Humans have evolved as persistence hunting runners and cooperative animals. This is why we are now the most evolved species on Earth. And this is why the key to our happy and sustainable future on Earth depends on how we use persistence, cooperation, gentleness, and, of course, running.

Gentle Running and Living

by Dr Patrick Salmon, PharmD, PhD

Member of the Barefoot Runners Society

Founding Member of the Tarahumara Spirit   

Be gentle

to yourself

and others!

“Life is hard enough to add extra suffering to it”. We propose here a way to build a stronger, healthier and happier self through gentle running. Then, this “ascetic hedonism” can be translated into several aspects of life, to humbly contribute to a better world.

First of all, buy yourself a nice equipment.

The idea is that, when you feel unmotivated, all you will need is to put it on so you will feel better and ready to go, at least for 20 minutes or so.

What you need is:

• A nice colorful technical t-shirt
• Nice pants
• A cap and/or a head-band designed to manage sweat (It should drain the sweat away from your forehead and eyebrows. If you are in my case, this will keep you from wiping your forehead every 2 minutes on hot weather). You may also add a wrist band if you really sweat a lot.
• A belt to carry a bottle, a phone, plus goodies such as an energy bar, a bit of cash, a phone with emergency numbers, keys, etc)
• A simple cardio watch with a heart rate monitor. This will show you your level of effort as you start into the sport world. But, unless you have a medical condition, your feelings are more important and relevant than numbers you read on an electrical device. Also, you can use an app that works on your smartphone (such as Strava), to keep records of your activities, share them with friends, etc. Also, your smartphone can be part of training equipment, if you use a metronome to control your running cadence. Finally, your smartphone can take pictures when you find a nice view you want to share later.

• And the most critical part: the shoes. This part is so critical that I made a whole page just for that. So, to get all the infos you need to buy the best shoes for you …
• Click here >>

The Gentle Guide to become a joyful Runner

My Checklist of Tips for beginners

• Never try to over-stride (small steps are more efficient)
• Land on mid-foot (heel is for walking or standing)
• Do not lean from the waist, lean from the ankles. Keep your body straight to have the maximum coil-spring effect. Adopt the posture of the Spanish Dancer.
• Do not thump. Be gentle. Thumping is a sign of poor efficiency and of a process leading to injuries.
• Pull your leg up with your knee as soon as your foot touches the ground. The quicker the stride, the more efficient.
• All this also summarized in this section.

Here is a video of Prof. Daniel Lieberman that summarizes Gentle Running.

• If you cannot remember the whole checklist, try to put it on your smartphone. If at any time while running, you feel that you are doing something wrong, no big deal. Just stop, and re-apply the checklist before resuming your run. At the beginning, it is very important that you do not develop a bad habit.
• Your smartphone can also help you to practice the proper cadence (180 steps per minute) if you install a metronome on it.

My Core Advice to Beginners and all runners

• Enjoy the world
• Be aware of every step as a blessing, not everybody can run. Stop each time you feel like it, to enjoy the view, smell a flower, talk to someone, take a picture, etc.
• In any case, never try to run fast, and never push it. Instead, adjust your style and your pace to your sensations. When you feel it is too hard, take smaller steps. Always!
• Forget about speed. If you are gentle and patient, speed will come when you do not care about it anymore. And without injuries.

And the ultimate Advice to Beginners and all runners

• Try to run Barefoot as often as possible
• Because Barefoot running is not at all for extreme runners
• It is on the contrary the best way to practice Gentle Running
• Barefoot Running is especially good for beginners, not-so-fit and overweight people.
• Because when you run Barefoot, you simply CANNOT run hard or wrong
• Your bare feet will be your best teachers.
• To learn Barefoot Running and feel the world and your body like never before, click here.

Second, if you do not run at all, or did not run for a long time, it will be stupid to start running the wrong way.

So, here is the checklist to start running correctly:

• Stand straight, shoulders, hips and ankles aligned, always.
• Start “running” on the same spot, without moving forward. Your feet will naturally hit the ground with the correct sequence, i.e. ball of the foot, then heel.
• Apply a cadence of 180 steps per minute, i.e. 3 steps per second. Use a metronome in your smartphone if you need it. If it feels too fast, 160 is OK.
• Start leaning from the ankle, stay straight and do not bend from the waist At that point you will realize that you just need to place your foot right below your center of mass, just to avoid falling forward.
• You are now running correctly. It is as simple as that.

Here is a Youtube video that summarizes these simple points:

Natural running, i.e. correct running, is that simple. You just use gravity to move forward, your feet gently touching the ground under your center of gravity, to avoid falling forward.

In fact, correct running is just controlled falling.

Your speed only depends on the angle from your ankles.

You are now running exactly like the best runners in the world! You have the same style, the same cadence, the same posture. Only the speed is different !

If you have arrived here, you are intrigued about how it could be fun to run.

Here is why:

• Running is the easiest sport to set up.
• Running gently is one of the best sport to stay healthy, including especially when suffering from weight problems or joint problems.
• Humans have evolved as the best endurance runners on the planet and so, you and I are built for running.
• At some point in our lives, especially as kids, we ALL enjoyed running.
• Running gently will reproduce the pleasure you had to run when you were a kid.
• Once you practice gentle running regularly, you will enjoy life better, especially food, drinks, friends, the world around you, and sharing in general.

If your memory of running when you were a kid feels like this movie, you will enjoy gentle running.

Because gentle running eliminates all the useless pain and suffering of “traditional” running.

Because running should be like this:

Certainly not like this:

And even less like that:

Now that you are running, what is next?

• Take it easy. Run at a speed at which you could run for ever, while chatting, looking around you, listening to the sounds of nature and of your steps. At the end of your running cession, if you cannot imagine that you could go for another session after 5-10 minutes of rest, you have pushed it too hard. The maximum benefits for your health and your global energy is when, after a routine run, you never reach the level when you feel exhausted, but instead when you feel energized.
• Always run light. For each step, try to land as light as possible, with no sound, like sneaking up on a deer. This has 2 advantages. First, your joints will thank you and you can enjoy the world around you. Second, if you thump, it means that your losing energy, hence the thumping sound. So, the less sound, the more energy is stored in your muscles and tendons to be used as spring effect in your next step. And the more efficient you are!
• Apply the walk-break. This is a must to stay away from fatigue and injuries. I do it every time, whether in short joggings or in full Marathons. I am sure I could not finish a Marathon without doing it. It consists in walking, for a minute or so, every 10 minutes or so of running, and this from the 1st ten minutes until the end of the run. Of course, when you start running from scratch, you can apply a “customized” walk-break, i.e. run 2-5 minutes, walk 2-5 minutes, and so on, all depending on your feelings and your mood of the day. Basically, and once again, apply gentleness to yourself. When you go out for a “run”, run when you feel like running, and walk when you feel like walking. Then, as you become more comfortable with running, you will adjust the walk-breaks to finish with the 10-to-1 routine.