Daily Evolution from Mastering Tai Chi-Chapter 184: Turning Point
Manager Li slowly walked over and continued:
"When wearing carbon-plated running shoes, the high-strength carbon plate enhances the power of the arch, so choosing to land on the forefoot is the most efficient running posture for athletes."
"That short barefoot runner chose to land on the whole foot and maintain a high step frequency precisely because of his lack of ability, leading his body to subconsciously choose this seemingly awkward running form. Due to the insufficient strength of his ankle, his body naturally adjusted to a whole-foot landing posture. Because of the weakness of his arch, he naturally shifted to a high step frequency. All this is actually just an instinctive choice of the body, and humans find it difficult to fight against such instincts."
On hearing this.
The elderly man’s cloudy eyes narrowed slightly, and he said displeasedly, "Manager Li, are you suggesting that Wang Ye’s ankle and arch strength are robust, allowing him to choose such a relatively aggressive running style?"
Li Weimin continued to explain, "You misunderstand, what I’m saying is that this running style was not his own choice but an instinctive selection by his body. His ankle and arch capabilities are comparable to the carbon plate in running shoes, allowing him to effortlessly choose this aggressive running method without having to follow the instinctive running styles of others."
"Nonsense, how can top athletes rely on their instincts to run?" The old man huffed, obviously a bit flushed.
Li Weimin shook his head and said, "You can try running a few steps barefoot yourself to experience it. I won’t elaborate more, lest you all find me tedious."
At this moment.
The student’s teacher suddenly spoke:
"Teacher, let me give it a try."
He removed his shoes and socks and tentatively placed his bare feet on the asphalt road.
The scalding road forced him to lift his foot.
But he endured the heat, standing on the surface to adapt for over ten seconds.
Finally, he could barely take a couple of steps.
After getting used to the road’s stimulus, the student slightly attempted Wang Ye’s "aggressive" running style—landing on the forefoot and maintaining a high stride. It somewhat resembled the way kangaroos hop in Australia.
But after maintaining this "aggressive" posture for about fifty meters, his ankles became sore, forcing him to stop.
He sat down, rubbing his aching arch and ankle slightly,
Under this running style, although his short-term running speed could rival those wearing carbon-plated shoes, his ankles and arches felt extremely strained, as if he might sprain or fall at any moment.
The body’s instinct also tempted him to revert to the whole-foot running posture. Landing with the whole foot is the most energy-saving and efficient barefoot running style. This feeling is akin to a worker, exhausted after a day’s work, suddenly seeing a soft mattress, unable to curb his desire for rest.
Thus it can be seen. Li Weimin’s theory was correct. Without strong arch and ankle strength, an average person can’t maintain this aggressive posture for more than a kilometer, even if physically possible, the mind cannot fight against this inherent feeling of laziness.
And Wang Ye actually maintained this aggressive running style for over twenty kilometers?
Not far off.
The old man who had watched the entire event was slightly moved.
This student had been learning from him for eight years and would never deceive him.
If an average person could only sustain this aggressive running style for fifty meters,
Even for a trained athlete, they might only manage one or two kilometers at best.
Moreover, considering Wang Ye’s weight and height are both above average, his ankles and arches should bear more pressure, and using this aggressive running style should deplete more stamina and strain the heart and lungs more. Yet he persisted with this aggressive style until now.
It seems that for Wang Ye, running barefoot and running with carbon-plated shoes is virtually the same.
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As the race continued,
Wang Ye reached the 30-kilometer mark.
By this point, only 70 minutes had elapsed since the race began.
At this moment, more than a dozen drones hovered above the track, almost exclusively broadcasting Wang Ye.
The commentator was also excitedly reporting on the situation at the venue.
In previous years’ races, the commentator would typically report the conditions of multiple top athletes in batches.
But this year, over ninety percent of the main discussion topics were focused on Wang Ye.
Even though the race had been going on for seventy minutes,
The live chat was still abuzz with discussions. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
Showing no signs of waning enthusiasm.
[Wow, there’s no one behind him on the road... Qi Refining Brother is holding steady but terrifying.]
[Those black runners who were keeping up with Qi Refining Brother in the first half are still struggling at the 22-kilometer mark, seemingly with no hope of catching up.]
[I calculated, Qi Refining Brother has been maintaining a pace of 240 consistently from start to finish!]
[At this rate, won’t he finish in under a hundred minutes?]
[I think there’s a high probability, he just can’t slow down in the final moments, can he?]
[Last time he ran over a hundred minutes with shoes, this time he’s running seventy minutes barefoot, folks, I’ve realized something!]
[What have you realized?]
[From now on, I’m not wearing shoes, I want to learn from Qi Refining Brother and run barefoot!]
[Me too +1]
[Me too +2]
[Me too +3]
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Apart from the pace that amazed the netizens in the live chat, Wang Ye’s incredible real-time heart rate and breathing frequency also shattered the preconceptions of the spectators by the track.
Because Wang Ye wore a heart rate band provided by Anta before the race.
His heart rate and breathing rhythm were being closely monitored by the outside audience and staff in real time.
The stubborn old man who initially doubted Wang Ye was now completely convinced.
"Incredible... From the start of the race, he’s maintained a heart rate of 240 beats per minute. Usually, when a person’s heart rate is over 200 for a while, there’s a risk of cardiac arrest, but Wang Ye showed no anomalies. It’s said his heart’s volume is already twice that of a normal person, scarier than those steroid-abusing bodybuilders; I’m seriously suspecting this guy’s been secretly evolving behind our backs..."
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