The Barefoot Running Book - Jason Robillard [25]
• You feel comfortable running in a relaxed, smooth manner with a cadence of at least 180 steps per minute.
Activity—Progressive Relaxation
In the previous stage, I described the use of deep breathing to facilitate relaxation. During this stage, we add another technique known as progressive relaxation which is a technique I used with great success while coaching football. At that time I used it to help placekickers relax prior to kicking field goals and extra points. Like deep breathing, this method will help turn off your “fight or flight” response since relaxation is a critical barefoot running skill.
Progressive relaxation involves tensing various muscle groups, holding it for five seconds, and then slowly relaxing. Using this technique, cycle through all of the major muscle groups. The repeated release of tension activates your parasympathetic nervous system and deactivates your sympathetic system.
When I use progressive relaxation, I use the following order of muscle groups: feet, calves, thighs, hips, buttocks, abdominal muscles, lower back, chest, upper back and shoulders, upper arms, forearms, hands, neck, and face. You can determine your own order of progression.
For added effectiveness, I do a few minutes of deep breathing before starting progressive relaxation. Once finished, your body should be in the ideal relaxed state to begin barefoot running.
Concept—Cadence/Stride
A fundamental difference between barefoot or minimalist shoe running and traditional cushioned running shoes, is the rate at which your feet touch the ground. Most runners that wear traditional running shoes will strike the ground approximately 140–160 times per minute. Barefoot and minimalist shoe runners will touch the ground at a significantly higher rate. The minimum cadence a barefoot runner should use is around 180 steps per minute. I use an even higher cadence averaging approximately 200 steps per minute.
This faster cadence causes two significant changes to your running form. First, it shortens your stride which helps prevent over-striding where your foot touches the ground in front of your body.
Second, it helps develop a more efficient form by limiting excessive movement resulting in a shorter stride with less vertical movement.
Though the barefoot running stride is shorter, the exact length will be determined by the runners own unique physical characteristics. The idea is to find a cadence greater than about 180 steps per minute coupled with a relatively short stride length that results in the greatest comfort.
Some barefoot runners will find their cadence slower than 180 steps per minute, which is acceptable; especially if running slowly. Again, the goal is to prevent overstriding.
Activity—Metronome Drill
The tool required for this drill is a metronome. One can be found at: http://www. reztronics.com/prod01.htm. If the files are not available, Google “metronome.” If you prefer music, “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors (thanks to PeaceKaren from the Runners World Barefoot Running Forum) has 180 beats per minute.
The metronome drill will teach you the ideal cadence for barefoot running. Download the “180” file. Play it on your computer or MP3 player. Most people use a metronome by timing the beats to each foot strike. I prefer to lift my foot with each beat because it creates a subtle psychological effect of lightening each foot touch. Scott Schnieder gave me this tip: it is easiest to combine this drill with the slow running drill introduced later in this stage.
Some people may have a difficult time keeping up with the beat. I fall in this category. I found it to be as effective to simply count the number of times I lift my foot for a 30 second period, then multiply that by two. If my cadence is below 180, I take smaller, faster steps.
Concept—Fall Forward and Keep Feet Under Body
The idea of running with your feet kissing the ground directly under your center of gravity is one of the fundamental elements all barefoot runners share. In