Breaking Free from the Treadmill: Let's Start Real Running

The Wrong Running Habits of Koreans

When I watch people running along the Han River or in parks, it's honestly heartbreaking. About 8 or 9 out of 10 people are running like deflated soccer balls. The way they pound the ground with their heels looks painful to watch, and it's actually putting tremendous stress on their joints.

The biggest problem with this running style is that the ground contact time is way too long. When your foot stays on the ground for too long, your body weight gets transferred directly to your joints, putting stress on your ankles, knees, and lower back. This is exactly why your joints hurt after running, not your muscles.

Cadence: The Foundation of Running

One of the most important concepts in running iscadence. This refers to the number of times your feet make contact with the ground per minute. It's no coincidence that marathon runners maintain a ground contact rate of 170-180 times per minute during long runs. This range is the most efficient and has the lowest risk of injury.

However, most recreational runners have a cadence of around 150-160. This means your feet spend more time on the ground, making you run like a rock instead of a kangaroo. When your feet feel like they're getting stuck in the ground, all that impact gets transferred straight to your joints.

Proper Landing Technique: The Truth About Foot Contact

Many people get confused about forefoot, midfoot, and heel strike landings. But what matters isn't which part of your foot touches first – it'swhere your body weight transfers to.

Just because your heel lightly touches the ground doesn't make it a heel strike. If your weight distributes evenly across your entire foot as it rolls forward, that's a midfoot landing. The key is to minimize contact time as much as possible. You should run with a "tap-tap" feeling, like you're walking on hot sand.

Proper Form for Long-Distance Running

In long-distance running, you don't need to lift your legs high. Just barely clearing the ground is enough. Unnecessarily lifting your knees high is a sprinting technique that only wastes energy in long-distance running.

Your body should lean forward about 10 degrees from vertical. This naturally creates forward momentum as you engage your toes. For your arms, the key isswinging them backward, not forward – just like when you're walking.

Exercise Intensity and Body Changes

Many people mistakenly categorize aerobic and anaerobic exercise by activity type, but that's wrong. Exercise intensity determines whether it's aerobic or anaerobic. It roughly depends on whether you're exercising at 60-80% of your maximum capacity.

If you want to build muscle, you need to exercise at high intensity (above 80%). If you want to lose body fat, you should exercise below 60%. If you've been lifting weights for three years without seeing changes, your intensity is probably wrong. This 60-80% range is crucial because it determines testosterone production levels.

Mental Health Benefits of Running

Interestingly, running is the number one activity for preventing depression. This is why doctors recommend running over medication when you're feeling down. Just getting outside and seeing sunlight improves your mood, and adding running to that doubles the effect.

Treadmill vs. Outdoor Running

Unlike Korea, most people in the US and Europe run outdoors. Koreans seem obsessed with treadmills because of calorie counting. But if you build muscle through basic strength training, you'll burn calories throughout your daily activities anyway.

On a treadmill, the belt moves for you, so you only need to lift your body vertically. But outdoor running requires you to jump up AND propel yourself forward. Since you need both forces, outdoor exercise is naturally more effective. Plus, you get fresh air and it's much better for your mental health.

How to Use a Treadmill Properly

If you absolutely must use a treadmill, here are some tips. First, download a metronome app and try running to a 170-180 BPM beat. It'll feel faster than you think. When your feet hit the ground to this beat, your contact time becomes incredibly short.

It'll be really tough at first. You might not be able to run as far or as long as you used to. But that's okay. Starting from there and gradually building up will let you run safely for a long time without injury.

Setting the treadmill incline to about 10 degrees mimics the effect of leaning your body forward. If you want to strengthen your calves, you can increase the incline to 15 degrees to engage those muscles more.

Things More Important Than Speed

Treadmill speed isn't actually that important. Speed is like stride length on flat ground. Stride length gets longer when you're strong and shorter when you're weak. During long runs, your stride length should change, but your cadence shouldn't.

When running for 30 minutes, your stride will be longer when you feel good, but it should get shorter as you get tired. You adjust with stride length, not cadence.

Warm-up Before Running

Before running, I recommend setting the incline to about 10 degrees and walking with your body leaning forward, like you're climbing a hill. This engages your calves, thighs, and glutes – the main muscles you use when running.

Even better is to strengthen your calves, thighs, and glutes through separate strength training exercises.

In Conclusion

Running is more complex and challenging than most people think. If even professional athletes get their running form corrected, recreational runners need to be even more careful. But with the right knowledge and approach, it's an excellent exercise you can enjoy for a long time without injury.

Let's step off the treadmill and incorporate core and strength training. And whenever possible, try running outdoors with proper form. It'll be tough at first, but developing healthy running habits is the best investment you can make for lifelong health.