ADVERSE EFFECTS OF A NATIONAL RUNNING FEVER

There's currently a huge running-boom in my home country of Sweden, and has been for some years now. Community races are setting new participant records every year and a recent national study showed that 1 out of 5 of the population goes out for a run at least once every week. Several specialized running shops (unique for a country like Sweden), running magazines and fashionable running collections can be seen everywhere and it has truly become trendy (and status – just like golf and tennis) to show that you care about your health and call yourself a runner.

One thing though, that hasn't reached the great mass quite yet is how people run – running technique. Sure, occasionally you'll hear advice about staying relaxed, how to carry your arms etc but most of the times tips on “how to find your pulse-zone” (based on the useless 220 – age formula...why invest so much time and technology if the factor everything is based upon is inaccurate in the first place?), “guides to interval running” or the “best up-beat songs for your iPod”, etc.

Here are some quotes from the two biggest daily newspapers in Sweden (Expressen and Aftonbladet) and their "advice" on the running topic.

“just go out and do it”, “Increase your stride length – become a more gracious runner”, “having the right music is the absolute most important thing”, “My best advice is to completely shut off mentally, don't think” and “running is so simple, all you need is a pair of running shoes” (but do you, really?)...“Make sure you have shoes that provides cushioning and support, that will save both your back, knees and improve posture”.
Read this previous post or watch the video below (especially from 2.14) and you'll hear the complete opposite.






Löplabbet, the biggest specialized running shoe retailer in Sweden, recently started to sell Vibram Speed (I guess they couldn't fight it anymore, although they are only available online, so far). The description on their website is quite amusing:

“The staff at Löplabbet thinks that barefoot running on a soft, giving surface is a a great complement to your usual running regime to strengthen up the muscles in the feet”.
So, are they saying that barefoot/minimalistic running is great for foot strength but that it should only be complimentary so that you can put your running shoes back on to weaken the muscles again?
Check out this previous post to learn more about the pros and cons about using Vibrams and minimalistic/barefoot running.

If you chose to believe daily newspaper journalism, running experts are plenty. To give an example, here's a picture from an article featuring Sofi Fahrman, fashion reporter and Swedish media profile, on how to get in shape for the summer by running.



I took the freedom to analyze the photo accompanying the article where Sofi is clearly demonstrating running form looking like she's coming straight from the catwalk with hip popping out and knee falling in (frontal plane collapse in the acetabulofemoral and patellofemoral joint). Ms.Fahrman would really benefit doing this exercise in order to avoid a hip replacement down the road...


Please be aware that my point by writing this post is not to scare people away from running by complicating things, nor is it to make myself a self-procalimed running expert. I'm just looking to increase peoples awareness of the important relationship between running form and injuries and reminding people to critically review everything you read and hear as much as possible (just like you should reading this or any other blog-post).

Stay tuned for future posts reviewing the POSE method of running, Chi running, etc.

Now, lunch-break is over and two more PT-clients await before I can call it a day!

/Henrik