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Check out this book:

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Anonymous

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I am reading: Born To Run by Christopher McDougall

It is about ultradistance running, and centers mostly on a tribe that lives in Copper Canyon in Mexico who are amazing runners. It is about much more than that, and unfortunately, Mr Armstrong makes an appearance (used as a negative and positive example), but other than that, just a great book. It is developing a very cult like following already (was published this past May).

I don't want to spoil it too much, but the book is well written and is philosophically about pure sport. Running for the love of running. It is the counter balance to the sludge that is professional sports today.
 
May 18, 2009
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Not having posted a whole lot myself, I have to say, this book was fantastic.

Definitely worth picking up and reading, I can't imagine anyone being disappointed by it.
 
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cromagnon said:
Does it say what they're on? :rolleyes:

They're on their legs busting their asses for days on end, what are you on?:D

But yea, it does give some detail into their blowing off of steam, and it sounds like a pretty wild hoedown.
 
Thoughtforfood said:
They're on their legs busting their asses for days on end, what are you on?:D

But yea, it does give some detail into their blowing off of steam, and it sounds like a pretty wild hoedown.

Sandals, too, they're also on sandals. Runnin trails. Dudes are super bad ***.
 
cromagnon said:
I second that. Running = timetrial levels of pain 100% of the time for the pleasure of being jeered at by drunken teenagers on street corners.
Not to mention ruining your knees and traumatizing most of your skeleton causing who-knows what kind of damage.

Do any runners ever make it past 50? :D
 
Jim Fixx was one of millions of Americans who started running in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Unlike other runners, however Fixx wrote a best-selling book about running and, ironically, died of a heart attack at the age of 52 years while running. Fixx and the authors of other running books believed heart disease resulted from overcivilization and recommended running as a cure. Running was not merely a physical exercise, according to those authors, but also a way of life.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-84878708.html

Way of life, or way of death?

Yes, I know a sample case of one is meaningless, but the case of Jim Fixx is iconic, man.

Pardon my irrational hatred for the activity of running, but thanks for the opportunity to vent, and what do you expect on a bicycling forum anyway? Now, let's move on.
 
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Ninety5rpm said:
Not to mention ruining your knees and traumatizing most of your skeleton causing who-knows what kind of damage.

Do any runners ever make it past 50? :D

Read the book. All of that is talked about. Funny thing, the absence of support and shock absorption shoes causes those problems to disappear.

Seriously, read the book. It is fantastic.
 
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Thoughtforfood said:
Read the book. All of that is talked about. Funny thing, the absence of support and shock absorption shoes causes those problems to disappear.

Seriously, read the book. It is fantastic.

That's interesting, I remember a biomechanist commenting that if you put bone tissue under stress it is better at resisting forces that are applied rapidly. Large forces that are applied slowly, can actually cause bone to minutely deform more causing more wear and tear over time.

Air bags in running shoes etc slow the rate at which impact forces are applied in the (apparently) erroneous belief that this reduces the risk of injury. Barefoot running it is then. Now the teenagers will not just jeer at you they will chase you throwing bottles of thunderbird.
 
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cromagnon said:
That's interesting, I remember a biomechanist commenting that if you put bone tissue under stress it is better at resisting forces that are applied rapidly. Large forces that are applied slowly, can actually cause bone to minutely deform more causing more wear and tear over time.

Air bags in running shoes etc slow the rate at which impact forces are applied in the (apparently) erroneous belief that this reduces the risk of injury. Barefoot running it is then. Now the teenagers will not just jeer at you they will chase you throwing bottles of thunderbird.

They did a test with pressure plates and a runner running barefoot, with a very basic running shoe, and then a top of the line stability shoe. The greatest pressure exerted was with the top end shoe, and the lowest was the bare foot. You run more lightly and completely differently in bare feet.(ie. you don't heel strike. The form of running where you heel strike first and roll the foot over started after some dude in Oregon came up with a shoe that cushioned you heel so that you could. They had this stupid idea that longer strides were the way to go. Turns out that company did a study a few years ago and realized they had been wrong all along. They then came up with this thin, barely cushioned shoe. I cannot remember the name of the company, but I think they are pretty big...) In one study, they found that you were 123% more likely to be injured if you ran in the most expensive running shoes.

Seriously, get the book because it is about much more than that. Today is my first barefoot run. Wish me luck.
 
Thoughtforfood said:
They did a test with pressure plates and a runner running barefoot, with a very basic running shoe, and then a top of the line stability shoe. The greatest pressure exerted was with the top end shoe, and the lowest was the bare foot. You run more lightly and completely differently in bare feet.(ie. you don't heel strike. The form of running where you heel strike first and roll the foot over started after some dude in Oregon came up with a shoe that cushioned you heel so that you could. They had this stupid idea that longer strides were the way to go. Turns out that company did a study a few years ago and realized they had been wrong all along. They then came up with this thin, barely cushioned shoe. I cannot remember the name of the company, but I think they are pretty big...) In one study, they found that you were 123% more likely to be injured if you ran in the most expensive running shoes.

Seriously, get the book because it is about much more than that. Today is my first barefoot run. Wish me luck.
You have piqued my interest. Thanks.
 
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Ninety5rpm said:
You have piqued my interest. Thanks.

If nothing else, it is a good read. The author writes well, the story hooks you and keeps you in, and even if the story weren't true, it would still make a great fiction novel.
 
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Thoughtforfood said:
They did a test with pressure plates and a runner running barefoot, with a very basic running shoe, and then a top of the line stability shoe. The greatest pressure exerted was with the top end shoe, and the lowest was the bare foot. You run more lightly and completely differently in bare feet.(ie. you don't heel strike. The form of running where you heel strike first and roll the foot over started after some dude in Oregon came up with a shoe that cushioned you heel so that you could. They had this stupid idea that longer strides were the way to go. Turns out that company did a study a few years ago and realized they had been wrong all along. They then came up with this thin, barely cushioned shoe. I cannot remember the name of the company, but I think they are pretty big...) In one study, they found that you were 123% more likely to be injured if you ran in the most expensive running shoes.

Seriously, get the book because it is about much more than that. Today is my first barefoot run. Wish me luck.

the thing is one size does not fit all. people walk different, people run different. Some people are more economical with longer strides, and longer strides do not always equal heel strike, etc, but some jerk decided this is the best way to run and it is not true. I used to run against i guy who is involved with the Newton shoe company and he always had a long efficient stride and with a mid foot strike.
I have heard and read alot about this group of indians, saw a film on them running night & day and one of the most intriguing things was watching them repair their sandals when they went to pieces. When you run long distance like these guys, your feet really swell so shoes would be totally impractical.
BTW the only decent running shoe Nike ever produced had virtually no padding so your foot was in its natural position. that was back in the mid 70s and it was called the Oregon waffle racer and it was a cross country race only shoe. Bowerman used to build up the heel of the other nike models and yet not use any materials for stability so the minute u hit an uneven surface your heel would slip off the heel of the shoe & you would turn your ankle:mad: we got them for free and we refused to train in them instead we paid for our own Tigers or addidas, which basically had the same padding fore & aft at the time so your foot still worked in a natural manner. Cant find those kind of shoes anymore though:(
 
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Well, I ran barefoot this morning, and it was great. I think I may buy the Vibrum 5 fingers for winter, but I am going to run with no shoes for awhile. I had a blast this morning.
 
On a related note, years ago there was a promoter who was bringing Tarahumara indians to ultra trail running races in the U.S. He tried to get the races to pay for their participation, but there is not a lot of money in ultrarunning, and the race directors certainly don't want to spend it on start fees.

There was a lot of self promotion going on. When they got into town they would go to the dump, bringing along whatever local news media they could muster, and make their sandles out old tires.

During the Wasatch 100 they set up a fake checkpoint where the news (I think it was the local ABC affiliate) filmed the indian being denied aid by the "race."

I would also like to see someone run barefoot on the trails that I run. You would have to have pretty thick calluses to fend off the goat head thorns, not to mention all the rocks.

Leadville 100 is today. My brother is doing that, and I don't think he put the required long runs in. If his experience is anything like mine when I did not do the right training, he is going to suffer.
 
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BroDeal said:
On a related note, years ago there was a promoter who was bringing Tarahumara indians to ultra trail running races in the U.S. He tried to get the races to pay for their participation, but there is not a lot of money in ultrarunning, and the race directors certainly don't want to spend it on start fees.

There was a lot of self promotion going on. When they got into town they would go to the dump, bringing along whatever local news media they could muster, and make their sandles out old tires.

During the Wasatch 100 they set up a fake checkpoint where the news (I think it was the local ABC affiliate) filmed the indian being denied aid by the "race."

I would also like to see someone run barefoot on the trails that I run. You would have to have pretty thick calluses to fend off the goat head thorns, not to mention all the rocks.

Leadville 100 is today. My brother is doing that, and I don't think he put the required long runs in. If his experience is anything like mine when I did not do the right training, he is going to suffer.

They talk about all of that in the book. The promoter was the guy doing ALL of the circus stuff. The Tarahumara only ran a few races before getting tired of his crap.