Forums >Running 101>'Ready to Run'
some call me Tim
I feel a little bit awkward about how enthusiastic I am about all of this, but damn it, KStar has kept me off the sidelines. I'm gonna shout it from the mountaintop(this *is* the mountaintop, right?):
Kelly Starrett's new book Ready to Run has just hit the shelves, and it's just as dynamite a tool as the first one but geared specifically toward distance running. There are a ton of quotable conversation starters (sitting is killing your hip function, quit icing your injuries, get out of high drop shoes, stop paying PTs and massage therapists to do the routine maintenance you should be doing *every* day, etc.) and there are well defined steps to testing and gaining the mobility you want, but most compelling is what it promises to do *for* you - unlock extra power and speed you already have by helping you to get out of your own way:
"There's a reason you have short toes (foot stabilization 101), a narrow waist in contrast to wide shoulders (power generated through optimal rotation), a powerful butt, gyroscopes in your skull, and skin that radiates away excess body heat thanks to millions of sweat glands: You were designed to run like the wind."
When I stumbled onto his ideas two years ago they were spread across a bunch of iphone videos and mixed in with a heavy dose of crossfit bro culture, but using them has kept me improving and injury free and helped me to correct problems in others as well, sometimes with seemingly magical results. Now it's all collected in a single, accessible reference volume that spells out 12 standards for you and methods to achieve them. Both the book and the method get my highest recommendation.
Now where did I put that Kool-Aid?
ME WEBLARG
it doesn't take much to get me to buy a book about running, and magical results sound pretty good right now (will the book fix my gross chest cold, too? Ha, ha...) I'm just curious: Who is Kelly starrett?
Who is Kelly starrett?
The Google says he (ik,r?) is a crossfit guru. Okay then.
Runners run
Bacon Party!
I've had my eye on him for a few years. Pre-ordered the book, but haven't cracked it yet.
I like the ideas behind his mobility WODs. But, it seemed like every one I was interested in (or, should I say, was attracted to by the promised results) either required some piece of equipment I don't have or another person (which I also don't have). Hoping this book is more do-it-(by)-yourself ...
Liz
pace sera, sera
that explains why I've never heard of him (yes, I was too lazy too google...) If blargendarg starts posting about rxing his amraps or whatever, we'll know it's time for an intervention :P
weirdo
I'll check it out...
He teaches some very useful strategies but the mindset is really the money - be able to perform self-maintenance! I've read both "Becoming a Supple Leopard" (more thorough) and "Ready to Run" and find them very useful, even if he does sometimes get overly excited (or dogmatic). For the most part, the tools are easy and cheap too - 2 LAX balls taped together, a foam roller, some bike tubes to use as resistance bands.
Here's to taking care of our bodies and staying healthy! Cheers!
ok, I checked this book out and was coming here to say the same thing. The message is really the best part of the book, and I like how he points out how everyday things we take for granted (crappy shoes, sitting 14 hours/day) can be harmful; how you can discern the effects; and what you can do about it. The writing style is accessible and easy to read, though repetitive on certain points (e.g. he repeats himself on the topic of "traditional" running shoes vs 0-drop and the exaggeration for effect gets tiring...there are things between 0-drop and "super controlling 18-oz shoes with orthotics"!) The mobility tests and exercises are useful but there are other books that will teach you the same stuff (I like Anatomy for Runners by Jay Dicharry).
Starrett mentions crossfit endurance a few times so I Googled it, then closed the browser tab really fast and tried to forget I'd ever seen it :/ (run hard every time *and* do crossft in the same workout? Uhhh...) I'd still recommend the book though.
He teaches some very useful strategies but the mindset is really the money - be able to perform self-maintenance! I've read both "Becoming a Supple Leopard" (more thorough) and "Ready to Run" and find them very useful, even if he does sometimes get overly excited (or dogmatic). For the most part, the tools are easy and cheap too - 2 LAX balls taped together, a foam roller, some bike tubes to use as resistance bands. Here's to taking care of our bodies and staying healthy! Cheers!
run, rest & read
I really enjoy the mobility work he gives, his 12 'standards', not so much. Can wearing compression socks really be called a standard?
But the mobility stuff, that's gold.
Wow, I totally missed that anybody responded to this!
Yeah, the "all humans should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves" focus is really where it's at. Honestly, I think it's kind of unfortunate that he's associated with crossfit, but his ideas are so on the money that it's inevitable he'd find a wider audience. Think of it this way: if he can keep crossfit athletes from destroying themselves, he can pretty much do it for anyone willing to listen.
I know he's not the only one out there espousing these ideas, but imo he's doing a great job of presenting them simply and using tools that only cost a couple of dollars. He will dare you to find the ten minutes a day you need to keep yourself on track and on your feet. And if you're like me at least, the results you'll see will make you want to help the other people you know who are struggling, running injured and buying different shoes in an effort to fix their problem or a constant fixture in their PT's office.
The books are a great resource, but a great introduction and a way to evaluate all of this is to check out this selection of some of his running related videos listed at competitor.com.
queen of headlamps
I think the book is very helpful, and the standards that are about mobility are pretty good benchmarks. Not as sure about the need to drink 100 oz of water a day or wear compression socks for recovery, for which the evidence seems to be scant.
I disagree about the need for flat shoes, but that's in part because while I've run in Altras and other lower-profile shoes, they're the absolute last piece of the puzzle I'd bother changing given my personal stupid foot mechanics. I do better with a stability shoe with an arch support, because squishy forefoot cushioning does not work for me (high, but flexible arch -- good for cushioning, crappy for stability). The idea that I should focus on changing my body to fit ideal footwear rather than finding a shoe that works with my stride strikes me as backwards.
Not against flat shoes for lifting or general day-to-day walking for me, but the dogmatism about running drives me nuts. Why is it that it's okay for a powerlifter to have a firm shoe with a slight heel lift to maximize her stability and power, but bad for me as a runner to have a shoe with an arch support?
(Okay, rant over.)
I've been a big fan of mobility drills for a few years now, and it's helpful to have new targets to meet. And the tip that foot pain might be due to calf tightness is a huge help. My calves never hurt, but rolling them helps my feet relax.
Hey, another running blog.
You take what you can use I use compression for recovery, but drink to thirst and wear cushy low drop (not flat or minimal) shoes I like. You will also pry my flip flops from my cold dead fingers.
But the excitement comes from the results. Case in point- following the 50k I ran 11/1 I've had some tough to pin down issues with my right hamstring despite taking a few scheduled weeks off and working a bit on the area. In the past couple of days I decided to spend some more time looking upstream/downstream and found some horribly tight spots in hip flexors, glutes, adductors and got to work. At first I wasn't sure it was helping, but then today the hamstring ache just failed to show for my run. Poof. My work isn't over, but I've had this same experience maybe a dozen times now, usually somewhere different than before. I start to get concerned that whatever little thing is gonna become a big thing and get back to the mobility routine I've invariably started slacking on, and the problem gets resolved.
Through this last round I've noticed that there are a few of my favorite mobilizations from BASL that are missing from Ready to Run (Banded Super Frog, Hip External Rotation With Flexion). I think the writing in Ready to Run is better, it's more engaging and it has the index that BASL lacks, but I guess if I had to pick one reference volume it'd still be Supple Leopard.
The writing is sort of dude-bro-meets-nerdy-PhD, it has to be said.