It's All About Running PROPERLY

I read a book about running. Some of you say, “Gee whiz, Dan, you even read books about simple physical things like running? You need a book for that?!?”

You know what? I’m going to answer that question as soon as I find a book that addresses the subject.

Anyhow, this book was about ultra marathoners. Ultra marathoners are people who run races that are 100 miles long, or even longer.  Or, they compete in races where the contestants run for 48 hours straight and whoever covers the most distance is the winner.  It’s incredible!  We’re talking about phenomenally conditioned athletes.

The book said something very interesting.  It said that human beings are built for running. Studies have shown this to be true. In fact, it described how humans, over long distances, can actually out-run horses. Really. This is true. Keep in mind, we’re not talking about short races.  Obviously, a horse can out-run a person in a short race. In a dash to the refrigerator a horse will win every time. But in a lengthy run, 75 to 100 miles, or more, apparently, men can out-run horses.

The book profiled a very secretive tribe of Indians who live in Mexico’s Copper Canyons. And it told of their legendary ability to run for long, long distances.  How do they do it? It turns out that they RUN PROPERLY.

Well, I read this book and I got all excited about running again. I got motivated to hit some long trails. I was fired up! Usually, I walk or I ride a stationary bike, these days.  But I started running.  Started slowly trying to build up to some long distances.  But, here’s the important part: I was running properly.  That’s the difference.  That’s what I learned from the book:  Running properly is key.

In the book they said that humans were made to run, it’s natural to us. So, when people get hurt running, it’s because we’re not running properly.  We’re not running the way we were naturally designed to run.  When we run properly, it changes everything. I began running, but now I was running properly, like the legendary canyon people.

Anyhow, I wrote all this to say that I hurt my knee, running.

So, I’m not able to run properly.  In fact, I’m having a little trouble walking properly. Last night I even experienced some minor confusion just trying to brush my teeth properly. (But that may be unrelated to the running.)

You say, “Dan, what about all the advice in the book? And the legendary tribe of runners in the Copper Canyons in Mexico? What about out-running horses from here to the state border and back again?”

Well, I’m using the book these days to prop up a table that has a leg that’s too short.

And I saw a piece on the Internet the other day.  That secret legendary tribe of runners in the canyons of Mexico?  They’re all seeing orthopedic surgeons. These doctors insist that the human foot is perfectly designed for surgery.

By the way, did I tell you that I recently read a book about TYPING properly? It turns out that there’s a legendary tribe of typists up in the Himalayans….