The Slow Running Man: The human body and running

It’s been raining for 3 days so I haven't got a run in. During times like these is when I wish I had a treadmill. While I can't run I've decided to do some research into the human body and running. Part of my research has come from Christopher McDougals Born to Run (a truly inspirational book. Get it if you can), from a NY times article and from an article written by Harvard professors Daniel E. Lieberman and Dennis M. Bramble. Links will be at the bottom of this blog posting.

Humans are built to run. Not only are our bodies built to run but we are built to run long distance. First let’s look at the human body. Our toes are perfect for running. They are not like orang-utan toes (our nearest primate relative). Orang-utan toes are definitely designed for tree climbing. Our short human toes allow for more efficient running. “The big toe is lined up with the rest, not divergent, the way you see with apes and our closest nonrunning relatives,” Dr. Bramble said. “It’s the main push-off in running: the last thing to leave the ground is that big toe.” Even if we look at the way our feet are arched. The arch is perfect design for weight bearing.

Legs - We have elastic tendons and muscles in our legs. We also have spring like ligaments in our feet. The Achilles tendon is there for running. It’s useless when you are walking. But if you want to run long distance you need an Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon is absent or tiny in other Ape species.

Sweat glands - We have millions of them. Sweat is the easiest way we let heat escape our bodies. While other animals can run quicker then we can they cannot run longer. And it all comes down to sweat glands. Let’s take a look at the Horse. No one can out sprint a horse. It's a very fast animal. But, it doesn't sweat. If it is constantly moving or galloping it has no way of getting rid of heat. Over a long enough distance, man can out run a horse.

Sweat glands are the great evolutionary trump card. Our species has been around for about 2 million years. But, we have only been using spears for 200,000 and the bow and arrow came into play 50,000 years ago. How did early man survive? They key seems to be running prey to death (this is still a hunting method used by some African tribes today). A group of hunters would get together and target an animal and constantly keep it moving. It could take 2 or 3 hours but eventually that animal would be overcome by its own internal heat because it can't sweat. Most animals pant and panting does not expel enough heat for them to run long distance. Man is superior. Evolution is wonderful.