Your body is comprised of daily habits stored deep within your brain to make your life easier. Think about it… when you learn first learned to tie your shoe you were likely frustrated and by no means fast, flinging laces with a makeshift ‘loop, swoop, and pull’ technique. Flash forward to today. You likely don’t remember the details of your last lace up. You’re on autopilot, executing habit loops formed from thousands of repetitions. The application to running is the same. Your movement has been refined every step, every mile. The longer you’ve run, the more ingrained the movement.
Enter the shoe company. “Our patented ‘this and that’ improve efficiency by x-y-z.” After working one on one with runners for years, we find that most runners commit to poor form before their foot interacts with the ground, completely removing the likelihood of creating change from donning a new shoe. I can only assume were at the tail end of the vibram movement, but we’ve seen this fatal flaw committed here too. Donning a shoe often makes little difference for efficiency and run form without committing to improving movement. Don’t get me wrong.. the shoes can make a difference, but only after you address how you move.
If you want to ski, you generally ask for advice from a friend or instructor on the basics, wouldn’t you? A golfer looking to lower their handicap would seek advice of the club pro for advice. Runners just lace up and hit the roads, blind to the benefit of improving efficiency. Take a vow to commit to performing drills and exercises before and after every run; drills that promote efficiency and proper foot placement–without it you’ll be just another runner buying into the hype of marketing and presentation. you? A golfer looking to lower their handicap would seek advice of the club pro for advice. Runners just lace up and hit the roads, blind to the benefit of improving efficiency. Take a vow to commit to performing drills and exercises before and after every run; drills that promote efficiency and proper foot placement–without it you’ll be just another runner buying into the hype of marketing and presentation.
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