Born to Run

I received the book, Born to Run, for my birthday.  I had heard quite a bit about this book recently, so I was very excited to be able to finally read it.

The book is written by a journalist who also happens to be a runner.  He is telling the story of the Tarahumara Indians from Mexico, who happen to to be some of the world's best endurance athletes.  They run either barefoot or in rubber tread huarache sandals.

In the book he is looking to learn the secrets of the Tarahumara distance running success, as he had been plagued with running injuries for most of his running life.

I won't divulge any more of the story, as I would highly recommended reading the book. 

Besides the story that he tells, there is also a lot of information regarding a relatively new movement towards barefoot running.

Now, my first thought about barefoot running, was that this is just a couple of crazy people for which barefoot running has worked for, so they think everyone should do it.   As a Physical Therapist,  I definitely thought that this was the worst idea ever for runners to have no footwear.

Running is a wonderful way of keeping in shape and staving off the effects of aging, but it also poses a higher potential for injury compared with other forms of exercise.

With each step during a run, you can have up to 10 times your body weight jolting through your legs and spine.  It would be crazy to go without some sort of support on your feet to help 'cushion' some of this shock, right?

Well, according to the book that would be true, but only because we all tend to run incorrectly, or at least not as we were born to run.

 Heel Strike.                           Forefoot Strike

If you were to run without shoes on, odds are you will be running more towards your forefoot and toes, rather than over-striding and landing on your heel,  and sending a 1700 pound (in my case) shock-wave through your leg and spine.

The picture to the right shows the difference between the detrimental 'heel strike' during running and the more efficient and safe 'forefoot strike'.

The book's theory is that by wearing shoes for cushioning, stability and support, it encourages this heel strike during running, thereby subjecting us to a lot more wear and tear than running should actually be causing.

The shoe, they claim, is like a brace for the foot.  When it comes to Physical Therapy, I only uses braces when absolutely necessary because the body adapts to this support and allows the muscles which should be giving the support to relax and not be activated.

Could this be happening in the foot by continually wearing shoes as a 'brace'?

I think it is a feasible possibility.

Now, I am certainly not advocating that everyone go get rid of their shoes and start running barefoot.  I don't think that everyone is a candidate for running barefoot, and even if they are, it should be a gradual and slow progression to allow the foot and ankle to adapt and strengthen.

I will not be running barefoot anytime soon, but I am definitely going to work on altering a few things from a technique and bio-mechanical standpoint, in order to reduce injury risk and increase running efficiency. 

Who knows, maybe I will be running around wearing these some day!

2010 Fall Big Hole Scramble

It has become somewhat of a tradition for the Mejeurs to participate in the Big Hole Scramble at Crestview Golf Course.

It works out nicely for a couple of reasons.  One, it's a scramble, so it eliminates the need to play well individually.  Secondly, the hole is bigger, so putting is much easier.

This year players included my Dad, brothers Greg, Nick, Danny,  my sister Theresa and her husband and my brother in law Aaron, and of course my lovely wife Jenna.

My dad and three brothers made up one foursome and then Jenna and I along with Aaron and Theresa made up the other foursome.

Our team did not have real high expectations, as our experience and frequency on the golf course was a little lacking.  We got off to a rough start with a bogey, but then managed to string together a bunch of pars.  We finished the first nine holes with two birdies, to make the turn at one-under.

The weather was a bit chilly, so we had a hot dog and some hot chocolate at the turn.  Theresa's hot dog was apparently very good, so good in fact that it "warmed her soul".  It did help her game too, as she got us off to a great start on the back nine.

We had some ups and downs on the back nine, but Aaron drained a 15 foot putt to birdie the last hole and finish at one-under overall!   We had a good team effort as everyone was able to contribute a shot or two.

Theresa and Aaron kept things entertaining with their usual back and forth banter, and tips to one another on how to improve their play.

Jenna did very well, considering it was only her second time playing, her first time playing 18 holes, and doing so in the chilly weather. 

My Dad and brothers finished considerably better, at ten-under par.  Overall it was another good Big Hole Scramble.

Here are a few pictures of the day. 

Friday Nite Happenings...

So Jenna and I decided to celebrate the first day of October by going out for dinner and a movie.

We ate at North Eleven. A first time experience for us both. She had a pizza, I had a burrito. We would rate the food as "good, not great."

We stopped at Meijer on the way to the theatre to get some candy to smuggle in, and avoid the candy inflation.

We hurried over to the theatre just in case it was going to be busy being opening weekend for 'The Social Network'.

We failed to consider two things. One, this isn't the Twilight series, and two, we were going to the Gull Road Cinema.

We arrived 45 minutes early, bought tickets and were then informed they would open the theatre in 30 minutes for our movie.

We were however, first in line for tickets. Unfortunately no one else was in line behind us, or even in the lobby for that matter.

And that has led me to blog from my phone. Time to watch our movie...in another 20 minutes! :)