Respect The Simplicity

Nothing!

Not very interesting, but that’s about it!

Nothing - All we really need for running.

It really is the most simple of activities. There is no necessary equipment. No bat or ball, and nothing to throw or climb on. It is less basic than ‘jumpers for goalposts’, as we don’t even need goalposts. And it doesn’t matter how far or how fast you run, you can just run as it suits. You set your own boundaries.  

And when I say we need nothing, I mean exactly that. Nothing!

OK, so these days the requirements have changed somewhat, but historically speaking we really did run with nothing. No shoes, no technical ‘wicking’ clothing, no sports bra.

We ran because we were animals that could run.

And we still are.

You could still run today with absolutely nothing, although in the Western world you might find that in doing so you got some impromptu speed training as the police tried to arrest you for indecent exposure. We’ve become ‘civilised’ (well, sort of!).

And we’ve got Stone-Age man to blame for that.

Before the Stone Age we ran around quite happily with nothing. Barefoot and naked! There were no rules. Any races, as such there were, were decided by who got to the food first, or who escaped the predator/enemy alive. You didn’t need a photo finish to know who the winner was. They were the one alive and doing the eating. Usain Bolt could have been the first obese caveman.

Then Mr Ug picked up a stone and used it to bash something. Suddenly it was the height of Neolithic fashion to have tools. This naturally led to inventing things. Men stood around admiring each other’s tools (as they still tend to do today). The trend for overcomplicating things began.

Progress was rapid, and someone, for some reason, invented a cart to sit on. But that was a bit dull, so someone else invented a horse and tied the two together. Hey presto, the thing moved.

Suddenly people started doing their running sitting down, on the cart. This was cheating, of course, but it caught on (the practice is still popular today.) However, they got sore bums as the cart was a bit rough and bouncy.

So someone else invented roads, then another bright spark made them all black and smooth. Suddenly there were no more sore bums, but lots of sore feet instead. This pretty much put paid to the practice of running around barefoot. With the exception of Masai warriors, not many people do it anymore, although it is making a comeback.

Assuming you are not a Masai warrior, you probably have some shoes especially for running. And there’s no doubt that a lot of technology, research and development has gone into making them. Rightly so with all these roads around. You maybe also have some special socks, and probably some shorts, T-shirts or vests, and leggings. And maybe even drinks, bottles, a GPS device, and possibly computer programs.

All for running???

See where bashing those stones about has got us?

But things get even more extreme.

Honda has spent more money than there is in the known universe, developing a robot that can run. ‘Asimo’ looks sort of like a person, and can indeed run, sort of like a person.  I have a young son, William, and he can run much better than Asimo, despite costing vastly less. (OK, he costs a bit less!) Honda spent this monumental sum of money mechanically recreating the work of God, or Charles Darwin, depending on your viewpoint.

The point I am making is, being able to manipulate the laws of physics to enable ones self to run is unbelievably mechanically complex, but it is something that is hard-wired into our natural physiology. We can do it instinctively, without much conscious thought.  Ug and Mrs Ug the cavemen could do it, and they didn’t have wicking tops, isotonic drinks or a GPS. They kept it basic, and despite their technological deficiencies, were rather good it.

As the meercat say, “Simples!”

Children, like William, will all run, driven by nothing more than natural instinct. No accessories required. If you want to test this, get one or more children and put them in an open space and see what happens. It will tire you out just watching them.

So every now and then, forget about all the stuff you don’t need, and just go out and run. Leave the watch / GPS at home. Don’t measure the route. Forget about the unnecessary trappings that overcomplicate the natural feelings of freedom. Feel the wind in your face, the ground under your (shod) feet, the blood coursing through your body, and the endorphin afterglow. Feel the instinct behind it. Let it feel how it felt for the Ugs; natural simplicity.

Respect The Simplicity.

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