Part 1: My Quest to Become a Better Runner - The Baseline

This will be the first post in a series considering changes that can be made to become a better runner. To set the scene I wanted to post about what I have tried already and how I plan to identify further improvements.

First of all what is a ‘better’ runner? I think from my perspective it includes the following factors, all of which in one way or another are closely linked:

• reduced amount of running injuries,
• greater enjoyment of the running experience,
• a more efficient runner, and
• improved race times.

The more of the above that can be achieved then obviously the better.

The Truth About Sports Products

Just a quick post about an episode of the BBC's  Panaorma programme the ‘The Truth About Sports Products’. The episode was aired on British TV a few months back, but I have just noticed that it has appeared on You Tube.

The first part of the programme gives a good account of the lack of evidence for the effectiveness of branded sports drinks and supplements. It certainly got me thinking about simplifying my nutrition for running. 

The second part of the programme talks about the lack of evidence regarding the injury prevention boasts of conventional running shoes (pronation control etc), it even has an appearance by the natural running guru Daniel Lieberman. 

You can find out more about the content of the programme here.

A Budget Minimalist Running Shoe for Less Than £10

I just picked up a new pair of running shoe from Decathlon while on holiday in Italy recently that seems to tick all the boxes for a good minimalist running shoe (without actually using them for running at the moment!). The shoe is branded as ‘Newfeel’ according to the label on the side of the shoes.

They are zero drop from heel to toe, and have no arch support whatsoever. The sole is made from plastic and is only about five millimetres in depth, so they don’t offer much cushioning. The shoes do not come with an insole so I decided to fit a thin general flat  insole that I bought from a supermarket for about £4 for 6 pairs.

Being the sort of person who spends quite a bit of money on running shoes I am intrigued as to how these will perform in comparison to my branded minimalist shoes. I will give them a month or so and report back on the blog how they worked out.

Tread Lightly Book Review

Tread Lightly is a book by Peter Larson and Bill Katovsky. Pete is well known in running blog circles as being the writer of runblogger.com.  This and other blogs have been a great help to me in learning how to adopt a more natural running technique over the past year.

Summary

Tread Lightly provides a good introduction to current research on natural  running - that is running in a manner that is more akin to running barefoot. It provides a balanced view of the science and anecdotal evidence (where research is lacking) surrounding running injury risk reduction and is likely to be of use to the recreational runner and the more serious runner. I would highly recommend that you read this book. 

Review

The book is very balanced. The authors provide a very honest opinion of the relative merits and disadvantages of natural running issues. This is often backed up by summaries of research, where available or anecdotal evidence where it is not. Coming from a science background I liked this aspect of the book as it not based on opinion but is backed up largely by hard facts.

Running Without Socks

I always ran with socks, right up until about March 2012. I have to admit I have tried being sockless in the past, but not for running, usually on holiday somewhere warm. But my feet would end up sweaty and rub on my shoes causing blisters. 

There I was working away from home in London and I noticed someone on the train who had just been to the gym not wearing socks with running shoes. I don’t know why but It made something click in my mind. I had always worn socks and not thought much about not wearing them when running. So I decided to give running sockless a try.

Running Shoe Wear

Since January 2012  I have made some significant changes to the way I run.

It is generally perceived that a more natural running technique involves a ‘mid-foot’ strike (where pretty much all of the foot hits the ground at the same time) rather than a heel strike (where the heel hits the ground first followed by the forefoot). Being keen to make some quick changes to my running technique this was one of the first things I did to adopt a more natural running style.

The Basics of Natural Running

I am a big fan of the natural running scene having made some major changes to my running technique and running in minimalist running shoes since January 2012. This is something I will be discussing more over the coming month. Anyway if you want to make some changes to the way you run to help reduce injury risk take a look at the film below. It features Daniel Lieberman from Harvard University who is a guru on natural running. It is a great introduction to the topic.