As a dancer, I got used to stretching extensively every day. I wish I’d known then what I know now, which is that I was probably doing myself a lot more harm than good, weakening my muscles and worsening my fatigue and soreness. To learn more about that, listen to the Science of Stretching episode … Read more
This post is the tenth in the series on The Balanced Runner Keys. Today I’m zigzagging back to Balanced Runner Key #7: aim for a cadence of 170 steps per minute or higher. If you’ve worked on transitioning to more minimalist footwear or barefoot running, or have sought to learn from the natural running movement, you’ve … Read more
This post is the ninth in the series on The Balanced Runner Keys. Last week I explained the first part of Balanced Runner Key #8, “Breathe downward, taking an odd number of steps per breath cycle. This week I’ll tackle the second half, that stumper of an instruction regarding steps per breath cycle. By “breath cycle” I mean … Read more
This post is the eighth in the series on The Balanced Runner Keys. Many runners feel instinctively that breathing is at the crux of their struggles with running and have pressing questions about how to do it. This instinct is right on the mark: how you breathe when you run affects your ability to find … Read more
This post is the seventh in a series explaining The Balanced Runner Keys. In my previous posts on The Balanced Runner Keys I started with the feet and worked my way up through the legs, torso, and arms. Today we reach the head, which may seem remote from the main business of running but in fact … Read more
