triangles

When you’re a kid, all the houses you build are square because you think it’s the only shape there is.  But it turns out the triangle is the strongest shape out there.  It can withstand any type of pressure.  So maybe you need to stop thinking of your family as a square, and think of it as a triangle instead. –Toby, This is Us (not an affiliate link)

Photo by Jeremy Bezanger on Unsplash

How many triangles can you see or visualize right now?  Think about your roof, different parts of your body, your kitchen, a bridge … there are a lot!  I don’t know why, but I’ve been thinking a lot about triangles lately – some in physical form, and some a little more abstract.  I think you might find some piece of this helpful in your athletic endeavors, and in life … and I’d love to hear your thoughts, and if you have any other examples of triangles in your life, so please comment & share!

Anatomical Triangles

These were the first that came to mind, of course!  As a physical therapist, I know a lot about the human body, and I can visualize your muscles and bones as if your skin was transparent (Is this creepy? Maybe … but it is really helpful in my profession!).  And as a physical therapist who works with runners, I spend a lot of time looking at feet, and this is where we can find two really important triangles.

Think of your foot as the foundation of your body. 

It is what comes in contact with the ground, every step you take, no matter how fast or how slow.  It is the first thing that touches the earth when you wake up in the morning (unless you fall out of bed, but hopefully that is not a regular occurrence!), and the last thing to leave the earth when you get into bed at night.  Our feet are critical to our existence, as without them we never would have been able to hunt or gather food, and our species would not have evolved, reproduced and been sustained. 

• Look at the bottom of your foot.  Find these three points: the ball of your big toe, the ball of your little toe, and the center of your heel.  Connect these (see picture above) and you’ll see your foundational triangle.  These three points contact the ground with every step you take.  In running, we generally land near the back point, roll outside a bit, and then roll inside to push off (trace an arrow from the heel, to little toe, to big toe). We can adapt our foot strike pattern and might see these points come in a little closer (example: a mid- or fore-foot pattern) – but does that affect the stability of the triangle?  Maybe, maybe not…there are other facts that play into it, and I’m just talking in generalizations today.

  • If you want to get more technical, you can also note that this triangle makes up the three arches of your foot: medial longitudinal, lateral longitudinal, and transverse.  Arches are a pretty strong shape too!

• Now look at the inside arch of your foot, called the medial longitudinal arch.  Find these three points: the “inside” of the ball of your big toe (first metatarsal phalangeal joint), the bump just below & in front of your protruding ankle bone (navicular bone, in front of the medial malleolus), and the inside/bottom of your heel (calcaneus).  Connect these and you’ll see the arch of your foot makes another triangle!  The medial arch in your foot helps to absorb shock, distribute forces, and create a spring-like system for propelling you to the next step.

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Balance Triangle

We have three systems that contribute to our physical ability to balance: vision, somatosensation, and vestibular. 

• Vision: as humans, this is our top dog, and an easy one to understand.  If our vision is impaired, whether by a change in lighting, something in our eye, or some damage to the eye or eye-brain connection, it becomes harder to balance.

  • Try this out: stand on two feet evenly, then shift to standing on just one foot.  Once you’re steady there, close your eyes.  Did it become harder to balance? 

• Somatosensation: these are our feelings, but not the emotional kind.  Our muscles, joints and skin are all connected to our spinal cord and brain through nerves.  There are a lot of messages being sent and received in our bodies that we have no conscious awareness of.  Your brain receives and interprets messages, and then sends out related messages to our tissues to adapt to certain situations.  As we set our body into different positions – or demands – our brain has to tell the body how to adapt.  This keeps us balanced.

  • Try this out: stand on two feet evenly and find your balance.  Now take off your socks and shoes and do it again.  Now stand on a couch cushion, the grass, sand, or a small incline.  What differences do you feel in these different environments? 

• Vestibular: the inner ear.  If you’ve ever experienced motion sickness or vertigo, you know what I’m talking about here.  The vestibular system is the communication between the brain, eyes, and body (mostly postural muscles) about its position in space.  You have crystals, fluid and tiny hairs inside your hair; as you turn or tilt your head, or accelerate, that fluid shifts and the brain interprets that as movement … the brain then tells the postural muscles and eyes how to respond appropriately to make sure you stay upright!

  • Try this out: Sit or stand about 3 feet away from a calendar on your wall.  Stare at it – I’m assuming you can easily read some of the big words there, like the month and year.  Now, without moving your body, turn your head at a moderate speed (about 1 turn/side per second) while still trying to read those big words.  Try it at a slightly faster speed (about 2 turns, or right + left, per second).  Can you still read them?  The vestibular system helps to stabilize your visual field but moving your eyes in the opposite direction of your head (every action has an equal and opposite reaction, right?) – this is how you can bounce up & down a little while running, and still see where you’re going.

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Performance Triangle

As a coach, this is a BIG one.  Many people think that to be the best athlete, you need to be the strongest, fastest, and/or most agile one out there.  While the top athletes are incredibly fit from a physical perspective, that is not the whole story behind their athletic success and top performances.  There are three components that are critical for putting together a top-level performance: body, mind & spirit.

• Body, or physical being: Again, athletes are athletic.  They have to be physically prepared for the demands of their sport.  But all athletes are physically prepared.  There is only so much variety in training you can get, as all training programs and coaches are seeking to maximize the stress on the body to optimize the physical benefit without going too far beyond the limit that would result in a breakdown. 

• Mind, or mental being: Now that we’ve established at all athletes – especially the high level athletes, like professionals – are essentially at their top level fitness, we need to dive deeper into what sets one apart from another.  There can only be one winner of each race or game.  Mental health is not something that should be addressed only in the case of a “condition”, but rather something that can be used to aid one’s performance and take him/her to the next level.  The brain is a very powerful thing, and it can be the difference between winning or losing.  Some strategies to work on mental training related to athletic performance include:

  • visualization (imagining yourself in the given scenario and all of your surroundings)

  • acclimatization (simulating the performance environment without actually being in the performance itself, such as wearing a race day outfit for a big workout)

  • working out under less-than-desirable conditions (i.e., in heavy rain or cold wind, a different time of day, solo vs. group, etc.).

• Spirit, or heart: How badly do you want it?  What’s your “why”?  You can put in all the training, but if your heart isn’t in it, there is only so much that you will be willing to fight for, willing to hurt for.  There are times when we don’t necessarily want someone to be all-in, and can “reserve” some of this spiritual energy for another time.  An example of this would be a 5K race leading up to a half marathon – it’s a training run, and sure you want to run well, but it’s not something you’ve been working toward specifically, and you’re in the most demanding block of your half marathon training … so, you can be mentally prepared going into it, and physically fit (though probably quite fatigued), but the spirit doesn’t have to be there on this day.  Save it for when it counts.

The performance triangle can shift, and I believe it should shift.  Many amateur athletes focus on the physical being while more or less ignoring the other two.  Imagine these as an equilateral triangle – when all three components are there and systems are ready to go, you are going to be very solid in your performance.  But those three don’t have to be – and probably shouldn’t be – in equilibrium at all times throughout your training cycle, because that can be really exhausting.  Pick a few races and let the focus be on one of two at a time – when it comes down to the big day, if you’ve given each system a chance to practice at some point, they will all come together.

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Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

And finally, just because this one is so obvious (and I love yoga!) I’m going to include it here.  Yoga in itself can be a part of any one of the triangles I’ve already talked about – helping with physical balance and foundational strength, restoring mental clarity or enhancing spiritual well-being.  To be honest, this is one of my least favorite yoga poses, but I do it because it gives me physical and mental challenge, and I feel accomplished after I come out of the shape. Traditionally, trikonasana is seen as part of a transformation; it enhances stability of the mind, body & spirit.  As runners, we like challenge, we need stability, and we often benefit from the hip-opening benefits of a good triangle pose – so don’t back down from this one! 

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We are surrounded by triangles. 

They are strong and stable; they can shift under pressure rather than giving way or breaking down.  Next time you’re struggling – whether in a hard workout, a competition, during your work day, or just in life – stop and look around for the triangles.  I think – I hope – you will be able to draw from their strength, and effectively manage the challenge you are facing.

Tell me about the triangles in your life — and if you’re struggling to find them, or use them to your advantage, I’m here to help!

-Dr. Coach Megan

Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash