Yeah Bare Lee...I guess in the end it depends on what our training goals are....But we belong to the same Tribe...the Barefooters
Oh yeah, it's all good. I'm a big proponent of experimentation and finding out what works for each individual. In the end, enjoyment is the most important factor, because it leads to consistency--keeps you coming back for more--which in turn is the key to any fitness regimen.
I enjoy these discussions, debating, hearing why someone likes or doesn't like something, what works or doesn't work for them and why. Sometimes I take away something, sometimes I remained unchanged, but I never try to tell someone else to change what's working for them. Some of us have specific performance goals, some of us just want good health and well-being. I don't plan to ever run more than half-Mary distance, and probably will never get too excited about racing (although that may change!), but it's interesting hearing how others train for ultra marathons.
Our bare tribe may encompass a wide variety of approaches, but the cool thing is that, on the whole, we're a pretty open-minded lot. There do seem to be two moieties however. On the one hand, there's the 'just run' crowd, which is mostly where I belong, and then there's the perfectionist half, whose members strive to improve through conscious manipulation of things like breathing, cadence, heart rate, foot lift, and so on. I think it's good when both sides talk to each other and question each other's approach, but there's a point where it becomes pointless to participate in the other side's discussions. I commented on this thread because, although strict nasal breathing is counter-interintuitive to me, especially at faster paces, I was intrigued that others have had success with it. And in the end, I surprised myself by finding I did in fact adhere to an odd meter at my tempo/lactate threshold pace. That's something I never would've thought about if BG hadn't started this thread. Not sure what to make of this discovery, and I don't think I would consciously try to run at an odd meter if it didn't come naturally to me, but it's cool to think about. Edit: Still skeptical that running in an odd-meter has anything to do with injury prevention though--would like to see some kind of statistical proof.