Remembering how to run

ShareThis

They say that you never forget how to ride a bicycle. The same sentiment does not apply to running.It seems difficult to forget something as simple as running. It is, after all, the same walking motion we make every day, only faster and in a silly outfit. But while your mind, in its deepest aging recesses, may recall running, you body does not.After as little as five years off the road, your muscles, tendons and joints will have no memory of running whatsoever. They will grudgingly go through the physical motions of a jog or trot, but a full-out run is a request for disaster. And after a quarter-hour of such forced remembrance, these respective parts will encourage you to forget this running thing again, and for good.Cycling largely owes its explosive popularity in recent years to Lance Armstrong. But the bike has maintained popularity due to its forgiveness toward the heavy and/or creaky among us. Pedaling is considered a "low-impact" sport, referring more to the body than the wallet. As any new cyclist will tell you, the most painful aspects of cycling are the seat and the price. The pains are remarkably similar.Running, meanwhile, is as cost-effective as ever. A runner need only invest in a pair of decent shoes and a bottle of ibuprofen. Of course, as with any athletic pursuit, the additional costs are available for those seeking to pay them. There is a broad market in heart monitors, pedometers, sweat-wicking clothing, hydration systems and supplements for those more interested in shopping than exercise.But with dollars in mind more than sense, a hefty majority of us look to running as a first stumbling step toward health or weight maintenance, often after years of inactivity. Gym memberships are expensive, requiring contracts that continue long after desire has expired. Trainers, nutritionists and weight-loss programs want your money as well. Running asks only for your time.Or so it would seem, before the inaugural lap in an exercise outfit that predates your car. Running -- in public, especially -- also requires the sacrifice of some dignity. There is a reason, for instance, that generously proportioned individuals prefer a brisk walk. Imagine running with a large bowl of lime Jell-O. You get the idea.Even those who have tamed their weight enough to run without risk of whiplash must be prepared to explain to neighbors or policemen that, no, you are not dying, you are resting for the return trip. Profuse sweating, flushed face, difficulty breathing and shooting pains are, of course, symptoms of a record time.It is your body, however, that pays the steepest price.Your mind may recall a distant time, in high school or college, when you once, briefly, ran. You may have memories of brisk fall days, your shoes treading through crisp oak and maple leaves, the sun arcing low through bared branches as your lungs drew cold clean air and your legs carried you to routes yet untaken and times yet unachieved. But you don't remember the week of soreness afterward. Because you were young and resilient and possibly full of beer.Your body may not remember recovery, but luckily for those joints, it's hard to forget how to loaf on the couch. In fact, it's just like riding a bike.(Ben Grabow writes for the young, the urban and the easily amused. E-mail him at thinlyread(at)gmail.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)