RUNNING ON HARD SURFACE
I guess, many people run on hard surface, but some have no
other choice, but concrete as their preference. Conventional
medicine put running on hard surface as one of the most important
causes of injuries. And at first glance it seems to be a logical
conclusion. Indeed, isnt concrete really a hard surface without
cushioning, which could create an impact on our body? It is
difficult to say no in this situation.
But is this true? How many people still run on the streets
of New York, London, Paris, etc. and have no problem with
the surface they run on? But at the same time there are lots
of others on the same streets who have injuries. I could add
here that there are runners with the same injuries, which
they got on softer surfaces. So, the question really is how
much does a certain type of surface contribute to injuries?
To my mind, injuries are the consequence of incorrect running
technique, but not of the quality of surface. Of course, if
you have a bad technique, the quality of surface would contribute
to the injury, too, but not by itself. Even when we deal with
some specific injuries, associated primarily with hard surface,
we have to look at our technique, first, as a major cause
of the injury.
For example, widely spread shin splints are related with
running on hard surface, but the major reason for them is
an active landing on the ground. It means that the foot hits
the ground with some downward velocity instead of zero one
or even a negative vertical velocity of the landing foot.
If we add to this some commonly accepted running elements,
such as landing on the heel, then we get a standard worst
case scenario landing ahead of the body (braking) with downward
acceleration.
This unpleasant picture describes how do the general population
of runners suffer from this unknown impact of running on hard
surface. The first question from your podiatrist would be,
Did you run on hard surface? Your positive answer would confirm
his guess. Thus, the doctor got the right answer and the runner
got the right doctor, who knows how it happened. He should
also know then how to deal with this, shouldnt he?
No, he doesnt, he'll only recommend you to wear orthotics,
have a rest, buy new shoes and have a hydrocortisone shot.
What else could he do? Your doctor cant recommend you not
to fight with the ground and not to try to damage local government
property he has no authority for this. But I can, because
my philosophy of running is based on developing relations
with our environment Earth and Gravity. Do not fight with
them, try to co-exist. They are your support and the primary
force to move you forward. The main rule of interacting with
them is to not hit the ground, but use it as a support for
your falling. Do not work against gravity, if you want to
move forward.
Those are very simple rules, but theyll save you from all
imaginable injuries related with hard surface running.
Dr.Romanov
Pose
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