The Virtues of Running

[Grog95]

To me, running is one of the best life skills to learn. And when i say learn, i mean learn. Very few people can run efficiently and quickly for long periods of time. Running gives you the power to exit any situation that could bring harm to you. Combine it with a little parkour and you become nearly uncatchable. Most pursuers will lose interest within the first couple hundred of meters, and only the most in shape of enemies will be able to keep up for over 800m. So, i seek of you, members of this site, to take my advice and begin training yourself. You never know when it might come in handy.

Now, before i get into the nitty gritty on the subject, a little about myself. I run cross-country and track (400m and mile) for my school. I run a 17:30 5k, 4:50 mile, and :55 400m. Participating in these sports has proved itself to be invaluable tool to keep in shape, get more in touch with my body, and many of the skills i have learned have transfered directly to my night ops.

How to Run Efficiently
In order to learn how to run with perfect form and maximum efficiency, you must first learn how to run barefoot. In our early history, humans ran to survive. We evolved in order to make our breathing rates independent of our stride rate, allowing us to breathe slowly and deeply even while moving quickly. And we also developed to run without shoes; when you take off your shoes, you are running the way nature intended. Modern running shoes attempt to provide padding and extra support that we don't need; in fact more injuries are cause by them than they prevent. The ideal running shoes are the vibram five fingers, which i both train in and go on nops in. The ideal running form revolves around minimal torso movement, relatively contained arm movement, and you landing on the balls of your feet, not the heel which modern shoes propagate.

In Touch With the Body
As a result of my avid running, i have become more aware of my food and hydration levels, the nature of the surface i'm running on, and developed an intense pain tolerance. Because of my workouts, i know how much i need to eat and drink throughout the day in order to be prepared for my run. By running in the previously mentioned Vibrams, my running form constantly adjusts to deal with the particular surface i'm running on. And because of just running in general, i am able to push myself past the pain in my muscles to finish a run.

Applied to Night Ops
Running has given me a remarkable endurance when it comes to Night Ops; I never find myself out of breath during an op. If i get thirsty or hungry or develop any aches and pains, i am able to push those aside and continue the mission. It has also given me quite the ability to be in touch with the ground and walk/run quietly. Most valuable of all, however, is the power of pure unadulterated escape. There have been several times in my nop career where i have just had to bail out of a situation and running allowed me to avoid capture and various consequences. The power to build a gap between you and your pursuer(s) is invaluable in those first several seconds of contact; you can to be 50m away before they even realize they need to be chasing you, and by then, it is already too late for them. All hope of pursuit is lost when they realize that you are already a couple hundred meters away and show no signs of stopping.


So get off your lazy ass and start running. Its benefits are overwhelming and no matter what pain you feel while running, it will be worth it that one day when the only thing between you and them is your own two feet and your will to escape.

[Xanatos]

Good post. I do realise it's easier to run barefoot and as such wear tight, thin footwear whilst on ops. Have you any tips on running with thicker shoes on though? Since most of us don't go around barefoot all the time.

I also know a running technique called hayagake (I think) that's essentially a series of small leaps rather than steps. You lean forward and land on the balls of your feet as you advised, but instead of pulling yourself forward with your feet you push off to propel yourself forward (since it takes much less energy to push than it does to pull). It certainly does make it easier to run but you generate a lot of momentum, so make sure you have plenty of running/stopping space or you could end up leaving a face-shaped niche in a wall.

[Psychlonic]

The biggest thing about running in boots is that the ankle support makes running a lot less fluid, with weight being a big deal but secondary to that in my opinion. However, I will say that it seems far easier in my own experience to haul ass through rough terrain in stiff boots than in light shoes perfect for running on hard, flat surfaces. Anyone in good shape should still be able to run several miles no problem in them and sprint fast enough to get out of bad situations. They're not really a hindrance until you're dealing with big, heavy snow boots or something crazy like that.

Shoes, no matter how big, should still be good enough. I once walked/jogged 40 miles in hiking shoes, and even had to run 5 miles in pair of big steel toed construction shoes one time because that was what I happened to be wearing with nothing else on hand. It's obviously more tiring, but not debilitating by any means.

What I'm getting at here is that general endurance and speed is the biggest thing. You'll set the records barefoot or in light running shoes, but boots or even big shoes won't suddenly ruin everything about your ability to run.

[Captain Winky]

I don't know what's wrong with my feet, but I have high insteps and bad ankles. I can't run in sneakers to save my life. I need tough running shoes, hiking shoes, or army crates because of the support.
And I find that with current weather, I would've rather run in the latter, strangely enough. Weight isn't much of an issue, but damn, snow and shitty soil get everywhere. Hardens, and ruins my nice, fabric running shoes on the inside.

I've noticed earlier that nike had made it's own five-toe shoe. I'm not sure if I could ever run in it because of this reason, though. I think you should learn how to run wearing what you plan to be wearing when you need the skill...

[Grog95]

Xanatos-
I think i've heard of that running technique you described. The way i run seems to be quite similar to that, and anything i said about running in light shoes or barefoot can be applied to running with thicker shoes, even boots. The most essential is keeping a you a forward lean with your whole body. I liken it to just being in a continuous state of falling forward, with your feet catching you everytime. A picture would explain it much better.

Psychlonic-
My post was more about describing the ideal way to run. I recognize you can still function completely fine, and even better in some situations with boots; I'm just saying its not something you'd want to do everyday or train in.

Captain Winky-
I think that if you wanted to move into any type of shoe with less support, you'd need to transition slowly so the muscles in your feet could develop. And yah, it would definitely be better to go on nops with something you're already very comfortable in. For me, i've just been in vibrams for so long (almost 9 months) that anything else feels foreign and uncomfortable, just like minimalist shoes feel for you.

[Psychlonic]

No worries, that was somewhat in response to Xanatos and also a little bit of a general input on the matter. I sure as hell don't exercise in boots haha.

[CokeCanNinja]

Nice post, I rarely run through. I am joining the cross country team at my school this season.