Find the melody line...

So I just had a revelation and I want to write it out so that I don't forget - or better yet have a place to go when I do :-)

I read "Born To Run" a month or so ago and really found myself drawn towards the concept that generally speaking our bodies are perfectly designed to run with little help from shoes (funny since I work for a running shoe company). So I bought myself a pair of "minimal" running shoes that have very little technology and cushioning and began my journey.

Based on the information from the book and general knowledge I had picked up in my days of researching this, it was very clear that it would take some time for me to get used to running with these type of shoes - and it has. I've been rinsing and repeating (if you will) different ways to run. A little slow, a little flat footed, a little this, a little that - it felt better than before, but it still didn't feel "right".

That is until today. My achilles was sore, my breath was off, I just didn't feel good. While I was running though, I couldn't stop thinking about how different running has been for me since I stopped playing soccer. I could not remember one injury or chronic pain I ever had while running for and playing soccer. Why? What is the melody line here?

Here's what I go so far. While I was playing soccer I rarely ran on the road or wore running shoes. Rather we ran around the field in our cleats. Soccer cleats have zero technology and zero cushioning, they are strictly for touch and traction. At that moment I looked down and saw my black minimal running shoes as soccer shoes and moved over to the grass. A familiar feeling came back - the feeling I had when my high school coach would send us out on a run to start practice. I felt my stride naturally correct itself. I felt my stability muscles kick in to protect my every step. My body as a whole was working to run, not just my legs.

What does all this mean? What do I want myself to remember? The melody line is deeper than the tools or the answers to the questions... the melody line is deeper than simply "what the book says" and buying minimal shoes... the melody line lies in that subtle nuance, the subtle sense of ownership when you look past the surface and find the answer FOR YOU.

For me, the answer in this case was reflection. Reflection on a time in my life when running was (dare I say) fun and (dare I say) more comfortable. A time when I wasn't trying to run barefoot with the right stride - it was I time I was running with love of a sport, commitment to a team, desire to be great, in my heart. That, AND removing crutches (like too much cushioning in my running shoes) brought me into a place I hadn't felt in a long time. It was magic.

So David, when you find yourself struggling to get something or not quite comfortable with where you are, find the melody line - look deeper - and wait for the magic, it's there!