The Missing Space: A New Way to Unlock Energy, Speed & Flow in Running

Even the Best Carry Hidden Potential

Watching the U.S. 10,000 m Championships, I slowed down the footage — Nico Young, Grant Fisher, Graham Blanks — brilliant athletes, perfect mechanics. Yet when you look closely, you notice subtle differences in openness: how far thighs separate front-to-back, how the chest and pelvis rotate, how lifted the torso appears. Even at the top, there’s room for refinement — not from harder training, but from unlocking the hidden restrictions that limit space, flow, and rebound.

The Space Principle: Where Structure Meets Energy

At Beyond Limits Physical Therapy in Fairhaven, Bellingham WA, we use Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) and Helix Biomechanics — approaches that help the body self-correct instead of being forced into change.

When joints and connective tissues are aligned and the internal “space” between them is restored, the body generates a discrete energetic phenomenon — what scientific literature often refers to as “quanta” of energy within joint spaces. These quanta are instantaneous packets of energy that can re-inflate and rebound the joint system, producing a springy, elastic lift through each stride.

Think of it like having the super-shoe effect distributed throughout the body — an internal elastic return that improves propulsion and reduces energy loss. Instead of energy dissipating across faulty structures, it gets stored and returned in the local tissues and joints.

What This Looks Like

One of our local athletes, Hannah, came in for a two-hour session. Before: her stride was solid but compact — limited front-to-back movement, less lift. After: two hours later, her stride opened, her torso lifted, and movement became lighter and more alive. We didn’t force mechanics — her body reorganized, and the rebound emerged naturally.

My son Ben, a middle-school miler, demonstrates the same principle: regular precise work allows his system to stay open, rebound more, and move with less effort — the kind of glide and bounce that shows up race after race.

Beyond Rehab — Toward True Optimization

This approach is not simply about fixing injuries. It’s about returning the athlete to efficient, spacious, self-energizing movement. The outcomes include:

• Fewer injuries and faster recoveries
• Longer, lighter, more efficient strides
• Amplified internal energy and rebound
• Joyful, effortless motion that sustains performance

It’s the bridge between rehab and performance, where healing and high-level running meet.

Flagstaff + Fairhaven: A Vision for Collaboration

Here’s the big idea.

What if the training insights and altitude advantages of Flagstaff — home to Mike Smith, NAU, and the Nike Swoosh team — met the deep structural optimization of Fairhaven, where we’re pioneering this space-and-energy approach?

Imagine pairing world-class coaching with root-cause bodywork that keeps athletes open, balanced, and internally charged.

Put simply: this is a way to catch subtle imbalances before they ever cost you a stride, a season, or a dream — intercepting small deviations so they never become big setbacks.

An Invitation

If you’re a coach, sports rehab specialist, or elite runner — from middle school through pro — I’d love to connect and explore how this can enhance your program.

Beyond Limits Physical Therapy
1134 10th Street, Fairhaven, Bellingham WA
Email: ralph@ralphhavens.com
Learn more / watch the demo video RunningFormOptimization

The Essence

When the body has space, energy rebounds.
When energy rebounds, motion becomes effortless.
And when motion is effortless — that’s where flow lives.

— Ralph Havens, PT, IMT
Beyond Limits Physical Therapy
Bellingham | Fairhaven WA
“Healing and performance at the root cause.”

See It in Action

Watch the demonstration of the Quantum Rebound Effect in real athletes: