I run on a rocky road. By rocky, I don't mean gravel, I mean a concrete road with pea to marbel sized rocks randomly scattered everywhere due to recent road work. Typically I am very vigilent watching what is infront of me and picking the least rocky parts to run on. Unfortunately, this has not been working for me. I have been getting small bruses on the soles of my feet due to stepping on rocks. I have been getting frustrated because I have tough feet, I have good form, and I have strong legs, so I have all the ingredients to be able to run on such a road.
Today I went for a 5 mile run on this road. Shortly into my run I had an epiphany. I may have good form, but I lose my good form when I start looking down to find the least rocky path. So, I kept my head up, and ran as if I were running on a smooth debris free surface. Of course I would scan the road ahead of me to keep an eye out for "boulders" but I was no longer searching for the best path. I was only scanning the road so I could answer the question, "Rocks, yes or no." I stepped on just as many rocks, if not more, than I typically would have, but none of them stabbed my foot bad enough where it actually hurt. I also noticed that I shaved a few minutes off my typical time to do this particular run.
As I was running, I tried to define what "looking down" was as opposed to "scanning the road." I decided that if I could see my own feet, then I was looking down WAY too far down. If fact, if I could see the road about 5 feet in front of where my feet were landing, then I was looking down too much.
In a nutshell, don't look down when running on rocky roads (or running on any suface for that matter). Keep your head up, focus on your form, don't search for the least rocky path, and only scan the road a good ways ahead of you for potentially dangerous debris. Once you start looking down in search of the least rocky path, you will lose your good form, and the toughest feet in the world will not be able to save you.
Today I went for a 5 mile run on this road. Shortly into my run I had an epiphany. I may have good form, but I lose my good form when I start looking down to find the least rocky path. So, I kept my head up, and ran as if I were running on a smooth debris free surface. Of course I would scan the road ahead of me to keep an eye out for "boulders" but I was no longer searching for the best path. I was only scanning the road so I could answer the question, "Rocks, yes or no." I stepped on just as many rocks, if not more, than I typically would have, but none of them stabbed my foot bad enough where it actually hurt. I also noticed that I shaved a few minutes off my typical time to do this particular run.
As I was running, I tried to define what "looking down" was as opposed to "scanning the road." I decided that if I could see my own feet, then I was looking down WAY too far down. If fact, if I could see the road about 5 feet in front of where my feet were landing, then I was looking down too much.
In a nutshell, don't look down when running on rocky roads (or running on any suface for that matter). Keep your head up, focus on your form, don't search for the least rocky path, and only scan the road a good ways ahead of you for potentially dangerous debris. Once you start looking down in search of the least rocky path, you will lose your good form, and the toughest feet in the world will not be able to save you.