Some running shoes claim a 4% boost. This one hits 11%
Sports scientists at Adidas headquarters in Germany recently decided it was time to answer an important question: What is the range of performance improvement in world-class runners when they wear different flavors of new super shoes? We know that shoes being advertised for a 4% advantage in running economy can produce a 2-3% faster race time. But who says that 4% is the limit?
That’s the subject investigated below, but here’s the really big question behind it: What if someone can design a pair of super shoes that are customized to the runner who’s wearing them?
If Nike’s not already doing this for its most famous runner, the Boston-Marathon-bound Eliud Kipchoge, I’ll eat a pair of carbon-plated running shoes for lunch.
In the new report, Adidas tested 4 different shoes on 7 top Kenyan runners. One of the shoes was a racing flat from the Dark Ages (5 years ago) and the other three were variations on Adidas super shoes the company is developing.
The Adidas test shoes produced a modest average improvement in running economy for the 7 runners, but one lucky guy got an 11% gain from one shoe. That would be roughly equivalent to a 7% improvement in a marathon time--from 2:10 to 2:00:55. (Note: Some of the super shoes led to worse performance for some of the runners. Be careful what you wish for.)
This means that if you tested Eliud Kipchoge in several different pairs of super shoes, you’d likely find one that seemed best “tuned” to his particular running. As I said, this has likely already happened. And will certainly happen more often going forward. More at Sports Medicine.
Does Time Restricted Eating hurt muscle growth?
Medical journals are spilling over with studies on the effects of Time Restricted Eating. Few apply specifically to runners or other endurance athletes, but here’s one that does. A group of male runners followed a normal diet and a TRE diet for 4 weeks, with a “washout” period between diets. Their caloric intake was the same with both diets.
The main study goal was to check the runners’ ``cardiometabolic health.” It didn’t change between diets--a good outcome. However, the runners did lose more weight on the TRE protocol. That could be a good thing, depending on your goals and strategy. Conclusion: “TRE is not detrimental to cardiometabolic health in endurance-trained male runners but could be beneficial on exercise performance by reducing fat mass.” More at Nutrients (free full text).
Another TRE study on older men and women (65-74) found that both sexes lost significant weight and visceral fat on a 6-week TRE diet, which was easy to follow for 98% to 99% of subjects. More at Experimental Gerontology (free full text).
Given some of the positive results associated with TRE, especially weight loss, a crack research team thought someone should answer an important question: What about protein mobilization? It wouldn’t be good if TRE also caused a potential loss/lack of muscle health by lowering protein availability.
But it doesn’t seem to, at least not after 10. Conclusion: “Short-term TRE does not impair rates of muscle protein synthesis in adults with overweight/obesity.” Still, more work needs to be done over the long term to make sure “TRE-induced weight loss can be achieved without compromising muscle health.” More at Obesity (free full text).
“The hills are alive” … with super training results.
The below article describes the first randomized, controlled test of hill running vs flat running for their effects on vo2 max, heart rate, lactate, and perceived exertion. Subjects were well trained (over 40 miles/week) female and male runners who were asked to run 4 x 5-minute repeats (with only 90 seconds of recovery) at their “maximal sustainable intensity.”
All the testing was done on a lab treadmill. Each subject performed one set of repeats at a 1 percent incline (“flat”) and another set at an 8 percent incline. The results showed no difference in heart rate, lactate accumulation, or perceived exertion.
But wait. That’s not the whole story. On their hill efforts, runner-subjects spent 42 percent more time over 90% of vo2 max than on the flat. (A similar test with cyclists has produced similar results.) “Therefore, superior performance adaptations could be assumed via uphill HIIT.”
However, such real-world results have not been demonstrated yet. Another positive for hill running: Many consider it less likely to cause injuries. Of course, hill running is also slower than flat running, so you still have to do some amount of faster training on the flats.
In this case, the researchers concluded: “Uphill running during HIIT sessions appears to be an effective alternative to traditional horizontal HIIT sessions.” More at Frontiers in Physiology.
The truth about all those vaunted breathing techniques, devices, and supplements
Here a top group of experts, including a RLRH favorite, Nick Tiller, investigated a wide range of techniques, devices, and supplements that claim to improve your “respiratory function,” ie, breathing.
While this is not a sports performance review, it does note which approaches, “from the reasonable to the absurd,” could have a positive effect on performance. Here’s a short summary..
Vitamin C: “Acute supplementation may benefit individuals undergoing periods of extreme physical stress. An analysis of five trials comprising marathon runners, skiers, and soldiers, found that vitamin C supplementation reduced symptoms of the common cold by ~ 50% following ‘severe physical exercise.’ "
Nasal dilators: “Most studies show no effect of nasal dilators on cardiorespiratory function or ratings of perceived exertion during exercise, no effect on exercise capacity, and no effect on physiological variables during the acute phase of recovery.”
Respiratory muscle training: “If applied with the appropriate frequency, intensity, and duration, RMT can improve specific aspects of respiratory muscle function (e.g., strength and endurance). There is convincing evidence of an ergogenic effect of RMT in healthy individuals (athletes and non-athletes).”
Nasal breathing: “Nasal breathing is feasible during submaximal exercise and even maximal exercise after extensive habituation, but there is little-to-no data supporting a subsequent benefit on exercise capacity in healthy individuals.”
Omega 3 fatty acids: May limit problems associated with exercise induced bronchospasm.
Probiotics, prebiotics: “Daily probiotics and/or prebiotics reduce the incidence of upper-RTI [infections] more than placebo in adults, children, active individuals, and athletes.”
L menthol (mint, peppermint): “May translate to improved exercise performance in the heat.”
More at European J of Applied Physiology (free full text).
A separate paper on nasal dilators performed a meta analysis and systematic review of their effect on runners. “There was a difference in favor of the nasal dilator when compared to placebo for maximal oxygen uptake and rating of perceived exertion.” But the “certainty of the evidence was very low.” More at Journal of Sports Sciences.
How far should you run at “marathon pace” in training?
In their marathon buildup period, most marathoners do a certain amount of running at their goal marathon pace (MP). That’s the very definition of “specificity of training.” Of course, if you wanted to be 100% specific, you’d do 26.2 miles at MP, and no one does that (I hope).
So the question becomes: What’s the longest, most productive MP run you should do while training for a marathon? On this message board, the respondents offer a range of options, most falling at the lower end of the 8- to 16-mile distance. The simplest long-run workout is probably: 10 miles easy/10 miles at marathon pace.
A few believe it’s even better to do long runs interspersed with 1-mile repeats at half-marathon effort.
These follow the system of a successful Kenyan coach, and are said to improve your lactate clearance. More at Reddit.
3 ways tuneup races can sharpen you for the big time
There are a lot of different opinions about how and when to utilize shorter-distance races during a marathon training cycle, or even whether to use them at all. Chris Lundstrom, coach of the Minnesota Distance Elite squad, sees three variations on a theme.
You can ”Race with a taper.” This will supply the “single best training stimulus available.”
You could also “Race Without A Taper,” which will simulate the tired feeling of a marathon. But this approach has risks: injury, overtraining, and the mental challenge of dealing with a possibly poor performance.
You might try “Running Goal Marathon Pace,” usually in a half-marathon tuneup. A potential pitfall: Many “find it difficult to stick to the plan, and get carried away by the excitement of the event,” which overturns the most basic tuneup rule: It’s prep, not a race. Lundstrom works around this by telling athletes to run the first 9-10 at marathon pace then close faster if they feel good.
He doesn’t say that one of these strategies is better than the other. All can be useful, so long as they meet your needs, and you stick to the plan. More at Fan Hub TF.
Don’t let procrastination torpedo your goals
Just about everyone thinks that procrastination gets the better of them from time to time. It’s so much easier to put things off than to get them done. But it could be life-changing to make a small dent in your procrastination tendencies.
Running coach and all-around performance coach Steve Magness says it’s not a time management issue as many would observe, but one of “emotion regulation and expectations.” He follows up with 6 strong tips to help you move the needle.
I was struck by number 2: “Learn how to turn the dial.” In other words, there’s a time to relax, but also a time for getting stuff done. Breathing techniques, music, coffee, self-talk and other strategies, can turn the dial up or down. The rest is on you. Figure out which ones to use, and how, when you want to power through to your goals. More at Twitter/Steve Magness.
Sodium bicarbonate: Worth the risk?
A few years back, a new gel appeared on the endurance market. It claimed that it allowed big carb intake without the GI issues that often accompany carb intake in marathon runners. Alex Hutchinson was skeptical at first, but he kept following research results, and eventually came around to believing in the product, made by Maurten.
Now Maurten says it has solved the baking-soda problem. What’s the baking soda problem? The cheap and common kitchen product is known to improve performance (mostly in shorter, high-power events, but that could be changing), and also to produce serious stomach upset. That has made it a non-starter for endurance athletes.
Maurten now tells Hutchinson it has developed a hydrogel-baking soda product that is being used with great success by world class athletes. It’s a fascinating tale that will become much more credible when research studies confirm it. More at Outside Online.
The bizarre stride that finished 100 marathons in 100 days
Runners who spend a lot of time on the ground are said to have a high “duty factor.” Their style is sometimes called “Groucho running” due to the extreme knee bending. These runners will never win a beauty contest or the Olympics. But they can be effective in modest-pace endurance running.
Here researchers followed a 100-day marathoner who was 55, stood just a tad under 6 feet, and weighed 202 at the beginning of his quest. He finished his marathons in an average time of 4:30, and took about 164 strides per minute. Most remarkably he spent more than 4 times as much time on the ground vs his “flight time.” A comparison group of rear footers had a 2:1 result for this ratio.
You might have expected this runner to adapt a forefoot or midfoot stride, since they generally reduce impact forces. But, no, he did it his way, and everything turned out fine.
Our 100-day marathoner completed his challenge without getting injured. Along the way, he lost approximately 15 pounds (entirely from fat), while slightly increasing his muscle mass and his bone mineral content. The latter are not easy to do during weight loss, and testify to his overall body health despite averaging 183 miles per week for 14 weeks. More at Journal of Sport & Health Science.
SHORT STUFF you don’t want to miss
>>> Stretching the truth: Stretching for runners continues to be a highly debated topic.
>>> Boost your immunity: In RCT, post-workout protein/carb beverage beats carbs only.
>>> Another good reason to sleep well: Insomnia linked to increased heart deaths.
GREAT QUOTES make great training partners
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
--Mark Twain
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. See you next week. Amby