Winter Lightning

I've lived in the Northeast for all but 4 total years of my life, and this is the first time I can remember a thunder-and-lightning storm in the middle of February. I am sitting here in the dark, watching the storm out my back windows - admittedly, jumping out of my skin with every flash that lights up the night sky (I have an irrational fear of lightning, and I would prefer to be hanging out with my cat right now, who has sought refuge from the storm under my bed).  There is something brilliant about such a powerful display of energy in the form of weather.  The lightning and thunder have retreated now, and - as always - the emergency sirens rise in the distance.

This seasonal anomaly had me pondering other things that don't make sense.  For instance, the preposterous amount of injuries sustained in non-contact situations by runners.  OK, the storm didn't directly lead me to think about hurt runners - this article did.

The author, John Converse Townsend (a somewhat ironic name, given who he is upset with), takes aim at the footwear industry, joining the growing legions of voices who place blame for poor running technique and the host of injuries that accompanies it square on the shoulders those who design and manufacture athletic shoes.  I do not wish to echo his sentiments here - you can read what he has to say, as he put it quite succinctly.  However, I would like to highlight one aspect of his article.

Townsend discusses running form during basketball games.  This is an important, and significant, departure from the current conversation about running that is entirely about, well, runners.  But what about the millions of athletes who run as a part of their sport?  Basketball, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, rugby, American football - these are just a few of the sports in which running is required for success, but is not the actually the primary goal of the athletic event.

So, what if we're (mostly) all doing it wrong?  Shoes may play a role in this.  Townsend's article quotes a colleague of mine, Dr. Irene Davis, who gamely states, "We've seen tremendous innovations in motion control and cushioning.  And yet the remedies don't seem to defeat the ailments."  Does this mean the shoes are actually the problem?  While I am convinced that the footwear industry has not lived up to the hype in terms of providing the promised benefits of shoes that cost half my weekly salary, I am not yet convinced that said shoes are actually the culprit - or, at the very least, the *only* culprit.

That said, this idea of improper biomechanics strikes a chord with me.  In an era where most business is conducted from a seated position and activity is not the norm, it is not surprising that something about our gait may have changed.  In the interest of brevity (and the fact that I am still fighting the flu and would like to go lay down now), I will explore this issue more in another post.

Until then, have fun doing something active!