Transforming myself into a primitive runner

Hey. How's it going? Thanks for checking out my blog. I bet you hope this will be interesting. Me too. Here goes...

This post is the first installment of the still developing story of how I'm transforming myself into a primitive runner. I know what you're thinking... "what is primitive running? Why should I continue reading? Who is this blogger? Why does his grammar suck?". I'll answer in reverse order: I don't write much other than technical reports; I am Rick Vendlinski, triathlon coach; you are curious about endurance sports; it is running using the technique we were naturally built to use.

The next thing you might be thinking... "why is Rick writing about this topic"? We'll I just finished reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and I have to say I'm inspired. If you haven't read it here is a synopsis (no spoilers): Man learns about tribe of native Mexican super runners, confirms their existence, provides background on their impact on modern ultra-running and provides review of running biomechanics across various cultures. In addition to an interesting non-fiction adventure story, the book presents an argument that humans were, well, born to run, but that most modern runners do not run as efficiently as our hunter-gatherer predecessors.

This is not a new idea. Born to Run is not the first book to make this argument. And certainly I am not an innovator in the field running biomechanics. However, I do believe I can offer some perspective to the debate (more on my unique perspective later).

To clarify, the topic being debated has two opposing sides which extol the following two viewpoints:

1) Humans were designed to be great runners and naturally have perfect running form. The use of modern footwear inhibits this perfect form and creates slower, more frequently injured runners.

2) Every human has their own unique running style that feels comfortable to them and straying from that individual running style can lead to injury and poor running efficiency. Modern footwear enhances the running experience and improves race times.

The scope of science and speculation surrounding this topic is huge, and I don't want to present a comprehensive review. What I do want to do is:

1) Tell you which side of the debate I believe in now.
2) Briefly and occasionally explain why I believe it.
3) Explain specifically how I am trying to transform my running.
4) Tell you if it is working.
5) Tell you which side of the debate I believe when my experiment is over.
6) Explain how my experience is relevant to whom I'll call "Regular Jo" (Jo is short for Joseph or Joann, whichever you prefer).

Regular Jo is a person who has little to no experience with competitive running, is not super-fit, and has no desire to dominate the world of endurance sports. Prior to about 2001 I was Regular Jo. In most ways I am still Regular Jo, though I have accumulated some race experience in the past few years. I like to coach Regular Jos because I can relate to them. I've faced the challenges they face. I hope this experiment will provide some insight that will make endurance running more accessible to them.

I'll get down to business in my next post. Regular Jos standby.