"Franklin Method & Pilates Workshop for Minimalist & Barefoot Runners" by Annie Brokaw

By Annie Brokaw
The Daily Camera

Pat Guyton Pilates, 3825 Iris Ave., Suite 300, Boulder, 303-449-7284, patguytonpilates.com/ and runbare.com/

Isaac Darnell does a core lift / sit up during a pilates seminar for barefoot or minimal runners at the Pat Guyton Pilates in Boulder on Sunday January 10, 2010. For more photos of the workout of the week go to http://www.dailycamera.com.

Instructor: This clinic was hosted by Pat Guyton Pilates in conjunction with Run Bare, which is a local barefoot running school and community. Guyton, 60, of Boulder, and Jan Dunn, 60, of Superior, taught the clinic. Guyton is a Franklin Method Level I instructor and has been teaching Pilates for 26 years. Dunn is a Franklin Method Level II teacher and has been teaching Pilates for 20 years. Michael Sandler, 39, of Boulder and the head coach and co-founder of Run Bare, and Jessica Lee, 29, of Boulder and the president and co-founder of Run Bare were also in attendance to answer questions about barefoot running and their company, which started summer 2009. They also run a barefoot running club (meetup.com/Barefoot-Running-Club) and have a book, "Barefoot Running," due out in March (barefootrunningbook.com/).

What is the workout? Eric Franklin developed the Franklin Method 25 years ago in Sweden. The method employs the use of imagery in relation to functional movement. By doing so, participants are better able to understand how and why the body moves the way it does, why breath is important, and how to use positive imagery to improve movement and performance.

Joseph Pilates developed his method in the early 1900s. Pilates is a mind-body exercise regimen that promotes good posture, body awareness and functional movement by increasing flexibility and core strength.

The goal of this workshop was to show barefoot and/or minimalist runners how to use the principles of the Franklin Method and Pilates during their runs to enhance their workouts...

...One new move: One visualization we did that really helped me to was to envision a hot air balloon basket. Now place that basket in your pelvic bowl, which is the space right under your public bone and from hip to hip (we spent quite some time defining this area of the body in specific terms and these cues are rather broad, but they're good enough for this exercise). Now, as you walk, imagine that basket floating up. Do you feel how imagining this causes your abs to tighten and your sacrum to dip under and in? That feeling is exactly what that image is supposed to create and the position your pelvis should be in when you run. According to Sandler, getting your pelvis under you when you run in shoes is nearly impossible because most running shoes have a lifted heel, which puts a curve in the low back and causes the pelvis to flare.

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