I recently made a post entitled “A Case against Running” which progressed into a post for which I received many comments – some agreeing, some disagreeing. I would never admit that it was not at least partially bias because I do not like endurance training, but I (at least I attempted to) backed up each statement with evidence countering conventional wisdom. Interestingly enough, an article in the New York Times came out yesterday that was very poignant for the topic of discussion on running. Never being one to shy away from hearing the other side, I had to post and comment on this article. My response is, unlike my last article which was a summary of another person’s work, almost entirely me personally responding with knowledge I already have. That being said, the article is entitled “The Human Body is Built for Distance” – here is the link. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html?_r=2&hpw. Please take 5 minutes and read this before you go on.
The author’s overall gist is that we have, in fact, evolved to be distance runners. She lists reason like length of feet and alignment of toes, the gluteus maximus only engages in running, we are able, because of our sweat glands, to out run just about any animal in a marathon type length etc… Lastly, the author makes a comment that humans used distance running to “watch the sky for scavenging birds and then to run long distances to the site and steal the meat from whatever animal was there first.”
To start, one can not refute the author’s overall thesis that we are in fact evolved to be able to run. However, I would argue that, while we are capable of running long distances, sprinting is really what our bodies were meant to do. One can see this is in proper gene expression throughout the different body types in hunter gatherer societies. The author mentions the Bushmen as proponents of long-distance hunting. When I think of Bushmen, I do not think of a sprinter – lean, muscular, explosive – I think of marathoner. This is due to their massive amounts of distance they log hunting. There are exceptions of course within the society, but East Africans who come from cultures like these tend to be the top runners in the world (logical) and they all look similar. Frail.
Picture from the NYT
The author also makes a point to discuss scavenging and stealing another animals meat (as mentioned previously). I have never really heard about this technique for hunting in my reading of Hunter-Gatherers (HG), but lets assume that this was a regularly practice. To act like one would, as the author suggested, conduct essentially a marathon to go collect food I feel is rather absurd. Logically, this does not make sense. If you relied on every bit of energy for sustenance, would you conduct a marathon to not guarantee food, but just hopefully arrive at that site? O, and by the way, once you get there, you have to essentially fight off another animal to steal its food. I somehow doubt after running an extreme amount of distance, you will be prepared to even adequately defend yourself, let alone go on the offensive and “steal another animals food.”
In addition to the author’s point on hunting, I have never really heard of HG’s running long distance to kill their prey except from the Bushmen. Thus, I wanted to bring to attention what I have always read about and to me makes entirely more sense. I have always read, particularly as we came into being homo sapiens, that we would usually conduct basically a complex ambush in that our brain power and short, intense bouts of energy were combined to bring lethality. This seems logical because we humans were using something to our advantage that animals do not have – complex thought process. It does not seem in humans best interest, even though the author claims that at 26.2 miles one could out run a horse, to conduct such a long hunt that you are essentially exhausted whereby the only efficient thing you can do is, well, rest.
Lastly, the author’s main subject of the paper deals with an Indian tribe in Mexico that is known for distance running, the Tarahumara, and, what seemed more intriguing to the author, the ability to run so well in nothing but thinly soled sandals. The author shows how these people log extreme amounts of distance and never seemingly get hurt. Well, on accident, the author helps prove a lot of things I argued in my first post. One, running should not be chronic in that it should not be highly strenuous (under 75% of max. heart, but more like 55%). Two, “high-tech shoes has led to poor running form and a rash of injuries.” I would say more than a rash. A recent study, listed in the article, stated that 90% of people training for marathons sustain injuries in the process or after. This is seen to most through joint pain, but also extremely high amounts of bodily inflammation, and immune suppression. The high-tech shoe issue is easily correctable by getting some Vibram Five Fingers or even some thinly soled Pumas- this is basically what these Indians practice already with their thinly soled sandals. In addition, this new fad of ultra-marathoning, which, in my opinion is beyond absurd, is now seeing people remove their toenails so that they wont fall off or become infected during the race of 50 or 100 miles. This could be due to shoes, or simply for the fact that people are doing something entirely against their evolutionary design.
To close, running should be conducted in a playful manner where frequent walking breaks takes place. This is much in align with our gene’s and, to bring the scavenging argument back up, much more close to what a human would have likely done to gather food (and it would not have been over a span of 26 miles). I would highly doubt any HG would exert himself for hours chasing down birds over resting in the shade allowing for there to be contemplation on the way to make his/her next kill.
Either way, always good to hear both sides. Thanks to Kyle for sending me the link in digital form
If you are interested in Politics then you might be interested in the topic of this post. Even though I don’t necessarily agree with America’s approach to its Foreign Policy (read Ron Paul’s “The Revolution”), what is clear is that America is the foremost player in foreign affairs, and for the purpose of this post, foreign aid.
I drove by a Wal-Mart today and the idea for this post came about. Let me just start out by proclaiming that I 
In my opinion, Mixed Martial Arts is the best sport in world. What is not my opinion is that it is the fastest growing sport in world. If the money starts getting more substanital, as in the millions consistently, I am predicting that the market will see a slow shift of elite athletes that will at least consider MMA as opposed to basketball or football – definitely boxing. That being said, I take a serious interest in each UFC held and I find it very entertaining to pick the winners (although I can’t gamble). I tend to be accurate in my selections with Chuck Liddell’s loss to Shogun a few months back being the biggest surprise to my picks lately.
