Back from Youtube. I should know better.
This gets into an issue over the “natural running” techniques, on just how does an average runner actually know he or she is really landing and following the mechanics of these “modes” correctly where they have no trained professional helping them—beyond just thinking in their head they are running in conformity with these techniques.
Of course, if there’s film and some trained expert in these modes, doing instruction and looking at gait analysis, to tell that person, that would be one way.
For everybody else, I guess, if it “feels” like you are doing this the right way, running Pose method, or Chi method, or whichever one it is, then you are.
I think however, outside the legitimately trained and drilled methods, some of it, the runner just thinks they are doing this, but they aren’t at all. This is because these so called helping key words are so vague, coupled with the fact that there is gullibility for this from an hysteria circling around the country where everyone else is hearing about this style, about how many others are running faster with less injuries.
So, you have this marketing and craze and you have these buzzwords: “pull,” “fall,” “reaction force,” “bent knee,” “being pulled from the chest to a skyscraper.” “Pull and then land.” “think Fall, don’t push.” Or think of a bungee cable pulling you by your chest…
Think of a rubber chord tied to god, which is tied to both of your ears, which is tied to the planet Uranus circling the sun.
Pretend you are running on ice. Pretend you are running on hot coals. Pretend there’s a string tied to your heel being pulled over your shoulder by your hand as you run.
Of course, you could run like sponge bob, and think you are doing all of these things, simply dependent on how creative your imagination is, to engage in pretenses: although in point of fact, sadly, and cruelly, you are NOT running any differently than before. There’s thinking you are doing something, and there’s reality out there.
If you go on youtube and searched for pose method or midfoot running videos, you will see all of these people, either on treadmills or out on the road, filming themselves, thinking they are doing pose or chi method.
They are so happy and proud about it, they want to explain and help you do it.
The really goofy ones are where there will be some guy who appears to be an expert or trainer with some overweight beast running in some warehouse, and he’s yelling, “fall, fall, fall, that’s it…good.”
I can’t see any difference. I’ve hit pause and he’s still landing like Dagwood out in front with his heel. But with that guy clapping and him running, I guess he thinks he’s running Pose Method.
There appears to be no regulation of who’s doing this right or not.
Then there’s always the scene with the runner is being instructed about “The Lean,” and he’s being held back from a hand by the trainer, in which he or she is leaning, and the trainer is saying, “like that, lean like that…”
They back away and off he runs, and I can’t see them leaning that way, but he’s yelling: “good, good, just like that.”
I just don’t think any of it is that easy.