Leave a Comment:
(11) comments
Interesting article!
I had chronically sore calves for a couple of years. I always wore shoes with little to no heel lift. Even if I took a couple of weeks off running, they were still sore, especially in the morning. Massage helped them alot. I also went once to a physical therapist who said that my problem calves were caused by problem with verebral spacing in low back, and he suggested I do stretches every day. The 1 and only stretch that he said I needed to do, put me in a position that looks much like that photo of the kids running. He said to lie on my side, and reach back with the top leg, and reach forward with the top arm, to feel a stretch in the lower back. So, if that therapist is correct, then perhaps the actual motion of running with lots of twist like Jae is showing in that photo of the kids, could help to create and support proper spacing of the vertebrae, which he says is key to have calves which work properly and are not tight and sore… Or perhaps just doing that stretch results in running with better motion that, as Jae says, means you don’t need to work so hard with your calves. Either way, great post!
Now that is interesting, Steve. If you learn how to do that movement well, it wouldn’t feel like a stretch, but it does allow the vertebrae to move in a natural way and they definitely won’t be compressed. Did it help your calves?
ReplyAccording to this blog post there’s a webinar just right now. However the room is empty…
ReplyApologies, Marco. I didn’t realize I’d made a mistake with the date, it was actually 16 February, not March. However you can watch the replay here. Please note that the Indiegogo campaign has ended but the online camp is yet to come — it begins on 15 May and you can find the details here.
ReplyHi Pam. I recommend you do the lesson I linked to in the blog post, and also join the Mind Your Running Challenge, which you’ll find here: https://www.balancedrunner.com/mind-your-running/ As I explain in the post, you need to address how your whole body is moving to get your calves to feel better, and the Challenge will definitely get you started on that!
ReplyHi!
I’m rather confused — I was under the assumption that when running, the core muscles should be engaged to keep the upper body posture upright and mainly facing forwards. Are you saying that the abs should be mainly relaxed, allowing the shoulders to swing forward then back, causing a sort of repetitive turning of the shoulders? I remember being taught that it was best for the arms to move fairly strictly forward and back when running and to keep the torso facing forwards, and I think what you’re saying would mean the arms would swing in front and across the body with the shoulders. Correct me if I’m wrong (in interpreting what you’re saying and in my ideas on good running form)!
Thanks very much!
ReplyHi Olivia, you’ve correctly understood most of what I’m saying. The only thing I would clarify is that I’m not saying the abs are relaxed, but that they’re working to create and manage movement of the core rather than clenching to try to hold the core still. Unfortunately you seemed to have received some faulty advice in the past. Even more unfortunately, that bad advice is very popular! But it doesn’t accurately describe how the body works in running. I think you’ll find what I’m proposing works much better. Try my Mind Your Running Challenge (just type it into the search bar on my website) to learn how to stop fighting your body and let it work better when you run.
Reply