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Lukas Miller Dr. RudeWalker ENGL 137H November 20, 2013 Returning to the Origins: Humans Are Runners Running. Everyone knows what it is. Everyone knows how to do it, but for some reason not everyone does it, which is wrong. Everyone should run. Everyone needs to run. Not in the same sense that everyone has come to know like Usain Bolt or a cheetah. No, go out and just move one foot in front of the other. It doesnt matter how fast you run or how long you run, all that matters is that youre out there moving. Society has finally realized the importance of running and is slowly shifting back to the old way of thinking; back to when society was mobile. Technology has taken us away from that path and is now finally helping us get back onto it. Long ago, before technology turned us from a scavenger species to a producer, we were in charge of getting our own food out there in the wild. One of the ways in which we got food, especially before the advancement of weapons, was by a technique known as pursuit running. In this style of running, the hunter will move into range of the prey and startled it to run away. The hunter then followed the prey once it stopped the process was repeated. This was all it took, because over time, the prey will would over heat to such an extent, that it keeled over and died from heat exhaustion. This was the form of hunting that Homo erectus created because for two million years, they had obtained meat without any kind of man-made tool, they obtained it by their bare hands (McDougall 183). This was a hunting technique that didnt require speed, or strength of any kind. It was a technique that only a human could perform. The reason that only humans could perform this type of hunting was because it required an extreme endurance level,

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which has possible for humans only because we have a thin layer of skin and sweat. These two key characteristics of a human allows for our body to freely release the heat that is built up, allowing us longer endurance than that of all other animals. (Home erectus, persistent hunting and Evolution) But this was only to last as long as technology stood still, but that is not how life works. As technology advanced, homo-sapiens slowly became stationary and they started to harvest their own foods and domesticated the animals in the region. That trend of evolution lead us to the world in which we live today, where humans live in comfort while working and shopping for their food. Even in this comfortable and stationary lifestyle, humans cant escape from their true beings. Humans tend to run when they are in a good or bad mood. They run when scared, or even in times of hardship. Three times, America has seen distance-running skyrocket, and its always in the midst of a national crisis. The first boom came during the Great Depression, when more than two hundred runners set the trend by racing forty miles a day across the country in the Great American Footrace. Running then went dormant, only to catch fire again in the early 70s, when we were struggling to recover from Vietnam, the Cold War, race riots, a criminal president, and the murders of three beloved leaders. And the third distance boom? One year after the September 11 attacks, trail-running suddenly became the fastest-growing outdoor sport in the country. Maybe it was a coincidence. Or maybe theres a trigger in the human psyche, a coded response that activates our first and greatest survival skill when we sense the raptors approaching. (McDougall 9) Its our greatest stress reliever in the world. It is a way for people to take a deep breath of fresh cold air and forget about everything for a little bit to calm down and be able to collect their

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thoughts. For some it is even a method to become more upbeat and active, which is why hundreds of people will wake up before everyone else put on some shoes and go out for a run to prepare themselves for the rest of the day and to give themselves that boost of motivation and confidence that they need to accomplish everything that is required of them throughout the day. Society has seen these fluctuations in running, but never truly understood why it was that humans had constantly returned to such a primitive act of running. But with that technological evolution that took us away from running has done a full circle around and brought humans back to their rightful place; back to the open trails and roads. With the advancement in technology, scientists have found an enticing specimen to study, known as the human body. They want to know every little thing about it, and why different aspects of the human body are present or why things occur within the human mind, etc. One of the discoveries that was made was that Our feet and legs are so dense with springy tendonsbecause springy tendons store and return energy, just like the rubber-band propellers on balsa-wood air- planes. The more you twist the rubber band, the farther the plane flies; likewise, the more you can stretch the tendons, the more free energy you get when that leg extends and swings back. (McDougall 179) However, even though this was a grand discovery that helped identify which kind of runner humans are, it didnt help in justifying that humans are indeed meant to be runners. In some of the research however there was a major discovery that had led to the final conclusion that humans are indeed runners, and that was what was found in the human body. There are certain ligaments and tendons in the human body that are found not in our relative primate siblings, but in that of the running creatures of the animal kingdom. One of these characteristics is that of the human respiratory system that has changed due to humans transferring to two sole feet, rather

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than four. This open respiratory system has allowed humans to run while breathing, while many animals can do only one or the other. This open respiratory system allows for breathing while in movement and is similar to that of other running animals, yet since we are an endurance species, we can continue while we run, but other running animals can only hold it for a specific time. An example of this is the cheetah, when running it fill its lungs with air when it stretches out and then the air is compressed out of its body as its legs come together, like that of an accordion. (McDougall) People havent always thought of running as the great means of therapy and training as many do today. For many decades and even in just recent years many people believed it was the worst thing that anyone could do, and they thought it was suicide to attempt a marathon, let alone an ultra. Among these people were medical associations. Athletes whose sport involves running put enormous strain on their legs. Thats what the Sports Injury Bulletin has declared. Each footfall hits one of their legs with a force equal to more than twice their body weight. Just as repeated hammering on an apparently impenetrable rock will eventually reduce the stone to dust, the impact loads associated with running can ultimately break down your bones, cartilage, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. A re- port by the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons concluded that distance running is an outrageous threat to the integrity of the knee. (McDougall 7) This is only one of thousands of pointed fingers at running, and many are true, but many only focus on one area of running, or one key part. Many could be corrupted data, because of improper ways or running that obviously would cause major injuries. As was stated before, technology was our downfall, but now it has finally brought humans that run back into the light. Besides the evolution in which we obtained our food, the

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evolution of shoes has been our Achilles heel. The original intention of shoes was to decrease the amount of natural beating that our feet took from the ground and weather. Then shoes slowly became more about comfort, arch support, light weight design, etc. These were originally good intentions, yet they have turned the battle back onto on to our feet, they have crippled the strength and power in our feet. When your feet arent artificially protected, youre forced to vary your pace and watch your speed: the instant you get recklessly fast and sloppy, the pain shooting up your shins will slow you down. (McDougall 168) These shoes that are supposedly good for us, are causing us to run on our heels which is the opposite of what you want, but its also making us forget about what we are doing, and causes us to let loose which is one of the main factors that causes all of the injuries in running. Its all because of people not knowing their limits when it comes to how they should run. Luckily for society, the running industry has seen a new market for them to advertise, with this newfound knowledge that less is better. This was the birth of five-finger toed shoes, and the minimalist shoes, which are shoes that have very little support and structure to them except the bare minimum. Strengthening the feet is the ultimate goal because, as was stated in Born to Run by Chris McDougall, I had injury problems early on, and it became apparent that my biomechanics could cause injury, Webb told me. So we did foot-strengthening drills and special walks in bare feet. Bit by bit, Webb watched his feet transform before his eyes. I was a size twelve and flat-footed, and now Im a nine or ten. As the muscles in my feet got stronger, my arch got higher. Because of the barefoot drills, Webb also cut down on his injuries These are all intended to allow those runners whom want to return to the original ways, to begin so slowly move back to running on almost bare feet.

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Along with the shoe industries stepping on board with helping society return to their barefoot roots, many new found organizations and fundraisers have taken to the streets to help increase physical activity through the art of running 5k races. Two prime examples of running organizations are The Color Run group which was founded in January of 2012 and is now planning on having over 100 events in 2013 with over a million participants. This group is making running fun for everyone because they want to try and promote daily and general health. (The Color Run) The other prime example, is the THON 5k that was held here on campus in which thousands of students, friends, and families gathered together to raise money for THON. Savage Races, Spartan Races, Mud Runs, Tough Mudders, Adventure Races, Endurance Races, Marathons, and many other major events are being held to promote general health and to get people out and running. If you wanted to add in all of the local running communities around the world along with small local fundraisers that are being held annually, like the one my family is currently setting up for this upcoming December, then the list would just go on for hundreds of pages. We need these organizations and communities events to get people out running. That is the major reason that it is wonderful that humanity has finally started to accept the fact that it was meant for us to be a running species. Our society especially that of the United States, has become obese. Our society has become content with this stationary lifestyle and its just getting worse with the advancement in technology that is slowly driving our youth indoors away from the real world and in front of the TV and computer. Running is needed to help put a foot in the door to a possible solution for obesity, but thats not the only reason that running is needed now more than ever.

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Nearly every top killer in the Western worldheart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, hypertension, and a dozen forms of cancerwas unknown to our ancestors. They didnt have medicine, but they did have a magic bulletor maybe two, judging by the number of digits Dr. Bramble was holding up. You could literally halt epidemics in their tracks with this one remedy, he said. He flashed two fingers up in a peace sign, then slowly rotated them downward till they were scissoring through space. The Running Man. (McDougall 197) Running isnt only the simple cure for obesity, it is the simple cure for many things. Maybe that is why you can see people from the age of 5 all the way up to 95 out there running those 5ks. For some, it was the key to a new and better future. My brother was overweight when he and his wife they had their first child. Even as Noelle was only a baby, my brother was having trouble playing with her. He realized it was time for a change. Switching is diet around a little bit and with the support of family and friends, he started to run. Now, two years later, he has lost over seventy pounds and enjoys running around with his three year old daughter. Many others have experienced this need to change who they are, and have found the means for a new start by running. One such case, is Rich Roll, a man in his forties who had trouble just going up a single flight of stairs. He had the same realization that my brother had gone through. Over the next few years, even at his old age, Rich has accomplished the unthinkable. He has won the Ultraman, a 320-mile compilation of swimming, biking and running, completed EPIC5, 5 ironman distance triathlons on each Hawaiian island in a week, and was named one of the worlds 25 fittest men. (Roll) Running is the cure for many mental and physical disorders. It always has been, we as a society are just becoming more aware of it, technology had hidden the truth from us, but the time

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has passed and technology has finally allowed us to return to our true selves; the running people. All of the information that has helped me and many others realized the truth behind running is in Chris McDougalls book Born to Run and others like it. Its about time that everyone takes to the streets and starts to change their health for the good. Just as Dr. Bramble says on page 197 of Chriss book, Just move your legs. Because if you dont think you were born to run, youre not only denying history. Youre denying who you are.

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Work Cited About Us. The Color Run. 2011. Nov 18 20013. WEB Home erectus, persistent hunting and Evolution. University of Idaho. PDF file. McDougall, Christopher. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen. 2009. PDF file. Roll, Rich. Finding Ultra. Three Rivers Press. New York. 2012.