The race for intense sensation (1/2)
Defining and identifying your sensations
Running is a quest. A quest for kilometres but also for sensation. And it is in this spirit that SIDAS has developed its range of SENSE insoles. To provide the runner with a precise and delicate feeling in the foot, optimal control of its trajectory, and complete osmosis between the foot and its playing field.
To develop this range, we started with a thorough reflection on the ins and outs of the sensation when running. We focused on this concept, which determines our pace and is the Holy Grail for any runner, even though no one can define it precisely.
"I feel like I’m flying today. My legs are incredible! My legs feel like two pieces of wood this morning; I’m just not moving!"
These are feelings you may have already experienced if you've been regularly putting on running shoes. They might even punctuate your runs like a recurring chorus — a nagging and often random refrain. Sometimes everything feels great, and other times, that euphoric sensation gives way to extreme fatigue. This is what we refer to as "sensation," an abstract impression that lies somewhere between the mind and the legs. A key concept for achieving our running goals, whether performance or pure pleasure.
Defining sensation
Quest, osmosis, and interpretation
But what exactly is a sensation, this concept that guides our daily lives without us being able to define it? In a philosophical sense, it is the phenomenon by which physiological stimulation causes perception. And in a sporting context? What is a sensation when it comes to running?
According to Laurent Tacussel, head of training at SIDAS, "it is the feeling of the terrain on which we run, a kind of osmosis with the activity. It is what enables us to achieve our goal, whether it's performance, pure pleasure, or discovery."
Marie Maligorne, head of the sports orthopaedics centre at SIDAS, takes a more scientific approach: "When it comes to running, sensations are all the information transmitted by the thousands of nerve endings on the soles of our feet to the brain, which then interprets it." It's worth noting that the feet, among the most sensitive parts of the human body, make contact with the ground an average of 26,500 times during a marathon. That's a lot of information to process! And it’s not fake news...
3Feet® SENSE: Adapted insoles for your foot arch type
Laurent Valette, 49, a high-level athlete and endurance sports expert, associates sensation with a "quest". "An infinite quest." This explains his tendency to "sign up first and think later" when it comes to any extreme physical trial prefixed with "ultra." He’s checked off the UTMB, the 'Diagonal des Fous' in Ultra-Trail, the GTJ200 in ultra-cross-country skiing, the Norseman in ultra-triathlon, and the Ötillö Race in ultra-swimrun from his list. Why take part in so many extreme races that require superior physical and mental endurance? Because in those moments, you feel most alive: "It's when you flirt with your limits that you feel the most sensation..."
Identifying your sensations
Well-being, immersion, and the sinusoidal curve
Sensation is thus an elusive concept, felt by all but unique to each individual. Sometimes it's a quest, sometimes it’s simply an interpretation of the information received from the ground. A paradox, as everyone seeks it without ever being able to precisely identify it.
In practice, while running, there are different types of sensations. As described by Laurent Valette, with the expertise of someone who has truly lived through them: "First, there’s the sensation everyone chases after, regardless of their level: that general sense of well-being, the taste of satisfaction, that wave of happiness and accomplishment you feel after exertion." He also describes "a sensation of discovering the world through sport, of living in spaces inaccessible to ordinary tourists, and of becoming one with the environment and the local culture." Somewhere between curiosity and serenity.
Finally, like masters of suspense who save the best for last, Laurent Valette reveals that "the most real, palpable, and strongest sensation is that experienced during exertion!" He likens it to a sinusoidal curve on which the runner moves, alternating between highs and lows: "The sensation while running fluctuates back and forth. At one extreme, there's euphoria; at the other, there's suffering..."
To be continued... READ PART.2
