Slowing Down to Run Faster

May 18, 2020
Rehab specialist and former triathlete Yu debuts with a thoughtful treatise on running intended to help readers achieve “sense-ability,” the human mind’s potential ability “to sense and feel at extraordinarily subtle levels and in the process direct your movement with the precision of an Olympic athlete.” Yu believes that the modern world is defined by a “get it done” culture of “not feeling, not knowing and not being.” In running, this lack of awareness can lead to injury. He credits experience with the martial arts Bagua and Taichi and the Feldenkrais method of movement with leading him toward greater awareness of bodily movement, and in particular, with enabling him to achieve more graceful, powerful, and enjoyable running. Yu asks runners to try out various bodily motions—for instance, the “common dictum among track coaches, ‘Lift your knees higher’ ”—for themselves, and to concentrate on how much effort these actions require, and how good they feel. Twenty-seven exercise sets, such as “Downward Spiral” and “Salsa Hips,” are included, with accompanying photographs, for readers to practice as part of their program. In redefining running as a time for “wonder and exploration,” Yu’s instructive and inviting text will appeal to fitness enthusiasts eager to shake up their exercise regimen.