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The day I figured out I was walking wrong on hills
I've been hiking the same 3 mile loop near my house for about 5 years. Last Tuesday I saw this older guy just gliding up a steep section while I was huffing and puffing. He stopped and asked if I was landing on my heels. Turns out I was doing that the whole time, which makes you work way harder going uphill. He showed me to take shorter steps and land on the front of my foot. My knees didn't ache after that hike for the first time in months. Has anyone else had a random stranger fix a basic thing you've been messing up?
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the_kim5mo ago
Wait, that heel lock thing works with regular hiking boots too? I had the same moment but with my backpack straps. A guy on the Appalachian Trail showed me how to adjust the load lifters and it changed everything. I had been carrying my pack wrong for like two years and just figured my shoulders were supposed to hurt. It's wild how much we just accept discomfort as normal until some random person comes along and shows us the right way. Makes you wonder what other little things we're all just powering through that could be fixed in two minutes.
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smith.anna5mo ago
Wait, hasn't anyone here read that book called "Born to Run"? I swear it changed how I think about all this stuff. It talks about how people in some parts of Mexico run super long distances without all the fancy gear and injuries, and a lot of it comes down to how you land on your feet. @reesel50 you should check it out because it goes into the heel lock thing and other hacks too. I tried the forefoot landing after reading that book and my knees felt way better, just like what that older guy showed you. It's honestly amazing how much we overcomplicate something as natural as walking. Makes me think there's probably tons of little things the Tarahumara and other active people just do naturally that we all miss out on.
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jake9865mo ago
Dude that's wild lmao. It's crazy how often we just assume we're doing basic stuff right until someone casually points out we've been doing it all wrong. I had that moment with tying my shoes a few years ago - a guy at a climbing gym showed me the heel lock technique and my feet stopped hurting on long hikes. It makes you wonder what other stuff we just auto-pilot through without realizing there's a better way. Sucks that nobody ever tells you these things in school or whatever.
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