Barefoot running for begginer's

One of the most emotive subjects around running and still a hot topic is barefoot running, also known as natural/minimalist running. After a recent visit to a Asics store and having a sales advisor introduce me to their own special trainer to compliment this style it has become clear that this trend is hitting mainstream running. People who love it are passionate about every aspect of it but for the traditionalists out there it's a subject many don't fully understand. How barefoot running became popular and why its popularity is increasing year after year is quite some story. Books have been written, first hand accounts put down on paper promoting the benefits of natural running and it's origins. 

 

I was introduced to me by a friend and not one to take much persuading I decided to give it a go. Running about 40 miles a week means I love my running trainers and my running style so the experience was going to have to be a good one to get me questioning if there is something better out there.

My own starting point was the book 'Born to Run' by Christopher McDougall. This gave me a fantastic incite into barefoot running or minimalist running and is a fantastic read. (see the link at the bottom of this blog)

I decided that the local track was the best place to start (Victoria Park Athletics Track, Warrington). I only live a 3 minute walk from it so if the experience was a negative one I didn't have far to return home and tend to my feet. I only intended to slip this session into a normal running session so the target distance was just a mile.

Although it was cold and wet the surface of the track felt nice under barefoot. Within a few strides and as predicted by most of the experts on this form of running I had come off heel striking style onto forefoot striking style (the more natural way of running). During the first 400m it did feel like a revelation was taking place, it felt quite liberating being able to feel the track under foot. I felt very little discomfort, this would carry through to the conclusion of the second lap of the track. Running at about 70% effort and pace i did feel like opening the taps up a little but that thought soon vanished as the twinges through my forefoot started. I wasn't that naive to think I would get through the mile without any problems but I did feel I was dropping out of my comfort zone far quicker than i would have expected to. By the end of the mile I felt glad it was over. Not feeling the experience had been totally negative it did leave me with more questions than answers. My running stride lengthened and my bodies position formed a good position. This could be down to the video I watched in preparation for the test. (see the link at the bottom of this blog)

My advice is do some research and read what more well informed people than me have to say about it. It's such a complex issue I can see no end or conclusion ever to this debate.

I'm happy to dip into it now and then. I think it's for the summer months and on the right surface. I'm not at that level where I feel a total change would be beneficial for my long term goals or would help me with my overall fitness which is my priority.

My test was conducted in barefoot. This is the most extreme form of running. Minimalist running more commonly involves some form of foot wear. These tend to be very flat and follow very close to the form of the foot. The vast array of these is something I shall blog about in the near future, more time is needed for research. (see the link at the bottom of this blog for one of the more popular companies making them)

Below is a selection of media links I used for some initial research. I hope they help and you enjoy the experience!

Video feature on barefoot running

 

 

 Vibram FiveFingers Footwear

 

Born To Run best selling book

 

Stay Safe Winter Running Tips

The arrival of winter, especially once the clocks go back on the last Sunday in October, can be bad news for runners. The rigorous training regime you established during the summer becomes a distant memory as the cold, wet weather dampens your enthusiasm as well as your feet. Running in the dark is a necessity if you work from dawn till dusk or you’re training for a night-time race such as a New Year’s Eve event. Whether you’re heading out early or late, follow these easy strategies to stay safe and be seen this winter.

On reflection

Wearing bright fluorescent colours is a great idea during the day but at night white apparel with reflective panels shows up better in motorists’ headlights. Winter kit often features reflective areas, and many running shoes come with reflective panels on the heels, but you can also customise any kit that you already have with adhesive strips and shapes.

Try this Reflective strips attract the most attention when you attach them to the parts of your body that have the greatest range of movement, such as feet, lower legs and arms.

Traffic management

Always face the on-coming traffic when you’re running on a road with no pavement. The only exception to this rule should be when you’re approaching a blind corner, when you should cross to the opposite side of the road then cross back again as soon as it’s safe. This applies at any time of day but especially at night when drivers may not expect to see a pedestrian.

Try this Wearing a head torch will ensure drivers see you long before they reach you, as well as helping you to pick out the safest route if the ground is uneven.

Variable rates

Tackling the same running route day in, day out will challenge your motivation but it could also have negative implications when you’re running at night. You’re more vulnerable to assailants if your movements are predictable so aim to vary your route every time you venture out, even if that just means running it in reverse.

Try this Stay alert by making a mental note of street names that you pass.

On balance

When you run in the dark your sense of balance shifts due to a loss of peripheral vision, so it’s important to train your body to adjust to running at night rather than expecting it to cope automatically. Instead of choosing a route based on scenery, try to find a well-lit run with an even surface.

Try this If you’re new to racing in the dark, sign up for a practice race before the main event so you can rehearse competing at night.

Tune in

Your senses become more finely tuned when you run in the dark, which means you’ll find it easier to assess how you feel. Runner Dean Taylor saw his times improve when he started running hill sessions at night. It’s a simple but effective strategy, as he explains: "I can’t see the top of the hill, so I don’t worry about how much further I have to go."

Try this Leave your music at home for a change and use your night-time run to give your full attention to both your surroundings and how your body feels.

Group therapy

Running with friends at night in winter fulfils two important goals: it gets you out of the door when you might prefer to stay on the sofa, and it ensures you’re safer than if you were pounding the pavements alone.

Try this Schedule one evening run a week with a friend or group of friends. Keep the run short and close to home to start with, then when you’re more confident head further afield. If no friends are available, most running clubs also organise at least one evening run a week that you can join in with.

Safety measures

No matter how careful you are when you run at night, be prepared for unforeseen events. Always tell someone where you’re planning to run and roughly when you’ll return, and consider taking a personal alarm and mobile phone.

Try this Stick to well-lit, busy routes and don’t stop to stretch or tie a shoe lace unless you absolutely have to – crouching down makes you more vulnerable.

Hope that helps everyone out. More info on reflective clothing can be be found on the link below but a simple google search will bring up even more.

Info - Glow & Run -Stay Safe Clothing

Thanks to Runners World for the information

Running, now with added science!

The energy gel market in Britain is worth around £300 million annually. It's one of the biggest growth markets within the sports industry. I've decided to test one out for myself and see if it's just a myth or a must have.

 

You could say I was never a natural runner but my running sessions have always been naturally fueled. By this I mean putting the right stuff inside me 2 hours before heading out. More recently though I've been interested in adding some science to the mix in the form of energy gels, instant fuel and hydration for the modern athlete?

 

Just a quick google resulted in a staggering amount of quick fix fuel aids, for runners, cyclists, gym addicts and any other physical activities. These companies sell the hope of improved performance and results, promising increased speed, stamina, endurance, recovery and overall fitness.

 

It was time to test one, I was buying into it, I wanted to believe.

 

At present I'm doing a regular 5 mile run, this is an ideal distance to check the increased performance a gel would give me. I'm half way through the weeks run quota so my pace and split times should be a good average to use due to me always peaking around mid-week.

 

Here is a little information on the gel I'm testing.

 

 

 

 

Brand - SIS Go Isotonic Energy Gel (orange flavour)

 

Cost - £1.25 per sachet or 6 for £6 (Tesco)

 

Directions - Consume up to 3 sachets per 60 minutes during exercises as required

 

Ingredients - Water, Maltodextrin (produced from partial hydrolyses of a special variety of maze), Natural Flavouring, Gelling Agents (Xathan Gum, Gellan Gum), Acidity Regulators, (Citric Acid), Sodium Citrate), Preservatives (Sodium Benizoate), Sweetener (Acesulfame K), Sodium Chloride, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Colour (Beta-Carotene).

 

Nutritional Information Per 60g Sachet - Energy 86kcal, Protein 0.0g, Carbohydrate 22g, Fat 0.0g, Sodium 0.01g, Fiber 0.1g

 

Here is the time line for this test, followed by some screen grab pictures from my running app then a few words to conclude.

 

Consume First Energy Sachet 3.00pm - The packaging is quite space age so mentally I felt I was about to consumed something that had been developed with care and attention. Initial thoughts are the taste is good with a consistency that is similar to a smoothy. I consumed mine from the fridge so it was well chilled. For a runner it's important to execute taking it on the move at speed. Just a simple tare strip at one end, a swipe of the fingers up the packaging and it's gone. A very fast and user friendly opening method. Impressive product so far.

 

Warm Up 3.05pm - The hit from the first sachet was pretty much instant. It almost felt too much during a warm up. My normal routine would include some light stretching, some simple yoga moves and just mentally preparing myself for the run. After 5 minutes from taking the Gel the liquid from the sachet was still coating my mouth. Not an unpleasant taste but distracting enough to have me consuming water to wash my mouth clean, the packaging does state - no need for water. I would say this is true but for me personally I just needed a small amount to not have it as a distraction. Taking on water is obviously not a bad thing but how would this feel during the run?

 

Start Run 3.19pm - Today's run is one I've been concentrating on for a few weeks. 5 miles in length and has two 400 meter length hill climbs. Both hills are challenging enough to show as part of the slower mile split times from my phones running app. Although remember, what goes up, must come down. During the first mile I was still feeling the effect of the added energy boost from the first sachet, almost having to slow my pace down I recorded an open mile time of 7 minutes 34 seconds. Feeling strong during mile 2 this is the most challenging part of the 5 mile route with the biggest hill climb (in fact its the steepest hill in Warrington) It's almost in the middle section of the second mile. My previous best split time on this section is beaten as I reach the top of the hill.

 

Time to rip open another sachet, on the move this proves as easy to open and consume whilst running as it did pre warm up. After the hill climb it was a welcome boost to my energy level although I did once again feel the need to cleanse the inside of my mouth with water. Not a problem or inconvenience as I would normally be taking some water on at this stage regardless of the energy gel.

 

Mile 3 and 4 pass with yet more personal best split times. Again I felt like I had to watch my pace, it felt almost too easy. Mile 5 takes in the routes other hill climb, not as challenging as the first but its during the latter half of the final mile so it's a tuff one. I'd decided on taking just the two gels to see how I would perform in the final mile and specifically the hill section. I was not to be disappointed with the performance of the gel feeling that the final stage of the run was less brutal than in passed sessions. Again, another personal best split time laid to waste.

Finish Run - 3.57pm So the run is complete and the test over. I felt I didn't need to hydrate instantly on finishing the run and also felt I could have gone harder and faster. For my first real energy gel fuelled run I was very impressed.

 

 

Performance Summary

 

 

Route Guide

 

 

Mile Splits

 

Conclusion - I would and will use energy gels in the future. Maybe not for every session, notably they are quite expensive but when you really want to achieve a personal best time or under race conditions I think they're a must. Sports science is now a major part of any athletes ritual. It is now also a major part of how they fuel their bodies with gels are becoming a major part of that system. In no way do I consider myself close to the fitness of a professional athlete but for me using these gels will bring me a few steps closer. The only downside was the coating it left in my mouth but given more time and practise I think the technique of getting the liquid into my system would eliminate this. It's a great product and one I totally recommend.

 

To find out more about this product visit www.scienceinsport.com

 

My advice would be to do some reserch before taking any sports suppliment. Check out whats on the market. Join a blog or internet group, speak to others about their experiences and the pros and cons of taking sport fuel suppliments.

 

 

 

 

  

English Half Marathon Race Day

English Half Marathon Race Day 2012

 

 

English Half Marathon Pre Race Day 2012

 

 

 

After running the 2011 English Half Marathon I was truly hooked by the running bug. Since then I've had many highs and quite a few lows. Training for 2012 has been hard and add to the mix I'd become a little obsessed with beating my previous years time so found myself pushing harder than ever to break through my P.B time.

Just to recap on how I was bitten by the bug.

Not that long ago, about 2 years in fact I decided a life style change was in order. Four stone over weight (at least) with no self confidence and looking back on things I had absolutely no ambition to do anything but eat, drink and smoke.

I used to run night clubs which meant getting caught up in the trappings of a late night lifestyle, far to many parties and subsequent hangover. Although my time at the last position ended not out of choice but by the state of the economy I had already decided in my head I wanted out, the timing couldn't of been better.

Out of work I decided to use my time to make some much needed life style changes with the hope it would put me physically and mentally in a different place. I could of never known then just how much it would change me into the person I am today.

Nature for me had always been a massive passion but I'd never been out there and embraced it. The journey I started two years ago started with getting out of the house and getting some much needed fresh air. I walked and a walked turned into a bike ride, a bike ride turned into a small jog and before I knew it I was feeling the benefit from just a few small changes. I'd started to shed weight, feel positive about life and look forwards to feeling the buzz that I was changing things for the better.

So for me it progressed naturally. From one month to the next I started to improve my fitness level and with that came a positive change with every other aspect of my life.

Fast forward the clocks from my first race in 2011 and with six months to go before the 2012 half marathon I'm training really hard. Learning as I went along, constantly reading running blogs, checking on the latest diets and nutrition advice. Basically working really hard to put in a personal best time.

One of the best things I ever did was to start putting in some serious cycling miles and train more on my core fitness. Running mile after mile is great but it can become un-productive unless you supplements it with other activities and I'm not a ultra marathon runner so exclusively running can become really boring.

For six months prior to the race I put my training focus on my all round fitness including something that needed a major tweak, my diet. The balance of everything paid off.

 

I'm pleased to say that I finished the 2012 English Half Marathon in a time of 1 hour and 42 minutes, taking 4 minutes off my 2011 time.

The race this year was again another amazing experience. On a personal level I pushed myself harder then I ever thought possible and still crossed the line smiling. From an event point of view it was very well organised, well marshaled and supported by many hundreds of spectators.

The next big one for me is the Greater Manchester Marathon in April 2013. I'm currently putting together a training plan, preparation preventing poor performance (so they say).

I hope you liked the videos at the beginning of this blog. I filmed them both using my Go Pro HD camera. It's a sports camera so I had a good harness that strapped it to my chest for race day. Nice and light it didn't make life any harder over the 13.01 miles.

Thanks for reading this blog, if you haven't already check out my other blogs and subscribe for updates.

Last but not least. Get out there and give running a go. In fact just get out there. Walk, cycle, run or do something that involves more than your normal routine because you never know where it may lead.

Tony

English Half Marathon Prep Fail

 

 

I'm going to try and inspire myself back into good practise and get my training on track again. For the last 2 months I've ran and cycled well over two hundred miles. Sticking to a really healthy diet and swerving the temptations of booze I've been hitting personal best times for my runs almost every day.

 

All had gone well until Warrington Wolves went to Wembley for the Challenge Cup final. I was always going and I was always going to slip with the training and diet. Now it's just a case of how far back down the mountain I've slipped.

Warrington Wolves returned from Wembley cup holders so down the mountain a little more I fell with another full day and evening on the booze for the teams home coming parade.

 

Maybe I'm being a bit hard on myself , they say a break does you good but I was doing better than good during recent training sessions. I'm finding it hard to see a bright side of this current training break.

 

Tomorrow I'll have my first run back after a three day booze and food indulgent break. I wouldn't of given up the trip to Wembley or the home coming for anything. I did say I would never let running or training get in the way of  anything else that was happening and I'll always stand by that. I do think though in the future to save me mentally feeling like I've undone many weeks of hard work I'll stick to a limit on food and booze and give that side of my life as much thinking about as I do my training plans, run and cycling.

So today I've read up on getting re-motivated and this was my first step to getting back on track. This blog will remind me I should plan my off training days to avoid any future panic attacks over having a weekend of excess. Still had a ball though :)

Anyone need some extra motivation can find some help here - http://therunningbug.co.uk

Spire English Half Marathon Route Guide Warrington 2012 Year Of The Personal Best!

                                                                     FRONT POV

                                                   
                                                                        REAR POV

Hello everyone.

After reading quite a few internet  threads regarding the importance of wanting to know and understand the route for this years EHM I decide to put a video online of what runners can expect. My own experience was that it helped knowing the geography and course route in 2011. The EHM has a few steep climbs etc so the more information you have to work with the better your race experience will be. Remember, whats goes up must come down!

The race is based in Victoria Park as is the start/finish line. The organisers put on great facilities for the runners and make sure the crowds have plenty to do before, during and after the race. It leaves the park and makes it's way out through South Warrington taking in some beautiful countryside. Mainly a road race the course does have a few stretches that are off road. Personally I really enjoyed these parts and on the whole most of the conversations after the 2011 race that I had just confirmed the course was excellent. The route stays unchanged for 2012.

The race is very well organised and always attracts good crowds. It's an exclusive event in Warrington so its always well attended with 2000+ runners and many many spectators enjoying the atmosphere inside the park and along the route.

For the runners it has to be well marshalled and the drink stations where they should be, runners wont be disappointed as these details are executed perfectly.

On the videos

The idea was just to film one from a front POV perspective but in the end I shot two so I'm putting them both up. I used Go Pro Camera HD Hero and the edits are via AVS editing system. I've not missed any of the course out and kept the edits down to a minimum, some had to be made though to keep the video length down. Playback is at x1.5 faster than normal which mean there is a bit of camera shake but I hope this doesn't distract from the overall mission of the video. The front POV has a downbeat soundtrack and the rear POV has a upbeat soundtrack but both give a good view.

Enjoy the ride, it was shot on my bike. I hope it gives you some useful information about the course and inspires you to sign up for it or get out there and put some training miles in!

This year I'm running in aid of The Cats Protection. I'll do a separate blog about this soon Meeooww :)

Cheers

Tony

More race info - www.english-half.co.uk

Delamere Forest MTB Skills Area

After hearing about the MTB skills area at Delamere Forest and spending 2 hours trying to find it, here is the resulting video. All videos shot on GoPro HD Hero 2 - Edit via AVS online video editor. If you're new to mountain biking or would like to improve your skills or just get out there and explore some off road paths then please visit the Delamere Forrest.

 

Info - Delemere Forest