Runningmonkeys

Think of the cartoon character “The Road Runner”.  Picture him speeding down the highway with a trail of dust behind him.  Visualize his body and his legs.  His body is absolutely steady and level.  All his legs are doing is going around and around.  No thump, thump, thump.  No up and down.  No wasted energy or tension.  No injuries and no slowing down.  The Road Runner never gets caught!

The Road Runner uses the pose method.

The pose method has long been on my list of books to read.  I’ve been hearing about it from all over the place and no doubt so have you.  Over time it has developed quite a following amongst runners.  A lot of people out there are ready to confirm his claims.  I’ve been dealing with an injury to my calf on and off for many months now and so I thought I would take the time to read and evaluate the book for myself.

The first thing I discovered was that Dr. Nicholas Romanov certainly understands running.  His Pose method has been developed over an exceptionally long period beginning back in 1977, so the concept is almost as old as me.  He was a runner, coach and university teacher of runners and coaches in the old Soviet Union athlete machine.  He taught people how to train, how to race and then took it upon himself to work out how to teach people how to run.

His basic premise is that, though we had made massive inroads in many areas of running science, we still had no definitive way to predictably and safely run.  He argues that although we were getting faster and faster this was wreaking havoc with our joints, muscles, bones and ligaments.

He studied the finest human runners and the fastest animals on earth and analysed their form.  He studied ballet, dance, and karate and how they were taught and learnt.  He studied Greek marathoners, today’s octogenarian runners and the current running literature.  And he came up with The Pose Method of Running. 

Now I find the name unfortunate and I would have a lot easier time taking it all in if the name was “The Dr. Nicholas Romanov method”.  I would probably also prefer it if it was called “The red duck and fifteen sparrows method”…but it isn’t and for good reason.  The name comes from the optimum pose that a runner can strike.  It is a perfect, balanced, flexible and coiled-spring type of pose.  This pose is held for a fraction of a second and then the body is allowed to fall forward with gravity until the next foot lightly touches the ground as the posed is re-established for another split second.  Dr. Romanov tells us that this Pose is the key to excellent running.

His Pose Method of Running claims to :

• Radically Change Your Form
• Eliminate Injuries
• Enhance Endurance
• Raise Speed
• Reduce Recovery Time
• Increase Flexibility
• Improve Coordination

Quite a list!  What more could a runner want.  If it did any one or two of these things it would be worth trying.  That is why I have given it the thumbs up.  I have carefully read the book before committing myself to use it in my running.  From what I have seen, and from the demonstrations included, I think it is remarkable science.  He has done his research, his logic makes sense, his facts are undeniable.  I believe it is definitely worth a go.

It is going to take some time to fully integrate The Pose method of Running into my form, but I am up for it.  As long as it doesn’t cause more problems than it solves I will see it through until I am a fully fledged Pose Runner.  I have spent too much time injured and I have seen too  many people leave running because of injuries to turn down such an opportunity.  Even if it takes me 6 months or a year to get back to where I want to be, I will still be better off if the Pose method is half as good as it claims to be.

This morning I tried out the first few drills of the process. They took a little “feeling” to understand but I think I nailed them in the end.  From here on I am going to document everything exciting that I discover along the journey, so stay tuned.  If you think the Pose Method of Running may be for you I will put a link at the end of this post to go straight to their site and buy the book.  Then I’m going to buy the DVD to get even better guidance to make the transition smoother. 

In summary from what I have learnt so far I am really excited.  The Pose Method of Running has the potential to revolutionise the way that I run and build me into a faster, fitter and less injured runner in the long term.  What more could a boy ask for!

The Pose Method of Running by Dr. Nicholas Romanov