The New Rules of Running: Go Farther, Faster, Longer

FORGET EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER HEARD. IT'S ALL ABOUT TECHNIQUE.

BY MIKE DAWSON from details.com

photo from details.com

Given that we were built to run, it's curious how complicated we've made the business of going for a jog. Let's keep it simple: Running properly has nothing to do with what you put (or don't put) on your feet or what surface you run on and everything to do with maintaining perfect form.

Where and how your feet hit the ground is crucial. Most of us land on our heels, which creates a shock of up to three times our body weight, increasing the likelihood of repetitive-stress injuries. Daniel E. Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, discovered that runners who landed on the front part of their feet, barefoot or not, suffered less than half the injuries heel strikers did. "It's about how your body moves, not what's on your feet," he says. "Good swimming requires you to learn good form—people don't throw you in the pool and expect you to swim properly. But for some reason we have this idea that everyone has their own natural running form."

Christopher McDougall's 2009 best seller, Born to Run, inspired a barefoot-running craze with its depictions of the Tarahumara Indians, who can run 150 miles without rest. "I went most of my adult life without ever hearing anything about technique," says McDougall, who transformed his own running capabilities by studying the Tarahumara. "Once you focus on mechanics, you're not in pain, you can go farther, faster. It's about posture, breathing, connection between mind, muscle, and ground contact. It's freeing."

Keep reading at details.com . . .

Oven Roasted Artichokes

photo from paleorepublic.com 

I'm an artichoke lover.  Not only because they're delish and you get to eat them with your fingers but they always remind me of a joke my grandfather used to tell:

Sam decides he's had it with his wife and calls a hit man named Artie. Artie is an old friend of the man and he agrees to take out the man's wife for just one dollar.
So Artie waits at Sam's house for his wife.  When she arrives he chokes her.  What he didn't realize is the gardner witnessed the whole thing so OF COURSE he had to take him out too.  So the next day on the front page of News Paper the headline said' Artie- chokes two for a dollar at Sam's'


Get the how to and recipe from PaleoRepublic.com

Weekend Challenge

10 Walking Lunges- 10 PushUps- (10 Rounds)

When you were brand new to camp . . .

Recently, I asked some of our instructors at our Candler Park & Decatur location about the memory/feeling that stands out the most from when they were campers.  Can you relate to their answers?  


Other than how hard it was, i remember how proud i was when i met my goals or finally accomplished something i thought i couldn't do. Becca S.


I remember being so sore and taking lots of aspirin.  Also I remember feeling duped when I found out it was 5:45am instead of 6am.  I don't think I would've signed up for 5:45am (good job Tim for not telling me that part!)  The best part was the upper body strength that I had.  Kristine S.


living off of advil and epsom salt baths & runnning my first mile without stopping at my first final PT test. Bridget S.


I remember sitting with Wesley and the thunder and lighting behind me in Candler park listening to the other new campers talk about the marathons they had just run and wanting to raise my hand and let Wesley know that I was in the wrong group!  I thought I would never survive.  Thank goodness Becca arrived the next day, burped and run my first mile with me!  Shannon E.


The feeling that I needed to barf a lot and being sore all the time Erich N.


I didn't speak to anyone for the entire first month.  My goal was to make it up the candler park hill (on our run back to ML) without stopping.  Altitude Adjustment made me cry (JoJo was a guest instructor--figures) and the look on Lee's face when I started to cry..LOL!  Then showing up to graduation party and everyone telling me how great I looked---how good it felt that they could tell a difference in me.  Lydia S. 


My legs felt like rubber after running up the Candler Park hill ONCE during a "Bring a Friend" day. now i look forward to hills. blammo.  Darrell S.


I always thought  that I pushed myself in my workouts, but realizing that my body could do more than I thought.  Brenda L.


In my first month, it was nervously anticipating the next daily workout.  Each morning, I would think to myself ,"I wonder what in the heck they are going to make us do today, and will I be able to get through it?"  Stephen U. 

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

The temps across the continent are heating up; warm weather is always a good time for chicken salad.  Try this twist on the classic with some additions from stiritup.com 

photo from stiritup.com

1 lb grilled chicken
1/4 cup fresh calamata olives
cherry tomatoes cut in half 
purple onion
1/4 cup regular crumbled feta
handful or two of spinach. 


get the ingredients for this delicious salad's dressing on stiritup.com  

Weekend Challenge

5 rounds: Burpee to the push up position, Do 10 push ups Burpee out

How to Recover From a Hamstring Strain

The hamstring plays a pivotal role in walking, jumping, running, cycling or swimming. The hamstrings are the powerhouse of your legs. Hamstrings allow you to bend your knees, straighten your leg and control movement from the hip. A hamstring injury can cause a big disruption in your fitness or training regimen, leaving you on the couch for weeks if not treated right. More: How to Prevent Injuries in Endurance Training What is a Hamstring Strain? A hamstring strain is an excessive stretch or tear to the muscle fibers. What Are the Symptoms? Get them and more on active.com