The Jeff Galloway Blog

If you don’t give up… you win!

It was a treasure for me to know the late Dr. George Sheehan as a friend. He was not only a great ambassador of running, but a fierce competitor to the end. Just before he turned 60 years old, George’s marathon times were slowing down, and he made a decision to go into “semi-running-retirement.” Instead of running 5 miles every day, he ran 10 miles every other day. Due to the quality rest, and his continued focus, the great Sheehan ran the fastest marathon of his life at age 62: 3 hours and 1 minute.

Running Form: The big three: posture, stride and bounce.

I have discovered that when runners have problems, they tend to occur in three areas: Posture, stride and bounce. And the problems tend to be specific to the individual, occurring in specific areas. Fatigue brings on most of the problems relating to form. A slight over stride (even a fraction of an inch), can increase tightness and muscle weakness at the end of a run. As a tired body “wobbles”, other muscle groups try to keep the body on course, but are not designed for this, and can be pushed into soreness or injury. If you feel relaxed and running is easy even at the end of a run – you’re probably running correctly. 

The Running Revolution

Running is nothing new. The ancient Greeks had foot races at least as early as 776 B.C., the year of the first Olympics. The famous runner Phidippides, in 490 B.C., covered 300 miles in four days to solicit help from neighboring Sparta against the imminent invasion of Athens. In pre-industrial England, footmen were sent running ahead of horse-drawn carriages to warn their lords of danger. To this day, the Tarahumara Indians of northwestern Mexico compete in foot races and cover 150-200 miles a day – kicking a ball along the way. Running as a sport has existed for centuries, from informal tests of ego and will, to high school track meets, to the Olympic games, but only recently have people from all walks of life taken to the roads en masse.

The reasons for running are diverse: to lose weight, become fit, feel good, reduce stress, compete, or share the experience with others. It may also have something to do with the advanced state of technology. Most work formerly done by hand is now done by machines. While our distant ancestors led physically active lives, covering long distance to gather roots, nuts and grains or to pursue game; while our grandparents or great-grandparents tilled the fields for food and handcrafted everyday necessities, we now find ourselves in a largely sedentary economy.

In increasing numbers, people are seeking to regain the health, fitness and leanness that was once natural to our physically active predecessors. A new spirit seems  to have arisen. Perhaps when a society attains a high level of industrial and technological efficiency, those people who have long neglected their physical nature react and begin seeking ways to establish harmony between body, mind and spirit. 

Almost anyone can complete a half or full marathon in six months

Even if you only have 60 minutes to exercise during the work week, you can train for the half or full marathon. The minimum is actually better for reducing injuries. During the week, you only need to accumulate an hour of running/walking. The long run/walk starts at three miles and gradually increases by one mile each week until it reaches 10 miles. Then, you’ll do the long on every other week, with a run/walk of half the distance on the “off” weekend. After half or full marathoners complete the nine-miler (half)/18-mile (full), they’ll receive two easy weekends for good behavior, shifting to a long one every third week.

Endurance Exercise: Humans are designed for it!

When we regularly perform endurance exercise, many positive changes occur inside us. I believe that this is due to the way our ancient ancestors adapted our bodies to walk and run for long distances. Assuming, then that our physical design and purpose is long distance forward motion activity, it’s no surprise that we feel so good when we do it – we are going back to our roots.