Relearning how to run

In full disclosure I just finished reading Born To Run which is probably the reason I got the idea to run the Leadville 100 stuck in my head. Even if you are a non-runner I recommend the book for the following reasons:

1. You learn a lot about human history
The book goes into how humans were actually born to run, that we evolved in such a way that running was what solidified our existence over the neanderthals. This plays into the "barefoot" running trend that has been pretty big in the running circuit the last couple years. Those five finger shoes are cool and I'm tempted to get some, but I have also had fewer knee issues since running in my Mizuno wave alchemy and their similar trail shoe.

2. There are a lot of interesting characters in the book
Runners are sort of weird in general, to put it in perspective runners think ultra runners are weird. Just the existence of these characters make this book a fun read. You are already starting with a crop of people who are doing to do things you don't expect or think are humanly possible, hilarity ensues.

3. You learn about another culture
The book is centered around the Tarahumara Indians that live in the Copper Canyons of Mexico. The book gives you the quick version of their history and their existence today. These people could definitely fill the pages of many books, but given their remoteness and way of life few people come into contact with them which means there is little written history about them.

All in all this book combines aspects of competition, capitalism, hippieness, and drinking which makes for a great read.

So I read this book on the plane to Arkansas and it got me really excited. Just excited about running in general. I attribute the book to my successful 5K race the next day (I won my age group 30-39). In the book the author has to rethink and relearn running after being plagued with years of injuries. I'm no stranger to being hurt, especially my knees, so I figure I can't get worse by trying this too. During the 5K I kept thinking about the first element in the book to master the new way of running "easy" and just kept telling myself to make each step easy and before I knew it there was the finish line.

I went for a quick 5 mile run last night and during that run I focused on driving my knees forward. If you know me you probably know I have small feet and when I run I take little steps (tying in the name of the blog). Focusing on driving my knees forward made my strides longer. I kept thinking I was going so slow, but at the end of the run I ended up running just as quickly as when I'm "trying to run faster". It wasn't easy though, I had to constantly tell myself to drive my knee forward. As soon as I would stop doing that my knee would hurt a bit and I would get a stitch in my side.

5 miles is pretty far off 100, but you have to start somewhere right?