Our bodies were not meant for running…
April 13th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
While my friend Heather and I were stretching out after our workout this morning, a friend of ours makes the **statement that “we are not built to run.”
Me: “What?? Yes we are!”
Heather: “Yes I am! I did the 400m dash in 56 seconds back in grade school, and I was chubby back then. That’s pretty fast for a chubby grade schooler!”
Him: “No, we’re just not meant to run. Our bodies are not built for it.”
Well, how do you argue that without some evidence to back your argument up? So I went digging and found some pretty convincing articles on why the human body was, in fact, meant for running (and long distances at that!). The key arguments for why we were built for running are as follows (for those of you who don’t care to go research on your own):
1. Your foot, ankle and calf act like a loaded spring with its intricate system of ligaments and tendons. When using proper form, this system can withstand great forces (i.e. 3x body weight when running).
2. Our bodies have lots of sweat glands with very little hair (well, for the most of us at least – you know who you are) which allows us to cool efficiently while running long distances.
3. Having our big toes attached to a large muscle (flexus hallucis longus) opens up lots of potential for some very strong toe-off movement.
4. We have a highly developed sense of balance.
Pretty fancy, eh? Score 1 for evolution.
So what are the arguments that support why we’re not built to run? To be honest, I couldn’t really dig any up online! Which is a real shame because I love a good laugh. Well, let’s just analyze the one that says “it’s bad for your joints.” Sure, ok, if you run pounding your joints, that’s definitely bad for you. But that’s not how we’re built to run. We are not built to run with our heel hitting the ground first; instead, you should land forefoot first with a light relaxing of the heel onto the ground. You must imagine a potato chip under your heel. Don’t squish it! Also you have to be careful not to over-stride. Over-striding is a very jarring movement since your forward momentum is interrupted each time your foot hits the ground.
Naysayer: “But I already do this and my joints STILL hurt!”
Well, hmmm. You don’t say. It might be that over time as you’re running your muscles become so fatigued that they start offloading some of the work to your bones and joints. Don’t over-train! Rest is a vital part of training for any athletic endeavor. Give your muscles time to recuperate, especially if you’re running long distances. If your joints hurt from the get-go, look into some good stretching techniques and be sure to be consistent with them. Don’t just go through the movements, make sure to hold the stretch at least 30 seconds before moving to the next one. Runner’s knee is a very common joint type pain that can be relieved with stretching. Who knew it could be so simple!
**Statement Disclaimer: Apparently our friend was saying that his body specifically, and Heather’s, were not built for running. Not that all humans in general were not meant to run. Though it made for a great article!
