost instantaneously and only returned when I wore shoes. I ordered a pair of Vibram Five Fingers and have been alternating between barefooting and Five-Fingering ever since, with the exception of that first winter, when I chickened out and returned to the shoes.

It has been a transformative experience. And the most compelling benefit, in addition to the sheer pleasure and joy of running, has been the self-correcting aspect of the running experience. I think it may have been ChiRunning founder Danny Dreyer who called it “form school,” or even “reform school.”

I’ve learned, for instance, that I tend to supinate. Not sure why, but I do. So, unlike most other people, I have to adjust my foot placement inward. I make sure I’m not curling my toes under — something I do all too easily — but push off my middle toes on each stride.

I’ve even found that consciously changing my foot placement can alleviate pain not just in my foot, but in my knees or even my quads or hips. And what’s really weird is that I’ve even found that proper foot placement in my right foot alleviates pain in my left hamstring. Go figure.

The point is that the experience has been like going to med school. Or, even more specifically, a med school devoted to me. I still go to the doctor, of course.

But I’ve kinda learned that, while a doctor can often mask or even repair the damage, the person who can best correct the problem and prevent more severe injury is staring me in the face in the mirror every morning. I’ve learned that pain is our friend. And I’ve applied that idea generally, not just about running.

When my body is fighting me about a food, I listen. And when I am feeling tired and dragged out, I look at my schedule. Will it work for everything? Don’t know. But it’s worked a lot for a ton of things, including diet and weight control.

All that from running barefoot, the way nature intended. Physician, heal thyself, indeed.

This post also appears on the Natural Running Center site.

You Run Enough ...

You run enough. You don’t have to run more. In fact, you probably ran too much. You don’t need to run a marathon. Or any other race. Unless you want to.

Whew, there I said it. I’ve finally gotten used to the idea that I’m not going to run in the Olympics or win the Boston Marathon. And that’s really OK. Honest.

I guess some of this has happened because I got a call from a certain magazine asking me to resubscribe to benefit a very worthy charity. I declined. Because, first, if I took advantage of every resubscribe offer they send, I’d be getting a copy until the turn of the next century.

But more importantly, I’m really tired of reading about Ryan and Kara, Meb and all the icons of the sport. I don’t want to read about how I should run more. That I should do more marathons. And, if I do marathons, I should do ultras.

And, after almost half a century (my competitive career started in the spring of 1964) of racing, I don’t really need to read that if I just did this or that, I’d be able to run just a little faster.

No, I’m done with all that. I’m done with racing and competing and struggling for a PR. But I’m not done with running. Not at all. In fact, you can say I’ve had it with racing, but I’m in love with running more than ever.

It’s true that I’ve had some incredible experiences during races: my best ever five-mile run. My high-school track team in the 60s. My first (and only) marathon two and a half years ago.

But those great experience pale into insignificance when compared to the everyday experiences I’ve had on the run.

I’ve seen wildlife of almost every shape and color. I’ve seen dawn arrive in some of the most gorgeous countryside on the face of the earth. I’ve seen sunlight sparkling off the dew along my running path. I’ve admired the eerie, opalescent glow of fog. And I’ve marveled at the breathtaking quiet during a winter’s snowfall.

I’ve never felt more alive before or after a run. On the day after my daughter’s wedding. On the day my grandson was born. Or even on the day after a warm and intimate event with my loved ones.

As I’ve said many times before, I’m a better, healthier, happier person because I’m a runner. I’m better adjusted, I think better, work harder, and feel better all day long, after I’ve started it with a run. So why in the world would I want to put that at risk (of injury or over-use) by running in a race?

I’m hoping my decades of running experience give me the credibility to grant that same latitude, cut you that same slack.

You don’t have to run more.

You don’t have to race harder.

You don’t have to run more marathons.

Unless you want to.

Don’t make anyone or anything ruin what you have today. Run that race if you want to. Or feel free to bag it for a leisurely run through the park (or even a few extra moments of worship at St. Mattress).

Very few of you are going to win the Olympics or a major marathon, either. Sorry, that’s true. That’s just the way it is.

But most of you can have what I’ve enjoyed for a lifetime: the incredible feeling of wholeness and vitality that flows over me every time I run.

For nearly 50 years, that’s as good as it gets. Today’s elite runners like Ryan and Kara and Meb can’t get anything more out of running than I already have.

And I wish all of you runners out there, young and old, could have the same incredible experience that I’ve had.

Here’s the secret: I’m pretty sure that has nothing to do with racing.

Thank You, ING!

We all know ING is a marathon sponsor. But now, it's doing something even cooler: helping kids discover the joy of running.

For those of you who don't know, insurance and finance giant ING today announced its Run for Something Better program, aimed at providing up to 50 grants of $2,500 to schools in support of running programs. Schools can find out more here.

Personally, I can remember that time 50 years ago when I was a confused 12-year-old who discovered the benefits of running. First, I was astounded that I could do something right. Second, I found that every day kept getting better and better. And third, I found the rush of thoughts, emotions and hormones all kind of evened out when I hit the road. And, for that, I will always be eternally grateful.

It's only gotten better from there. From the physical improvement to the weight loss to the stress relief and now, the spiritual benefits, I know I'm a better, healthier, happier person because I'm a runner. And now, thousands of kids have a chance to find the same thing.

I'm so pleased ING is helping today's kids found what I found so long ago: the key to a better, more successful future. Thank you, ING! What a great thing to do!

If there's any way those of us who've lived the runner's life can help, please let us know.

Neuroscientist Says Running Helps Prevent Alzheimer's

Neuroscientist Henrietta van Praag says in an article published today in the Australian newspaper site The Age that physical activities, especially running, help prevent neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Her research, van Praag notes, showed "increased survival rates of new neurons in mice, thus achieving 'neurogenesis' or brain regeneration. In 1999 my team showed than running is the main neurogenic factor: mice housed with a running wheel showed increased neurogenesis and improved learning and memory."

That finding, she writes, has been replicated by other labs. And her most recent work, she points out, demonstrates that of all the other factors involved in creation of new brain cells, "the single stand-out adaptation is exercise."

And while exercise is most successful in creating new brain cells in the young, an active lifestyle also allows neurogenesis to occur in adults.

"As brains can also regenerate throughout adult life, we may find 'lifestyle factors' such as exercise program can promote neurogenesis and provide a critical 'buffer' which could delay the onset of, say, Alzheimer's disease," van Praag writes.

Exercise is simple and cheap, she adds, and there is growing evidence linking it to a host of physical and health benefits.

"The possibility of maximizing our cognitive potential is another good reason to turn our sedentary, over-nourished lives around," she concludes.

The next study the team will tackle is determining why exercise benefits the brain, she adds.

Barefoot Running Article in The Health Journal

Amy Labadie and Shelly Mickens have written an informative article in The Health Journal called Barefoot Running: Trend to Try? It presents the pros and cons of barefoot and minimalist running in a very balanced way.

While in some ways attempting to discourage people from givning up their shoes, the article cites research estimating that barefoot runners burn more energy and run about three percent faster than a runner wearing shoes. My guess is that that's enough to get most runners interested.

Plus it also documents the advantages of a midfoot strike, noting that barefoot running virtually forces runners to stop heel striking and land midfoot.

It's worth the read, especially if you're considering the minimalist approach.

The 10% Rule: How Important Is It?

The 10% rule has always been one of the staples of long-distance training. Increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%, and risk injury. Or so the thinking goes.

Writing on his Marathon Nation site, running coach Patrick McCrann puts the 10% rule in better focus in a discussion called “The Real Meaning of the 10% Rule.”

His take on whether the rule should be followed religiously: it depends. On the athlete, on the situation, and so on.

I have to agree. My own experience in nearly half a century of running is that when I got injured had nothing to do with the 10% rule. I’ve always used it as a guide, see here. But not something to be followed slavishly.

I like the fact that Patrick puts the responsibility squarely where it belongs: on the runner. No arbitrary rule is going to cause you injury if you are training appropriately and listening to your body. And, conversely, it’s not going to save you if you’re abusing yourself either.

The point is to know yourself and what your body can handle. That’s not only a rule for running, it’s a rule for life.

And what I like about running is that it helps us understand and live that “know yourself” rule. Another one of the benefits of running.