Beautiful.

This is a very interesting article in the NY Times (thanks to Seth Godin for the link) about how to run “perfectly”.  I’m in no position to judge how accurate the information is, but it certainly comes across as a good argument.

The interesting bit for me is the fact that this running technique had been “lost” over time in a mix of assumptions and corporate protectionism.  The author - Christopher McDougall - describes how he re-discovered the technique from studying indian tribes who have clearly passed it down through the generations, and more recently discovered a 1908 essay describing a 2 step lesson for learning the technique.

It challenges a completely unquestioned norm of our time - that you need expensive shoes to protect you when you run, and you run with a jarring, heel first motion.  It is so accepted no one would contemplate this could be less than ideal, or that there could be another way.  And yet, here perhaps is exactly that.

How many other norms are similar?  I read another article recently that questioned common management practice (sorry, I have misplaced the link).  It made the point that “management” is a man-made concept however most people would probably think about it as a naturally occurring behaviour like Leadership (for example).  Do we question the current management norms? Are they really the best?

This video shows the exercises in action: