BORN TO RUN + 4 TIPS TO LEARN TO LOVE RUNNING
Brief History:
The ability of humans to walk upright or bipedalism began to develop between six to seven million years ago. Bipedalism was a unique trait that separated the first hominids from the rest of the four legged apes. Around the 20th century, anthropologists thought that it was our brains that made hominids unique. At the time this it was understandable to believe this because the only known hominid fossils found were of brainy species like Neanderthals and Homo-erectus.
Evolving:
As our environments began to change, walking on two legs helped us thrive. Once the Earth’s climate began to cool and the rainforests in Africa began to shrink, our ancestors had to adapt to walk on land. Walking upright enabled our hands to be free to pick fruits and carry our resources to help our tribe survive. Anthropologist C. Owen Lovejoy suggests that males evolved to walk upright so that they could carry food for females and their young.
BORN TO RUN:
Compared to other animals, humans are athletically pathetic. If you compare us to a leopard, a cheetah, or your house cat we are pathetic in comparison. Cats, dogs, and other ape like creatures can do almost everything better than us physically except carry and run long distances. We are the only animal in the world that can carry loads on our backs for a sufficient amount of time, it’s one of the many reasons that helped us live so long and create so many stunning civilizations. Humans are also the only animals designed to run long distances. Through the course of evolution our bodies adapted efficient sweat glands, strong achilles tendons, and a stable gait (movement of our limbs). Scientists propose that we evolved to hunt prey by chasing them over long distances till exhaustion. We could never out sprint a gazelle, but chase them down till they collapse of exhaustion is something we can do. The beautiful features we have that allow for this include:
a fairly flat face which keeps the center of mass of our head back to make it easier for balance.
mouth breathing instead of nasal breathing which allows for more heat to dissolve and better air flow.
Absence of fur and substantial sweat glands enable us to release the heat we accumulate by our contracting muscles and keeping a maintainable body temperature. Humans have the incredible feature to sweat from our scalp, forehead and face that keeps our blood cool before it reaches our brain.
Broad shoulders that rotate on their own enabling our arms to move freely while our heads look ahead. Our wide shoulders also help to keep us balanced and stabilized.
A dump truck (gluteus maximus) that is highly efficient in keeping us running, preventing us from falling forwards and face planting. We barely use this muscle when we walk but the next time you’re out running focus on how much the muscle contracts.
Long tendons in our legs that help us store and release mechanical energy (the energy an object possesses due to its motion or position). The ability to store and release this energy enables us to reduce the metabolic cost of running.
Arches in our feet the serve as shock absorbers that reduce impact and serve as springs.
Yes indeed, we were born to run! The way we run today is a lot different from how our ancestors used to do it. Back then we only ran from danger, to chase prey, and to play. In our current society we run for exercise (which we invented), play, and to be first line at the Apple store on Black Friday. We run for different reasons but most of us dread it. It’s hard to get up from our cozy beds, cozy couches, and climate controlled rooms to lace up the shoes. We were born to run and its benefits provide us with a long list of science backed evidence. But instead of focusing on that lets focus on how to run when you hate running.
LEARN HOW TO LOVE RUNNING W/ THESE TIPS:
Before I picked up a jump rope, I primarily chose running as my source of cardio. I’ve been running track and cross country since I was seven years old and competed all throughout middle and high school. When I was training for professional motocross we ran frequently for training, but my running was put into storage three years ago when I got heavily invested into my jump rope. Recently i’ve started implementing 6 mile runs 2x a week as part of my program to be as elite of an athlete I can possibly be. If you’re new to running or you hate it and want to learn to love it, here is a couple things that can help cure the dread of logging in those miles:
1. RUN OUTSIDE:
We associate running with the word “torture” or “boring”. But many of the people who say running is boring are the ones who tend to do their running on the treadmill. Taking your runs outside is so much more beneficial for your health than it is inside. Running outside allows you to inhale fresh air, exhale bullshit, bask in nature, soak up the sun and benefit from the vitamins it provides you. Lastly it’s more challenging, there are elements found outside that make it harder to emulate on the treadmill. These elements involve uphills, downhills, tree roots, vehicles, neighbors dogs, and little things such as cracks on the sidewalks that force you to modify your stride. These elements not only put extra stress on your body but it also activates the pre frontal cortex section of your brain responsible for decision making. It’s the best of both worlds, not only are you exercising your body but also your brain.
2. RUN AT DIFFERENT TIMES:
Experiment with running at different times in the day to make your runs a little bit interesting. I love doing my runs at 5am while the world is still asleep but I do experiment with afternoon runs to challenge myself with the sun. You don’t have to run at the same time all the time. It can be good to switch it up as a change of pace ;). I do 99% of my runs at 5am before school, but if your schedule allows you to switch don’t be shy to experiment. Challenge yourself to a run before the sun rises, a run where the sun is at its peak, a run when the sun is going down or a run when the moon rises so you can tell your friends you were busy protecting Gotham or Hells Kitchen.
3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO WALK/LIGHTLY TREAD:
I personally love to kick the shit out of myself on a run and I recommend we should all incorporate hard runs that kick our asses occasionally, but if you try killing yourself on every run you wont last. If you’re new to running chances are you’re going to want to want to stop at certain points. My advice to you is don’t completely stop, mix in some walking or light treading. Run for a few minutes and then walk for a little and then run again for a few minutes. It’s important that when you’re first starting to learn your pace and stick to it. The more you practice the more you’ll build, and the faster your pace will get. If you get to the point where you feel yourself cramping up, ease off, focus on your breathing, and walk or tread lightly. When you catch your breath ask yourself honestly “Can I go a little more?”, and if thats a yes pick those feet up and conquer the rest of the distance. Real runners will never shame you for stopping to walk especially if you’re new, you’re in your fight, focus on your battle, and fuck those guys.
4. RUN WITH FRIENDS:
Running alone can be difficult and mentally taxing but having a friend with you can elevate the vibrations and boost your motivation. The best part about running with a friend or in a group is having that brotherhood or sisterhood. When you’re running in a group everyone is part of the same team, you’re all striving towards the same goal which is crossing the finish line. There is a special feeling when you’re running with a group of highly motivated individuals that is absent when you’re by yourself. If you start falling behind I can guarantee one person will fall back to boost you towards the front of the pack. As someone who loves group runs, it’s spiritually rewarding to help your friend push and give him or her the motivation they need in order to cross the line with the rest of the pack. Humans are pack animals, we used to live in tribes, there is a primal feeling that kicks in when we see our friends falling back. We want nothing more than to see them cross the line with the rest of us. Running with friends can elevate your running to a whole new level and enhance your relationship with the action we evolved to do.
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