Note: There will be no RLRH next week. You’ll receive your next newsletter on October 5.
How to run with the same biomechanics as world’s best
When running experts Geoff Burns and Ross Tucker collaborate on a biomechanics study, I pay close attention. In this case, I had to do even more. I had to ask Burns to interpret the results for me.
Why? Because the study itself is seriously complex, including analysis of elite and recreational runners in terms of their “spring mass” mechanics, and also how their form changes when wearing shoes vs running barefoot.
Here’s a summary of what Burns told me: Runners are most efficient when they follow the simplest spring-mass model of running, which is essentially a “perfect pogo stick.” Their landing (braking), midstride, and toe-off are perfectly coordinated.
It doesn’t matter if you land on the forefoot or rearfoot, so long as your movements are coordinated. Recreational runners tended “to extend their braking period a bit longer.” This caused a loss of efficiency.
Barefoot running isn’t better than running in shoes, but “a certain amount of barefoot running seemed to improve the coordination of kinetic energy in recreational runners.” Thus, Burns believes some barefoot running might be good “as an occasional training tool.” It could help to “stress and nurture a runner’s relationship with the ground.”
In fact, Burns believes that almost any “perturbation with the ground” in your running could prove beneficial. Translation: Mix things up in your training. Don’t always jog at the same pace on the same road. Instead, try “sprinting, hill repeats, and changing surfaces.” All of these variations will likely “improve your relationship with the ground.” More at Frontiers in Physiology with free full text.
Yes, you can run strong at 70, 90, and even 102
Many years ago when Runner’s World asked its readers what they thought about their running 20-30-X more years in the future, 98 percent responded that they hoped to be lifetime runners. This is near universal. We appreciate our running enough that we hope to continue as long as possible.
That raises many questions. For example, how should you adjust your training when you reach your 70s? There are only a modest number of 70-yr-old runners, so no one writes articles or books about them. But on a big discussion site like Reddit, a 70-yr-old finds lots of suggestions and emotional support. Everyone’s got a theory, with many coalescing around run-walking, running every other day, cross-training, patience, and dealing with injuries of various kinds. More at Reddit.
Both younger and older runners are impressed and motivated by the achievements of senior athletes. Recently, 90-yr-old Englishman Bob Emmerson finished his 500th ParkRun. He said the weekly runs kept him “mentally and physically stronger than living a life in an armchair.” More at Canadian Running.
Finally, it’s never too soon to make plans for that half-marathon you’re going to complete to celebrate your 100th birthday. Bill Cooksey recently finished The Great North Run Half Marathon at age 102 despite a drenching thunderstorm. Be like Bill. More at Runner’s World UK.
Covid is lurking about. Here’s the latest research on exercise and Covid
Covid seems to be lurking around more, in new forms, as we edge into fall and winter--the most troublesome periods. Here’s a quick summary of some recent exercise & Covid articles.
In a randomized, controlled trial, one group of post-Covid subjects followed an exercise program while another group didn’t. There was no statistical difference in their “fatigue and quality of life” after the 6-week training program. However, those who followed the training program enjoyed a significantly greater increase in vo2 max and oxygen pulse. Conclusion: “Exercise is safe and improves maximal exercise capacity in post-COVID patients.” More at Clinical Research in Cardiology.
Some aren’t too concerned about a few days of nasty flu-like symptoms that might accompany a Covid infection. It’s the prospect of Long Covid that most worries us. In one of Brady Holmer’s Substack posts, he notes that “poor metabolic health and aerobic fitness are risk factors for Covid-19 morbidity and mortality.” Then he explains that mitochondrial “hijacking” appears to be part of the Long Covid syndrome. Since aerobic fitness builds strong mitochondria, Holmer speculates that fitness might prove protective against LC. More at Substack/Brady Holmer.
Here’s the most unexpected paper on exercise and Covid. A popular digital fitness band, the WHOOP band, was apparently able to predict Covid several days before a group of female athletes tested positive for the virus. The band achieved this by detecting an increase in respiratory rate (especially), and also heart rate variability, and resting heart rate. Learning early that you have Covid could help you take measures to avoid a more difficult Covid (and spreading the virus to others). More at American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine.
Sleep is the best recovery. So here’s how to get performance-enhancing sleep
If recovery is the name of the game when it comes to progressive training and performance improvements, and sleep is the key to good recovery (as we’re told almost every day), then we all need to zero in on best sleep practices. A recent editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine summarized both behavioral and medical approaches to guarantee healthy sleep.
The infographic linked below summarizes most of what you need to know. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is considered the first line of offense. Building a strong nighttime routine is also considered essential. Some do well with a shower every night before bedtime.
Several nutrition approaches, including tart cherries, kiwi fruit, and foods with the amino acid tryptophan, “can induce sleep and reduce sleep latency.” A cool, dark, quiet environment is important. Little is known about how sleep meds like Ambien affect performance, but addiction is a potential problem. More at British J of Sports Medicine.
Don’t develop “maranoia” before your next marathon
A veteran British runner has invented a new word--or at least one I’ve never seen before. But I fully understand the mental-physical condition he’s describing, because I’ve been there many times.
So have a lot of other runners. And we need to get better at dealing with this condition.
It’s called “maranoia.” Definition: The irrational and persistent feeling that the months of marathon-specific training aren’t sufficient. Usually sets in during the few weeks prior to your target race.
We often experience maranoia because, frankly, it’s hard to imagine covering 26.2 miles at the pace we’re aiming for. And why is this? Because in training we’re always a bit fatigued. Many runs feel hard. Whereas on race day, if properly tapered, we’re far more rested than during the preceding weeks and months.
This leads to “marathon magic”--the ability to run longer and faster than we expected.
Don’t worry if you have known or develop maranoia. It’s almost universal among marathon runners. You just need to learn to cope with it.
Stay strong, stay confident, stay the course (literally). Tell yourself that you’re going to run smart, and then stick with the plan. More at Athletics Weekly.
Berlin Marathon showdown: New Adidas $500 shoes vs Kipchoge’s Nikes
I don’t expect to be buying a pair of $500 running shoes anytime soon, but I gotta give Adidas credit for this one. Just before the biggest annual marathon in the homeland of the German shoe company, the famous sports company has introduced the most expensive (and just about the lightest) running shoe we’ve seen.
That’s a combo guaranteed to get you a big chunk of free PR, and it looks like the scheme is working.
While some photos make the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 shoes look weirdly like floppy clown shoes, the technical specs are impressive. The new shoe weighs in at just 138 grams per shoe (about 4.9 ounces) vs the Nike Vaporfly 3 line at 185 grams (6.5 ounces).
The shoe also has a legal stack height of 39mm (the limit set by World Athletics is 40mm), carbon-infused energy rods, and a significant forefoot rocker that Adidas claims is “lab-tested to trigger forward momentum and improve running economy.”
Okay, sounds good. Now we only have to wait until Sunday’s Berlin Marathon to see how Adidas’s elite athletes, wearing the new shoes, fare against Eliud Kipchoge in his Nikes. It should be fun. For sure, a lot of eyes will be on the new Adios Pro Evo 1s. Even among those of us who aren’t ready to drop $500 for our own pair. More at Believe in the Run.
The Boston Marathon has a problem
I hate to say this about a race I dearly love--the Boston Marathon--but Boston’s system of establishing qualifying times that don’t actually qualify you to enter and run is borderline immoral. I mean, it excites countless runners to train and race hard over many months/years to hit a BQ (Boston Qualifier) only to find out after the fact that their BQ doesn’t quite cut it.
Last week, Boston organizes announced that they had received 33,000 BQ performances from runners around the globe. Since they will likely accept only 24,000/25,000 entries, that leaves more than 8000 runners who qualified but won’t be allowed to run--almost 25% of all qualified runners.
That’s the part that I find borderline immoral.
Boston officials have said on occasion that their system is the “least bad” of various bad alternatives. I don’t buy it. I can think of any number of systems that would be more transparent and less objectionable. And I’m positive that others smarter than me could devise even better systems.
Is this an emotional issue in the running world? Oh, yeah. Here are more than 350 comments on Reddit. I’m hoping the outcry will be enough for Boston organizers to consider new options.
When you don’t need a GPS watch … and when you do
Sadly, this is the last article coming from the NYT weekly “Running” newsletter, which will be greatly missed, as it was one of the few serious journalistic efforts to explore aspects of our sport. The Times has replaced articles from its sports department, which has been dissolved, with articles from TheAthletic, which the Times bought a year ago.
TheAthletic mainly follows big time pro and college teams. The vast site doesn’t include a single article on runners or running. Even its “Olympics” section is mainly about the pro basketballers who can now compete in the Olympics.
This last NYT article on running quotes some top athletes who aren’t fond of digital devices like GPS watches. Most are middle distance runners, and therefore don’t care about much but their interval split times on a track. For that, they don’t really need a GPS watch.
Among road runners and marathoners, few have ditched GPS. It’s just too simple and handy. That doesn’t mean it’s essential; it’s not. But in a sport governed by distances and times, few are going to stop wearing their lightweight, multi use watches. More at NY Times.
Believe it or not, sometimes it’s smart to DNF your race
Nobody ever starts a race with the purpose of not finishing … except maybe the rabbit pacers in an elite marathon. The rest of us are trying to finish, and as close to goal time as possible.
But that doesn’t mean it’s never a good idea to drop out of a marathon. Sometimes it is. And smart runners consider and prepare for those situations in advance.
Here’s an article that can help. One expert advises going so far as to map out a “DNF plan.” This includes the “emotions, mental states and physical situations” that might indicate it’s time to stop.
These are often difficult for fatigued (mid-marathon) runners to evaluate on their own. That’s why it’s a great idea to have a pit crew or friends/family you can check in with along the course. They can evaluate your condition more clearly than you can do it yourself.
Finally, an important and specific point: Heat stress is a strong reason to consider dropping out, and it often begins in the stomach. If you’re having trouble assimilating the fluids you’ve been drinking, that’s a warning sign. Pay attention to it.
Always remember: The important thing is not to finish every race you run, but to stay healthy enough to continue your regular running after every race. More at Trail Runner.
SHORT STUFF you don’t want to miss
Don’t worry, it doesn’t fry: What happens when your brain gets too hot while running.
The beat goes on: Beet root juice might be good for muscle recovery, too.
The bottom line: 10 steps to a faster marathon time
GREAT QUOTES make great training partners
“The music of a marathon is a powerful strain. It asks us to forsake pleasures, to discipline the body, to find courage, to renew faith and to become one’s own person, utterly and completely.”
--George A. Sheehan
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. There will be no RLRH newsletter next week. You’ll receive your next RLRH on October 5. Amby