November: Clowns

   Among the childhood pleasures we eventually surrender are the cartwheel, the duckwalk, the backflip, the crab crawl, the headstand, the somersault, and hopscotch. Is it any wonder that by retirement, many of us have lost up to 75 percent of our ability to balance?

   Runners take balance for granted until they're thrown off a treadmill or tumble nose-first onto a muddy path. Invariably, stunned faces arise from the spill. Watch a novice trail runner work terrain made perilous by loose footing: his stride turns to high, small steps and he lands farther forward on his toes to keep his body's center of gravity from sliding too far in any direction, thus making recovery easier in the event of a slip. He's compensating for - rather than using his muscles for - balance. This works in most cases, but it squanders speed and energy.

   To be sure, trail running is a superb way to improve your balance, thanks to the delightful challenges it forces you to negotiate pell-mell. Even street running develops stabilizer muscles and proprioceptors, the nerve endings that detect changes in your body's position. In fact, any movement that repetitively shifts your center of gravity helps you build balance - but only within that range of movement. The problem for runners pops up with uneven and slippery surfaces or toppled trash cans, wandering puppies, and other obstacles that break your normal stride and direction. Unless you've got the muscles, the reaction time, and the confidence to execute these sudden recovery maneuvers, injury awaits.

   If you feel smug about your gift for balance, as most of us do, try this: lift your right leg high behind you, then bend over and touch your left foot with your right hand. Now very slowly stand up straight, maintaining your body's full weight on one leg. Do 15 repetitions of this exercise on each foot. Even competitive runners will feel an ache in foot muscles that play only a supporting role in their regular workouts. Also notice that the most difficult part of this exercise is in merely standing up, since small flexes in your foot muscles can send your upper body tottering. Most of us wobble so badly, we make dancers and gymnasts smirk.

   Balance is the transfer of forces and counterforces; its secret lies in movement. For runners, it matters not only how you strike the ground and shift your weight with each stride, but also how you absorb the impact. Runners with good balance barely slow for ice or mud because they transfer their weight so evenly that when afoot slips, they're already launched into the next step. Those who include stability training in their workouts know that balance makes you agile. It makes you fast.

   You'll find dozens of ways to go about this type of training, from yoga and dance to weight training on balance balls. Pull out your unicycle. Learn to walk the tightrope. Any challenging movement that uses your whole body will help you rebuild neglected muscles along with the confidence that springs from good balance. Stability training is about learning to trust your body's innate gyroscope. It helps you spend more time on your feet, less time on your fanny.