Refuelling according to Powerade

This commercial gives a different meaning to inflight refuelling:

The Race that Shocked the World

A one hour documentary over the most famous Olympic 100 meter finale. More famous due to its use of performance enhancing substances rather than the performance itself. THnkas tot BBC sport an enjoyable hour on the sofa.

Sneakers with head lights

From time to time at Kickstarter you come a across an initiative related to running. Like one for the very minimalistic shoe (see my dutch blog), Strapless Heart rate Monitor of the funny bottle.

This time the idea to strap headlights on to your running shoe so you can safely run in the dark en monitor the road ahead of you.

To be honest I don't think it will work as good as they tell you in the video.

As a runner you should look ahead of you. So I think a strong head mounted light is better as this will cast its bundle where you are looking. It also a more constant source of light shining ahead of you. They argue such a light will not enable your eyes to adjust to the dark for 'night vision'. I on the other hand think that this flickering light around you feet is as bad for your night vision and only provides light just around your feet forcing you to look down which is not good for your running posture.

The solution offered in this video is a good idea when it comes to visibility. I have to admit they promote it with "See and Be Seen" on the kickstarter website.
As your feet move, the light is constantly moving as well, attracting attention from drivers and other people out on the road. But for this purpose they have to provide tail lights as well as head lights. Or maybe even focus on tail lights as the hazard in the night is behind you because you see other traffic coming towards you.

Then again: you can buy jackets with led light, arm straps, vests and all with led light and reflecting strips.

So I have to admit that to me this not an innovation but a gimmick. Lets see if they can prove me wrong and raise the capital needed. So far, 3 days going in a 4 week campaign they have raised ~$700 from the $38.000 required...

The Innovator: Mike Friton from Origami to Running Shoes

On vimeo I found this very nice interview with Mike Friton, 'The Innovator'. Stylist, sculptor, innovator, designer with Nike for 30 years and one time teammate of Prefontaine running the Steeple Chase.

This short but well made video gives a nice insight how he plays around with very different materials and structures to discover new posibilities.
The Innovator on Vimeo.

The evolution of man: made for running

No doubt that on this blog you'll have seen my posts on the book 'Born to Run'. This book states that humans evolved the way they did by becoming running hunters. perfectly build to chase even the largest animals untill they become overheated, unable to defend themselves from these small and weak humans or run away from the slow running humans.

The TEDx video below shows Daniel Lieberman with the scientific backing of this view on the evolution of man.

 

Debate: Barefoot Running Yes or No?

Probably, as a runner, you know the book Born to Run. In the video below you find a short debate on barefoot running with amongst others the author Christopher McDougall.

Prefontaine - the Movie

Sometimes you find a little gem on YouTube.

In this case the full length film 'Prefontaine' with Jared Leto as Steve Prefontaine which is still available on DVD as well (for example on Amazon). This raises the question. Is the video on YouTube legal? Don't know but what I do know is that it is posted on the channel of Jared Leto himself.

The problem with this kind of movies is two fold;

1. Are the running scenes convincing?
2. How accurate is the storyline in the historical context or was the focus 'bringing a nice story?'

As for the first: most scenes on the track are convincing and Jared Leto paid close attention to for example Steves specific way of crossing the finish line, pushing down the wire. The most historic race (Munich 1972) is a clever combination of staged scenes and the original footage of the TV broadcast.

Compared to the documentary posted Yesterday I think they succeeded in creating two hours worth of entertainment staying close to the facts. OK, Steve Prefontaine was entertainment enough by himself. So enjoy.

Steve Prefontaine, a one hours video on this iconic athlete

Steve Prefontaine. One of the great distance runners who died to young to be even bigger. That's in short his credentials. Others are 'Nike', Olympics 1972 Munich, American Record Holder. On youtube this one hour video with originale footage and interviews with the athletes of his time and his coach, te legendary Bill Bowerman. Among the names als Frank Shorter from the book "Running for Peak Performance" and Jeff Galloway from "Galloway's Book on Running ". If he would have lived, he probably would have become one of the household names in the jogging boom that started just around this time and that gave Shorter en Galloway the platform.

Enjoy the video.
 

Find the books discussed on Amazon.com or on Amazon.co.uk

New running technique?

Heel landing or forefoot landing?

With the barefoot trend and pose running in mind there is a tendency to consider the difference between forefoot and heel landing.

In the youtube video below you will see a runner in the biomechanics lab running both with shoes and without.

Most prominent observations:

• from heel landing he switches to mid- forefoot landing;
• the impact of the landing decreases;
• his calf muscle has to work harder;
• the muscle on the front of his lower leg (tibialis anterior) as to work less.

The biomechanist Joseph Hamill indicates that the length of the stride decreases while running barefoot. According to this researcher this will use more energy and is therefore less efficient. This contradicts with a previous posting I wrote on the Russian trainer / doctor Romanov. He states that the pose running method with forefoot landing and shorter strides is more fuel efficient (read this posting).

A final important observation is at the end of this video: If you take off your shoes and start running barefoot you will change you stride and technique. This makes you prone to injuries. So build it up: barefoot running.



Bron ABC Catalyst

Loosing weigth and your body clock

Triggered by a documentary on Dutch television I found a ABC Catalist episode which deals with the same subject but in English.

Core message is two fold:

1. You can't fool you body clock
2. Eating during the period you body claims as 'night' will cause weight gain, diabetes and obesity's

Wanna know more? Watch the documentary >>

Below you will see another documentary of the BCC on your body clock:

Film: Race Across the Sky

From the same makers as 'The Beauty of the Irrational'. And again with Ryan Sanders (see previous post).

Thie film is a short impression of the Leadville 100, also known as 'Race Across the Sky'. It is one of the ultras featured in Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (see blog) with Micah True (still 'alive and kicking').

Impressive is the word that comes to mind.


The Race Across the Sky from The African Attachment on Vimeo.

Film: The Beauty of the Irrational

Some of the most irrational descision we human being make lead to the most beautiful moments of our lives. This roughly the explanation of the title of this short film.

In the Fish River Canyon in South Africa is a walking trail, 84 km long good for 5 days walking. South African Ultra Runner, Ryan Sanders, sets out to run it in the fastest time possible. He finishes in just under 7 hours in 6:57.


The Beauty of the Irrational from The African Attachment on Vimeo.

Nico product placement with the Suunto Ambit.
 Spot it! It isn't hard to miss!

Stretching: Inner Tigh or Adductor

After discussing the stretching of the calf muscle, the lower calf muscle, hamstring, buttocks, the quadriceps and the IT band (outside upper leg) the only thing left is the inner thigh. As you can tell from the streetplan to your muscles this is the Adductor or Adductor Longus.

The video below shows how you can stretch this muscle in a sitting mode but during the warming up or cooling down of a run outside a standing mode might be more convenient.

So here is the 'how to' of stretching your inner thigh in  standing mode:

• Place your feet wide apart with the toes pointing forward;
• Slowly bring your body and weigth over f.e. your left foot while bending your left knee;
• you will notice you automatically lower your centre of gravity roughly located around your hips;
• You can feel the tension build on the inner side of your right upper leg;
• After stretching the adductor of your right leg come back to the beginning position and mirror the movement for your left adductor.

Have fun!

Stretching: the IT band

This time, in the category 'stretching' the IT band, or iliotibiale band. The IT band is situated on the outside of your upper leg and is prone to a injury around the knee. With some stretching you can deal with this injury of maybe even prevent it.

The IT band friction syndrome:

The IT band on the outside of your upper leg is attached to your hips, lets say underneath your belt while wearing jeans and runs all the way down to just below your knee where it is attached to your tibia, the shinbone in your lower leg.

Asymmetric loading that pushes the knee outwards will cause friction between the IT band an the outside of the knee joint. This is called the IT band friction syndrome. From my own experience I can tell you it can cause a somewhat nagging  pain while stretching the knee. During running this pain can become more serious and leading to a jolt of pain with every step you take.

So lesson 1: avoid asymmetric loading. So do not run on the same shoulder of the road all the time and when on a beach; turn back in time.

Stretching the IT band

Stretching this IT band can be done in multiple ways.

Method 1: It is a bit like skating on a 400m ice rink and full into the curve....

Method 2: A useful addition to method 1. To my opinion the first method tackles mainly the upper end of the IT band on your hips. This method as shown in the video is more prone to stretch near your knee!

 

Method 3: Is the same as stretching the gluteus maximus (or buttocks) to be found in this posting.

Stretching: Hamstring

Next on the menu for stretching exercises is the hamstring. You can stretch the hamstring at the back of your upper leg in various ways. There are two methods you can do sitting but it can be done standing as well. Standing is easier when outside during a run either warming up, or cooling down.

First one of the methods you can perform standing:
 

Sitting (one leg):

This exercise can also be done in a standing mode. Here is how:

• Find a fence or wall of roughly the same height as your hips (a bit lower is OK, higher? Better not);
• Place on foot on the fence, best your heel so you can point your toes towards you;
• Bend the leg you stand upon until the leg on the fence is horizontal;
• grab your foot as in the video.

Sitting (both legs): 

This one can be done in a standing mode as well and no, not by placing both legs on the fence.

Place your feet next to each other en simple bow and touch your toes or ankles as low as you can. If you come op do it slowly stretching your spine vertebrae by vertebrae.

It is also possible (and smart) to pay attention to your posture when you bend to touch your toes. Both in the sitting method as in the standing method. Not just reach for your toes and grab them as in the video.

• Start with stretching your arm up try to reach for the ceiling/sky/heavens above depending your location and conviction;
• make yourself as long as possible while keeping you feet flat on the ground;
• Bend in your hips while your arms stay in line with your back all the way to the horizontal position of your upper body;
• Then,  vertebrae by vertebrae, bend your spine and if agile enough your hands will touch your toes or ankles in due time;
• Only if need be you can bend your arms at the shoulder to complete the movement and touch your toes.

By performing the stretch in this way your probably not only stretch your hamstrings but also your calf muscles. Wanna give them some special attention? Read my blog on stretching the calf muscles and the lower calf muscle.

The future of exercising and healthy living?

A friend draw my attention to this very nice short movie. It is both a view into the future of exercising, healthy living (relevant for this blog;p) and dating but also has a nice story line with a great cliff hanger. Just sit back and enjoy (probably just on your tablet, smartphone or ordinary old fashioned laptop...

Olympic Channel on Youtube

On Youtube the IOC launched 'the officail channel'.

At this moment the channel contains almost 300 video's of olympic highlights from previous games.

These include of course numerous athletic highlights such as

• the two golden medals of Michal Johnson's 200m and 400m in 1996 and;
• Lasse Viren winning the 5.000m and 10.000m in 1972;
• the marathon in Moskou of 1980 were the Dutch Gerard Nijboer finished second behind Cierpinski form the DDR. From 'western' perspective this was somewhat controversial as Nijboer was hindered at the 35k refreshing point. He also missed the water at the 30k refreshing point because Cierpinski whiped all the water from the table.

The Olympic Torch and Chariots of Fire

Rember this one. The scene on the beach in the classic Chariots of Fire?



The Olympic torch was in Scotland last week. There on West Sands Beach in St. Andrews, 20 schoolchildren reenacted this famous scene. It's a beauty!

Haile Gebrselassie in video

In this posting a couple of videos that provide an insight into the live of Haile Gebrselassie. First a video with an interview clrearly sponsored by Adidas. Secondly in three parts a kind of documentary "Road to NYC Marathon".




Road to part 1


Road to part 2


Road to part 3