If you’re into running souvenirs and had $77,000 to spare…: then you could have bought the shoes that Roger Bannister wore when he became the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes. Of course, if I wore those shoes and ran a mile, I’d finish in, well, it wouldn’t be under 4 minutes. (But I wonder what Brian Bernier could run in them …. Hmm, maybe we should start a GoFundMe drive to buy the shoes from the auction winner.)
9 reasons to run a marathon: Actually, they’re 9 reasons to run any kind of race, if you’re not into marathons.
The latest research on barefoot running vs. shod running: (As an aside, does anyone else think that “shod” is a strange-looking word?) Back when I started running 2011, forefoot strike and barefoot running were all the rage, with Christopher McDougall’s entertaining Born to Run proclaiming that running injuries could be avoided by changing to a forefoot strike, and others suggesting that barefoot running would encourage forefoot striking. “Not so fast,” according to the latest research. Barefoot running doesn’t seem to reduce injuries. Then again, maybe shoes aren’t necessary, as barefoot running doesn’t seem to make things worse, other than the totally not-unexpected increase in cuts, blisters, and stubbed toes.
Is there anything worse than chafing?: Well, I’m sure there are worse things, even within the subset of first world problems. I’ve only dealt with it once, but it was pretty annoying. Why does the shower water sting my nipples???, I’d wondered at the time. I almost threw out the tech shirt that I’d worn on that particular run. Here are five tips to avoid chafing and other irritation.
“So you’re saying that running is like eating, right?”: Apparently running depletes leptin levels, which in turn signals the brain to release the feel-good hormone dopamine, according to a new scientific study. I have to say, that makes us runners sound like exercise junkies …. but, naw, I could quit running any time I want.
Maybe we should vote for political candidates based on their fitness routines: Tony Horton, founder of the P90X fitness regime, evaluates the fitness routines of the major 2016 presidential candidates. It doesn’t seem that any of them are runners, though. Still, Horton’s comments about Donald Trump are hilarious: “I’ve got to think that haircut alone has got to be at least a 20-minute workout in the morning. It’s got to be a shoulder and tricep workout like no other.”
Quick, where’s Joe Dudman?: Some people think road racing can generate more general interest if we bring back the mile race (beyond the major track and field events, of course).
If I were single, I could see the appeal…: I like treadmills more than most runners, but even I have limits to my tolerance for them. This guy spent a year training for ultramarathons while living and working on a cruise ship, where nearly all of his running was done on treadmills. To be sure, it wasn’t all flat running: “Often, I just left the grade flat and when the ship would rock I’d be going uphill and downhill. Sometimes the seas would get really rough, so I’d shake all over the place and it was a challenge to just stay upright. That added a nice extra little element to the training.”
