Hi, this is Debbie Boyles, coach at Mojo for Running, with podcast number 85, balance and

pro preoception, part one. Say that 10 times fast. Let's talk about the role of balance in running

today. And then, at the end, I have a big

announcement for you. So hang on. It always amazes me that I so seldom see articles written or hear

runners talking about balance. It really is super critical. Just think about it. When you're running,

you're never standing on both feet,

right? Whenever you have both feet on the ground at the same time, you're walking, not running. Essentially,

when you're running, you're hopping from foot to foot. Doesn't it seem to be a good idea to be

as stable throughout your stride as possible? There are other ways to become a more stable runner, like

strengthening your muscles, especially the muscles in your core, but balance is huge as well.

Your stride will become more efficient. You will maintain better balance between how much work

your right and left side do, which is always desirable. Let me digress for a moment.

I fell down a flight of stairs a few years back. Basically, I bounced down several steps on my left

hip. Amazingly, nothing broke and the excruciating pain was gone, about 10 days later, which is when

I resumed running, and that was with the doctor's approval.

What I didn't realize, though, was that after that, I ran differently. I favor my left side.

My friends, my friends, started joking that they always needed to run on my right side because when I ran,

I would always veer to the left bumping into them repeatedly. Apparently, my right side because when I ran, I would always veer to the left,

bumping into them repeatedly. Apparently my right side was doing all the work and my right

steps were longer. When I checked the bottom of a pair of my worn out Hoka shoes, it was obvious.

Wow. To look at them, you'd think each shoe was from a completely different pair.

Of course, I have many pairs of running shoes, but because the hocus have the softest soul,

...