
Running Is Always Blind - brahmwg
http://m.nautil.us/issue/38/noise/running-is-always-blind
======
corecoder
Interesting article, but I don't get why so much surprise at the notion that
we don't consciously control every single muscle, joint and nerve as we run.

We never ever consciously control every anything, period. Just try to list the
movements of each phalanx as you tie your shoes or even scratch your head, and
you'll easily see that we just have no idea.

~~~
lloeki
Well, yes and no, my experience tells me it all depends on the level of
control of your body that you have, and training for a particular task.

Learning to ollie is a typical example of that: there are movements that you
have to consciously apply, yet the best way to ollie is to not think about it
and just _do_ a ollie, as each movement isolated doesn't mean much and it's
only when the whole thing connects together that it works [0]. As Rodney
Mullen says [1], you can only be conscious about sub-movements that really
don't exist by themselves (only as part of a larger move) and connect together
to form (and possibly create) a movement or a trick. It's really hard to
describe, because mostly you don't really think about it, you just feel it,
but at the same time it's a conscious action on your part, kinda like
meditation or doing a _kata_.

[0]: Braille Skateboarding - 5 steps to better ollies:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrOZxOTIv-g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrOZxOTIv-g)

[1]: Rodney Mullen - Pop a ollie and innovate!
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEm-
wjPkegE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEm-wjPkegE)

~~~
corecoder
Also: I can't skate, but I used to be able to juggle almost decently. Sure,
learning to juggle involves some degree of conscious learning, but really the
cerebellum does almost all the work. You look at someone doing a new trick and
understand the understandable part, then you keep trying until you can perform
the trick decently, and I ensure you that there is absolutely nothing you can
explain afterwards that you couldn't before the training (once you get the
understandable part).

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jqrd
Makes me think of orienteering running -- at the competitive level, you can't
afford to slow down much (and definitely you can't stop running) just to look
at the map and plan your route. So not only you're not looking at how rough
the terrain you're stepping on right now is, your brain is also busy with
evaluating different options and trying to optimize for the least effort to
get from point A to point B (and repeat this 100 times or more in a race) --
for example, should I take the long way around the hill with rougher
vegetation vs go straight up 100 meters elevation and down on the other side.

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js2
_Jurek never looks down, no matter how uneven the ground may be._

Scott Jurek is one of the greatest trail/ultra-runners of all time, but I find
this hard to believe. Of course you don't look directly down at your feet, but
your gaze (at least, my gaze) when trail running is a few feet in front of
you, much closer than when running on a smooth surface. He must have a visual
image of what's in front of him.

I run a lot of road miles (60+/week), with the occasional trail run, and I'm
not a very good trail runner (went down three times in a 12 mile trail run a
couple weeks ago). I find trail running much more mentally taxing than road
running. I'm constantly scanning the ground for trip hazards, then looking up
for branches and turns. I don't dare look at my watch. If my attention flags
for a second, that's exactly when a root grabs my foot or my toe slams into a
rock. A lot of this may be due to poor technique (I don't lift my legs as much
as I should) or the rather rugged single-track where I run. And then there's
running poorly marked trails where you have to navigate as you go, which is
another issue altogether.

In any case, interesting article. Single-track trail running is definitely a
different beast than road, track, or cross-country.

~~~
LeifCarrotson
Technique/form and experience definitely make a big difference in trail
running. I usually do about 30 mpw on trails, and my gaze is 10-20 meters
ahead, or yes, at my watch. Peripheral vision, I think, plays a large role.
That's a reflex you have to train.

And single-track running shouldn't be that much different than cross country
running: The races aren't meant to be held on golf courses!

~~~
js2
I didn't run in school so I haven't seen a lot of xc courses. I just
occasionally run on a local xc course. It's all screened gravel, except for a
single (long) grass hill. I've run a couple other xc courses and they've all
been easy compared to the local single-track. I recently ran the UIUC xc
course and it's an all grass loop around their arboretum with a single man-
made "hill".

The single-track in my area is very rugged, with lots of roots and exposed
jagged rock, so I think that may be part of it too. But point taken.

------
oinsurance3
You can't run from troubles, you can to face them and solve them

~~~
crottypeter
Some problems _are_ solved by running :-)

[http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running_shoes](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running_shoes)

