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The Curio

Running & Other Odd Stuff

Barefoot Schmarefoot

Barefoot running. It's all I'm reading about these days. It's got so bad now that I can't ignore it any longer. I'm just going to have to try it for myself. 

Even though I'm naturally cynical, I have to admit that the argument about some corrective running shoes encouraging heel-striking (which is generally considered an un-good thing) seems convincing. And the biomechanics of the human body seem to be designed such that mid-foot or fore-foot striking (double plus good) is a more efficient way to go. Or so it seems to me, a non-expert in the field.

I think I'll give some Newtons a try. Again, a convincing case here on the video (even though its a commercial)

They are pretty expensive though (over £100) .I'd try some of those fancy pants Nike Free's, but I'm just not that fancy.

I wonder how long it will be before everybody is running in these kinds of minimal shoes?  Have the big shoe companies been pulling the wool over our feet all along?

I'm going to try and find out for myself.

Update:  Not everyone thinks that heel-striking is bad. Check out this advice in the video below. Not sure about who this lady is, or what her background is, but she certainly has a different point of view.

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Filed under  //   barefoot   newton   running  
Posted March 9, 2010
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Sunday's Serendipitous Long Run

In keeping with my previous post, the highs and lows of yesterday's long run (13.57 miles in 2:04, details at http://www.dailymile.com/people/spchapman/entries/1122875)

Highlights

Weather, which was superb. Slightly chilly, bright sun, deep blue cloudless sky. A friendly wave from the skipper of a passing narrow boat as I ran along the Leeds Liverpool canal. Feeling good about overtaking the same boat on the way back, and then noticing that she was called "Serendipity".

Lowlights

Being rounded up by three Springer Spaniels, who presumably thought I was an injured partridge or something. Buggers.

I'm thinking about recording these little highs and lows and posting them here. Like a short podcast. I'll continue to think about it.

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Filed under  //   podcast   running  
Posted March 8, 2010
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Today's Running Highlights & Lowlights

Early morning 9.5 miler this morning, rest day tomorrow, then a long slow run on Sunday. That's the plan. Whilst I was running today, without my iPod (something I'm doing more of these days) it occurred to me that the whole run could be divided in to two kinds of events. Good events, and bad events. Highlights and lowlights.

Admittedly, you could classify just about any aspect of life, the universe and everything along the same simplistic lines. Which actually appeals to me.

Here goes.

Lowlights.

Fog. Van drivers blocking the pavement. The gut-churning stench of fresh dog poo as I ran past a dog owner collecting a fresh deposit in a plastic bag. 

Highlights.

Birdsong. Snowdrops starting to flower. Ducks landing on the water in front of me. A slighter better than expected overall pace.

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Filed under  //   running  
Posted March 5, 2010
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Idea for Running Shoe Advert

So I had this great idea for a running shoe ad, based around an old joke I heard many moons ago. Here's the pitch.

Two guys sitting in a hide in the Serengeti, watching a big lion. They're whispering to each other and taking pictures excitedly. Through the view of the camera, we see the lion suddenly look up and fix his gaze straight at the hide in the way only a predator knows how. We see the men shift uncomfortably as the lion starts to move towards them, it's pace picking up with every step. Panic builds.

Back in the hide, one of the men quickly opens his backpack to reveal Brand X running shoes. He hurriedly laces them up.

The other man notices this and hisses "What are you doing?  You'll never outrun a lion!"

The first man looks down at his Brand X shoes, looks up at the other man and says, with deadpan expression:

"I don't have to. I just need to outrun you."

Quick cut to product shot. Tagline something like "Brand X: When coming second isn't an option", or something better.

Marketing genius. I'm wasted around here. Really.

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Filed under  //   running  
Posted March 1, 2010
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Gross news of the day

Earlier today, my right little toenail came off. No pain, no blood. What was really weird was the fact that, underneath, there was a new nail already in place.

I felt a bit like Jeff Goldblum in "The Fly".

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Filed under  //   GROSS   running  
Posted February 27, 2010
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Upping Mileage, Energy Gel & Feeling The Effect

I've been trying to up my mileage a bit recently. Apart from a brief period of illness this week, it's been going quite well. Last weekend I did a 12.31 mile long run and today was 12.81. I'm quite pleased overall, and I'd like to increase mileage to the point that I end up running a half marathon as my long run each weekend. Nearly there.

The extra miles I tacked on to my long run have actually turned out to be tougher than I'd thought. I think I'd plateau'd around the 10-mile long run mark, and just a couple of extra miles has pushed me much harder than I thought it would. I've experienced the effects of dehydration, exhaustion and a corresponding drop in pace. Maybe it was The Wall. I don't know. Last weekend I was pretty much dead on my feet for the last mile or so. I think it was muscle memory that kept me running. Not a happy runner.

Today I made sure I had water (I didn't even take any last week!  Idiot!) and I also thought I'd try some energy gels too. I went for the Science In Sport Go-Gel, which looked like the simplest concoction for someone without any experience of these things.  I took a couple along and popped the first one after an hour, the second about 20 minutes later. I think they made a difference. My pace wasn't any better (actually, it was a bit worse overall) but I certainly didn't get any Wall hitting experience this time.

I guess that's the purpose of these gels. They won't improve your ability (that's what the training is for, right?) but they do enable you to take on some fuel before the needle reaches "empty". That's about the extent of my understanding. The actual science, I'm less clear on. Anyway, I'll continue to experiment with the dosage.

Overall, an interesting week. I'm enjoying dealing with the extra physical challenges that come along with the extra miles, and I also know where "empty" is now. Which is an eye-opener.

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Filed under  //   energy gel   running  
Posted February 13, 2010
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Pride, sickness and The Moment

Sometimes life teaches you valuable lessons, particularly when it comes to taking things for granted. One thing that you should never take for granted is your health. Over the last three or so years, I've got back in to running and generally looking after myself a lot better than I did for, say, pretty much the whole of my thirties.

Sitting down after another long day, no more than two days ago, I was bragging to my wife that since running again, my health had been great. Not a single day off work, no injuries or other illness. I'd say I was actually quite smug about it.

Enter the hand of fate. I wake up today for my scheduled early morning run, but things don't work out as I hoped. Within a few minutes of waking up I was spewing like Mr Creosote, and generally evacuating the entire contents of my digestive tract. I felt dreadful. No run today, or tomorrow for that matter. I'll probably not meet my self-imposed 100 miles per month too, for this month at least.

I'll recover, for sure. But I've been given a timely reminder that you should treat every run as special, even if it wasn't a particularly good one. Targets are good, but in striving to reach those targets you should not fail to simply enjoy the moment. You just don't know what tomorrow will bring.

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Filed under  //   running   sickness  
Posted February 9, 2010
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Get Up Promptly, or Run Late Hungry

So the alarm goes off this morning at 5:30 as I'd planned. Then I managed to press some button or other on the clock which altered the time and cocked up the alarm, which I didn't plan. Due to the fact that I never get up on the first alarm, I then missed my early morning run.

Already, I was playing catch-up, and I hadn't even got out of bed yet.  I love days like that. Anyway, this means that tonight, I'm going out for a run. Which also means I'll have to avoid eating anything beforehand. In the morning, my appetite is modest, so I can easily resist. At night, I'm bloody ravenous.

Which leads to the obvious conclusion that if I could only get my sorry arse out of bed on the first alarm, none of this would be an issue.

Ain't gonna happen.

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Filed under  //   food   hunger   running  
Posted February 8, 2010
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Garmin Noob Runs 23 Miles at 56 mph #fail

So I get myself a nice shiny new Garmin Forerunner 405, succumbing finally to Twitter peer pressure (you know who you are, people). It arrived at the office yesterday, so I resisted the urge to play around with it until I got home later that evening.

I read the quick start guide, charged it all up, installed the ANT drivers for the USB stick. So far, everything looking good. I planned an early start this morning for a 10k test run using my new toy.

Picture the scene. I get up this morning. It's dark, cold with slushy ice and snow covering the whole area. I opt for screw-shoes and a cross country route. I stand outside in the bleak, wet darkness. I select "training" and await GPS signal acquisition. Done. Now, press the "start" button. Perfect. And I'm off!

It's all going well, apart from the ground which is very muddy and waterlogged. A few inches deep in freezing cold water in places. But I don't care - I have my new GPS tracking my every move!  I glance down to check my progress. Bad idea, as I've run out of contact lenses and it's still dark anyway. I know!  the backlight!  Problem solved. Well, actually, problem worsened as I manage to press the bezel incorrectly, activating a different menu. Gloves aren't helping either. I'll back up. No, I won't. Wrong button. What bloody menu is this now?

All of this is happening as I'm blundering along in the dark, splashing through mud and slush. Finally, I resolve to stop trying to get the right screen to display and concentrate on finishing the course.

Finally, I arrive back home where I hit the "stop" button. I seem to recall that's what the instructions said. No time to worry about it now. Quick shower, in the car and off to Costco to pick up new contact lenses before arriving at the office, fresh for the day. I can't wait to see my progress when the 405 links up with my laptop.

I arrive at Costco for 9:00am, forgetting that they don't open until 12:00. Right, off to work then.

I settle down at my desk, eager to see the results of this morning's run. It's not auto syncing though. It's supposed to, I thought. What the hell?

Then, I notice the problem. The timer is still running. In my earlier confusion, I think I'd locked the bezel so the "stop" didn't work. I stop the timer. It automatically uploads as designed. The picture tells the harrowing story of my utter incompetence. You can see my run around the Flash, then my car journey to Costco at Haydock and then my journey South, eventually reaching the office.

At one point on my "run", I got up to 56mph.

The lessons my friends.
  1. Learn to use new equipment before you need it, not at the point you need it.
  2. Lock the bezel before you set off as wet clothing activates menus at random. Really. Lock the bezel.

Other than that, everything went pretty smoothly.

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Filed under  //   equipment   fail   kit   running  
Posted February 4, 2010
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You're not a runner if...

If... you don't acknowledge other runners on the street.

I know. I'm acting like a child, but it irritates me. Maybe it's me? Maybe I don't look like the kind of guy that people would want to say "hey" to. Are other runners intimidated by my obvious athletic ability or brutal long distance pace?  Is it because I look so great in my tights?

I'm guessing not.

I always make a point of acknowledging other runners. It's just polite. It's an unspoken rule, the rule of the open road. A hat-tip to a fellow journeyman who has, like you, chosen the hard road to self-improvement. It's a commitment that deserves mutual recognition.

Now this certainly doesn't to apply to all runners I see on the road or on the trail. But there's a significant minority out there who just don't get it. So, next time you're in my neck of the woods and you see a balding red-faced 40-something guy huffing along, please... show some love will you?

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Filed under  //   rant   running  
Posted February 1, 2010
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