Running Workshop at The Canberra Marathon Festival

The Eureka Moment

When Mitch and I started Wild Blue, we were excited about the potential of natural running and how it can change lives. We often discussed how the position of your foot striking the ground could impact your knees, hips, and lower back. Moreover, the way you breathe can influence your running distance and overall comfort.

Despite our educational videos and regular check-ins with clients, something was missing. That's when Mitch had a lightbulb moment: "Let’s host a workshop at the Canberra Marathon Festival!" Brilliant, right?

The Canberra Workshop

Fast forward a few months, and we flew down to Canberra. We shared our passion with a group of eager runners. Our workshop, "Beyond The Miles," focused on transforming running through:

• The foundations of natural running

• Understanding mechanics and human movement using Tensegrity

• Natural flows and movements

• Running economy and breathing

• Shoes and minimalist running

• Setting running goals

  
  

Our aim was to help attendees gain a fresh perspective on running.

PS. We were so excited to get upgraded to an electric Polestar 2 upon arrival. #smallthingsinlife

We had two hours to cover a lot of ground. In this post, I want to highlight some of the things our clients found most transformative.

Rethinking Perfectionist Movements

When considering natural human movements such as crawling, climbing, walking, running, and sprinting, what do they all share?

• Contralateral Synchronisation (Left & Right, Right & Left)

• Sagittal Movement (Forward and Back)

• Frontal Movement (Away and Toward Midline)

• Transverse Movement (Rotational)

• Elasticity (Stretch and Shorten Relationship)

  
  

We often idealize straight lines and 90-degree angles, yet it's time to let go of that notion.

Moving away from linear thinking:

• Shift focus from isolated joints and muscles to whole-body integration.

• Stability during movement (walking, running, balancing) arises from tension-compression balance rather than rigid stability.

• This allows for flexibility, adaptability, and efficient force transmission across the body.

  
  

Shoes: Friend or Foe?

We delved into the often-overlooked (and sometimes overhyped) world of shoes.

A meta-analysis published on NIH in 2022 reviewed 12 trials, including a total of 11,240 participants. These trials ranged from 6 to 26 weeks and involved participants from North America, Europe, Australia, and South Africa.

Findings included:

• Neutral/Cushioned vs. Minimalist (5 studies, 766 participants): Little to no difference in injury rates.

• Motion Control vs. Neutral/Cushioned (2 studies, 421 participants): Uncertain effect on injury rates.

• Soft Midsole vs. Hard Midsole (2 studies, 1095 participants): Similar injury rates were observed.

• Stability vs. Neutral/Cushioned (1 study, 57 participants): Uncertain if stability shoes reduced injury rates.

• Running Shoes Selected on Foot Posture (3 studies, 7203 participants): There was no evidence that running shoes based on static foot posture reduced injury rates.

  
  

There’s so much more we covered, but that would require a short book to fully detail! 😅

Saturday Vibes: Group Run & Analysis

It wouldn't be a trip to Canberra without running around Lake Burley Griffin, right? We woke up at 5:00 AM to drive to the meetup point and prepare for a warm-up before our bridge-to-bridge run—a pleasant 5km to kick off the day.

We divided into different groups based on desired paces.

Running Analysis

Following the group run, we conducted individual running analyses. In just 60 minutes, we achieved remarkable results with our runners. Who knew a few tweaks could yield such significant improvements?

We focused on balance, activated and mobilized joints, explored natural movement flows, and recorded their running. This was essentially a gait analysis in a real-world setting—no treadmills needed!

Mitch in his natural habitat talking about posture.

This session was a highlight of the weekend for both coaches and runners. It’s rare for anyone to take a slow-motion look at their running to check for potential injury risks.

I didn't like wearing shoes that day, so I proudly rocked some pretty gnarly hobbit feet.

Sunday: Canberra Marathon Festival Race Day

Race days always bring back memories of my first marathon—the pain, the achievement, and the intense training. Many participants deal with nerves following little sleep. They're about to embark on one of the most physically demanding challenges of their lives. It gets me emotional. I’m proud of the effort all these runners put forth to stand at the starting line and do their best while hopefully having fun.

As our runners arrived 30-60 minutes before the event, we guided them through some activation and mobilization exercises to get them warmed up.

Race day was exhilarating. We cheered, supported, and celebrated our runners as they achieved personal bests and had transformative experiences. It was truly a memorable day.

So, did we accomplish our goal of simplifying the complex task of running?

Helen, the runner second from the right, messaged us on Sunday, and her words capture our impact perfectly:

"Hey there Mitch, it was great to meet you and Tom! I’m thrilled to have completed the 10km. You said I have a good running style, and you helped me make 10kms a reality. It shows that with great coaching and support, anyone can achieve their dreams! ❤️ Thanks heaps for a weekend full of interesting information, genuine care, and amazing achievements. I hope to run a half marathon or even try shoes without cushioning in the future. 🤔 Great weekend! Xxx"

Run your heart out, and stay tuned, because this is only the beginning of many workshops to come.

Tom Simak,

Run Coach & Co-Founder of Wild Blue