Running with the Earth

Growing up in Colorado, I skied every weekend up to the last day of the season. By age twelve, I had mastered the bumps and had no difficulty maneuvering down any black diamond slope which later became double black diamonds so you could doubly impress your friends as you drop the names of the slopes you mastered that day.

It wasn’t all that difficult. I learned to pick the lines between the moguls and let the bumps do most if the work. I knew this bump would throw me around this way into that bump which in turn would throw me that way… and so on. All I had to do was keep control of my skis.

As I started barefoot running this same concept came back to me. I realized on certain surfaces, (down hill on concrete) I ran with a strange form that looked like my feet hurt. My vanity didn’t want people to see me and think of course his feet hurt, he’s not wearing shoes.

So, going down hill, I shortened my stride and let the slope determine how fast I went. All I need to do is keep control of my balance. I learned to watch for any variations in the ground that might help me propel myself forward. Small bumps I use as stairs when going up hills, harder surfaces on flat ground, using downhill momentum to push me back up the hill, any small bulge, crack, or indentation I use to my advantage.

As this technique became common to all my runs, I thought I had stumbled on a new style of running. Then I came to the part in the book BORN TO RUN by Christopher McDougall, where Caballo Blanco explains how the Tarahumara taught him not to run on the earth but to run with the earth. How he uses rocks and the ground to help him run through the hell-like terrain of Copper Canyon. Well so much for my big discovery. But, I do enjoy using the ground to my advantage.

I would love to hear from other runners, (shod or barefoot) who use this technique and any tips they could share.