Abebe Bikila and Barefoot Running

Abebe Bikila was an Ethiopian runner who won the Rome Olympics marathon on 10 September 1960 running barefoot. He was a last minute addition to the team and the teams sponsor, Adidas, did not have enough time to organize running shoes for him. They had only two pairs left, of which neither was fitted him. He decided he would then run the race barefoot. At the subsequent Olympics in Tokyo in 1964, he again won the marathon, but did it this time wearing running shoes and ran faster. He died in 1973 at the age of 41 from complications following a motor vehicle accident. Abebe Bikila is honored and revered in Ethiopia with a stadium named after him..

Abebe Bikila has a special place in the history of running, especially from those who advocate and promote barefoot running as they hold him up as evidence that a marathon can be run barefoot. In that community he is worshiped with an almost god like status. There was a fad a while back for doing away with running shoes and running barefoot. This was driven by a lot of websites, forums, books and social media commentary as something that was beneficial and better for runners. Lots of unsubstantiated claims was made for barefoot running, none of which stood up to subsequent scrutiny. This fad last a few years, probably peaking around 2013-14 with probably around a quarter of runners trying or having a go at it in some form. The fad quickly dropped off when most runners who tried it got an injury or realized that it did not live up to all the claims that got made for it. It has now been relegated to the history books, with only a handful of hardcore barefoot runners enthusiasts still doing it.

There was a lot of research done on barefoot running that those who like to support and advocate barefoot running held this research up as evidence that barefoot running was better for you. However, the research never actually showed that at all and was widely misinterpreted. All the research showed was that barefoot running was different to running in running shoes and that was all.

Running as Part of Weight Loss Systems

There are logically numerous weight reduction systems these days which are offered and marketed to help people trim fats as well as excessive pounds. Many people note that these weight management systems are remarkable and are well targeted. The most famous and effective are those that involve regular activities like regular walking and running. More focus is given to running, that’s recognized by experts as a great form of aerobic or cardiovascular exercise.

Perhaps, peoples’ greatest dilemma now aside from earning extra money is always to have a perfect shape or perhaps a sexy body. And because fashion and sexiness have been associated with well-maintained bodies, people today think being skinny or slim is the same as being sexy and beautiful. Don’t be surprised to observe more people walking around the open park specifically in the morning. Running really is a cost effective way to sweat and bring about cardiovascular challenge on the body.

Running is just as effective as utilizing a tread mill. Actually, this fitness machine has been created and manufactured to facilitate running inside your home. You must be wondering why tread mills tend not to fail to be included in basic gym facilities. Indeed, running is an efficient way of exercise. It is good at making people sweat and in the process increase metabolism of stored fats and calories.

Losing a few pounds just isn’t as simple as anyone might think. You would surely assert that it’s far easier to gain weight than to lose it. How will you find and get the perfect weight reduction systems that will help you attain your target weight? Go for programs that does not only focus on diets. Systems with recommended regular activities and exercises like running would certainly truly become more effective.

Because there are many weight loss systems available nowadays and introduced in the market, all you have to do is to collect and then select the system that will go with your preferences and lifestyle. There are weight loss systems which can be too strict, while there are others which are easier to take. Many weight loss systems could recommend or mandate consuming diet pills or a weight loss supplement to suppress appetite. As mentioned, on top of the drugs, there would also be recommended exercises to be executed regularly, plus nutritional or diet plans.

When you are taking a weight loss system, it could be important to abide by the recommendations. Strictly following details and mandates of these weight loss programs could be of great help in making certain that you would eventually acquire your target weight. Include daily, yet simple exercises in your lifestyle. Running with the neighborhood each morning is a good aerobic and cardiovascular workout to help the body accelerate metabolism and fat loss.

To choose the best weight loss systems, you may ask your friends or doctors for suggestion. Other than that, weight loss program providers often heavily advertise their weight loss systems so you would not miss the programs. Online ad pages would also help you choose and purchase the weight loss system you are eyeing. Keep in mind that the systems would certainly help you to get that ideal weight you might be hoping to have.

If running, walking, or doing simple exercise routines are needed by the systems carry out the exercise tasks on a regular basis. Nobody said losing weight can be easy. It can be hard to shed off excess weight but it could be obviously and logically be worth it.

Running And Hydration

Running during the good old days was once uncomplicated and simple. A lot of people remember runners before going out running with nothing along with them. After a time, they come back and drink their water.

Drinking (or hydration) had not been such a big deal before. These days, there are a few runners who carry their own water and enough gadgets to monitor their exact intake throughout a run or a race.

Hydration and dehydration

Of course, all of us now recognize how important water is when it comes to strenuous workouts like running. One thing about water is that it is not ideal with the idea to get very little or too much of the fluid.

Severe dehydration (loss in water) and over-hydration both cause serious consequences on the body, such as death. Knowing the difference is oftentimes hard for the reason that symptoms are similar.

Similar symptoms

In dehydration, the symptoms consist of weight reduction, lethargy, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion and dry mouth or lips. Over-hydration includes weight gain or swelling, headache, nausea, lethargy and confusion or disorientation.

Precisely what is terrible is usually that nobody is aware of the condition until the symptoms are already in the advanced state. Even medical personnel can often be difficult put in determining precisely what is developing. (This usually happens after a hard race.)

Fluid needs

Learning how much fluid you need can prevent either dehydration or over-hydration. One way of knowing is that your performance will certainly decrease significantly if you are dehydrated by as little as 1%.

Your running decreases by about 2% when you are dehydrated by only 1%. One more point to consider is the fact that hydration is important not just for your performance but also for your health. As a runner, you must know how much you need to hydrate yourself every day, and in the critical times of before, during and after running or a race.

One formula given by specialists to calculate your daily fluid needs is as follows: multiply your weight (in pounds) by 0.55 to know how many ounces of fluid you need every day.

Hydrating fluids

The hydrating beverages comprise of water , sports drinks, tea, decaf coffee, low fat milk, yogurt drinks, juices, soda and soups or other foods with water.

Water, obviously, is the best source for body hydration. Consumption of beverages with sugar along with other additives needs to be limited, especially if you are trying to lose extra fat.

Alcohol is one drink that significantly dehydrates the body. It’s really a total no-no to drink just before races, or even the night before any race.

Your needs

After your daily fluid intake, you should know how much you will need before, during and after exercise (like running) to attain optimum performance. A lot of people need 8 to 16 ounces of fluid 1 or 2 hours before any exercise.

During exercise, your fluid needs depend upon the rate you perspire which is different from one individual to another or the weather.

The most effective estimate should be to take four to 8 ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes as well as weighing yourself both before and after exercise. This is to see if you are losing or gaining weight, and adjusting your intake the next time.

Depending on its intensity, running is known as strenuous enough for your body to want much more fluid than ordinary. Listen to what it says.

Problems with the Peroneal Tendons

peroneals

In runners if there is pain on the outside of the ankle joint and there is no history of trauma, then the most likely problem is what is known as peroneal tendonitis. The peroneal muscles are on the outside of the leg and there tendons go around the outside of the ankle joint to then go to the outside and the bottom of the foot. The primary function of these muscles are to stabilize and support the foot.

If a tendonitis develops in the tendons of these peroneal muscles in runners, then the cause is most likely overuse. That is doing too much too soon and the tendons are not given a chance to adapt to the increasing loads that are placed on them from that too rapid increase in the distances and speeds being run. It is important that after hard longer runs that the body is given adequate rest before the next load is applied. if a load is applied too soon before the tissues have had time to recover, then there is an increased risk for an injury.

The pain of peroneal tendonitis usually just starts of as a minor ache, either just above or below the ankle bone on the outside of the ankle. Initially there is no swelling, but that will tend to develop later as the pain increases if the problem is not addressed.

To deal with peroneal tendonitis, the runners needs to cut back the running to tolerable levels to allow the tendons to heal. Podiatrists often use a lateral wedge to treat peroneal tendonitis in the short term as this decreases the activity of the peroneal muscles, so there is less load on the tendons. This goes under the heel in the running shoes. After the pain in the tendons starts to settle down, then a gradual and slow increase is needed in the distances run to allow the tendon to adapt to those loads are needed. A strengthening program is also very helpful.

Reducing Your Weight With Running

Running is among the best ways of reducing weight, as attested to by many experts as well as the hundreds of thousands of runners that had lost weight.

In case your immediate goal at the moment is losing weight, running is probably the best alternatives. It is almost without cost. It may even be the lowest priced weight loss program bar none.

The doctor

The first person you must see and also speak about your plan of reducing weight will be your medical doctor. Only he would know for sure almost everything about you, your body, your health and the things which may be good or bad for yourself.

Once you get your doctor’s permission, continue to implement your plan of reducing your weight through running – slowly at first. For some, walking for a short moment of time is a good start.

Walking will first allow you to enhance your cardiovascular health. And after that, you may start to do some slow jogging. Follow this up with running following a time.

Your system needs to be familiar with the modern regular activity. Your trainer along with your doctor could give you a timetable.

Slow and gradual

When you’re into regular running according to plan, you cannot do sprints immediately with the hope of losing weight more quickly. Also wrong would be to overdo the length or the time period limit of your running, again in the hope of losing weight faster.

Getting started slow and gradual with your running program can provide you with the room to modify, change, or scrap some parts of your program up until you are comfortable and happy with it.

Changes

Changing your exercise workout is one really important consideration in your weight loss program. To those who don’t understand this, there is a big tendency that runners might abandon their running routine at this time.

Over time when a runner had already been deep into his running program, the body stops reducing weight.

The simple explanation would be that the body readily adapts to the new situation and may become acquainted with a running program. By this time, the body becomes very efficient and just requires fewer calories to do the same amount of work.

The unfortunate side effect could be that the body stops reducing your weight as well.

After several weeks of running, and after losing some amount of bodyweight, you may find that your weight loss slows down. Sometime later, you will recognize that your weight stays as is, not able to lose a single pound.

One method to resolve this is to vary the distance, length or intensity of your jogging. You could increase the length to around three or four miles, or lengthening the time every day, or perhaps running more quickly.

Carrying this out could challenge the muscles anew. Our bodies cannot become more successful and has to burn some calories to accomplish the new additional requirement.

In addition, you can help challenge your body by doing some alterations in your diet. A potent combination on losing weight is increased activity levels and dietary changes.

All in all, keep to your schedule as well as your program. Before too long, your weight goal can be achieved and you will still enjoy the activity of running.

Is ‘overpronation’ a death sentence for runners?

overpronation runners

You would think that overpronation is akin to a death sentence for runners if you read some of the running websites and social media commentary. You would think that it could be responsible for all the injuries that runners get and why they need the special motion control running shoes or foot orthotics to fix it. It really does get talked about in some circles that it is something quite evil and that it needs to be dealt with.

Pronation is a normal motion of the foot in which the ankle rolls inwards and the arch of the foot flattens. Overpronation is when there is too much of that normal motion. There is no clear definition of what overpronation actually is and what could be considered normal and abnormal. This problem is claimed to cause an inefficient running gait, so more energy is needed to run. It is also claimed that that a foot that overpronates can cause all sorts of problems from bunions to plantar fasciitis to knee injuries. Due to this, runners who do overpronate are strongly advised to use foot orthotics to support the foot and use the supportive types of running shoes.

Despite this, there are plenty of anecdotes of runners who can have quite a severe form of this type who never get problems and can run fast. This has led to claims that the whole concept around overpronation is a myth and is not really a problem. They claim it is invented by those who make money from foot orthotics and running shoes.

However, if you look at the actual research evidence, then yes overpronation (however you want to define it) is a problem in running. The meta-analyses and systematic review of all the data show that is a small risk factor for overuse injury in runners, but that risk is still statistically significant. This means that overpronation is a problem is runners but its probably not as big a problem that it was considered in the past.

Nutrition And Running

Running is just one of today’s healthiest methods to help support your body’s physical well-being. It is one good cardio workouts that helps keep good circulation and a healthy heart.

Everybody needs proper nutrition and also a nutritious diet. This requirement becomes more vital for individuals that are into health activities such as running. This is amplified further for athletes who are also into competitions or have particular dietary needs.

Normal diet

An average person’s diet plan commonly consists of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fats. Additionally they involve such healthy components as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean sources of protein and heart healthy fats.

The daily calorie consumption of runners may also be modified, based on the individual’s needs – whether he is retaining his weight, losing some or gaining some.
Combinations may be tweaked consequently to suit the individual’s needs.

Runner’s diets

For instance, a distance runner preparing for a marathon may wish to raise the percentage of carbohydrates on his diet. That is during those periods of intensive training where he covers long and grueling distances each week.

On the other hand, a sprinter who may be working to improve his muscle mass by way of weight training and also other equally intense exercises must include additional quantities of protein right into his diet. That is beneficial because proteins can certainly help stimulate muscle development.

Calories

The following factor to think about in regards to those who are into running are calories. There are basic recommendations on the amount of calories a person should consume frequently.

These are in line with the person’s current weight and activity level. For joggers who are into intensive training, these may not be really correct.

There are a number of calorie calculators accessible on the internet or you can get it from your doctor. Those are ballpark figures on the amount of individual needed calories. They may be good starting points with regard to runners to determine if he is eating enough or not.

Sample scale

One example will be a runner regularly consuming 2500 calories every day and running around 7 to 8 miles daily. If he still feels sleepy, he may have to increase his calorie consumption.

If the jogger is already at an ideal weight, he should attempt to consume enough calories to keep his weight.

Finally, the quality of the calories consumed ought to be carefully considered. They need to come from quality sources just like whole grains carbohydrates, lean protein sources, and heart-healthy fats.

The runner could always obtain his calorie demands from foods abundant in sugar and fat. However these food groups will not be quality calorie sources. Much more likely, the runner will get his same amount of calories nevertheless he will feel sluggish and may not be able to do well.

A case in point is a piece of cake containing an equal level of calories as a turkey sandwich on multi-grain bread. Eating the cake can give him enough calories. Even so, the sugar in it will trigger the insulin response from his body, that can make him sluggish and less energized.

Nutrition is a really important component in such activity as running. It is not just a question of energy but also of health.

The Use of Recovery Sandals

Just as important as a hard run is the recovery afterwards so you have recuperated in time for your next hard run. A number of runners are now using recovery sandals or flip flops to give their feet a rest after that long hard run. This type of footwear is typically soft and arch supporting so the foot is well supported and rested. With shoes like this, the tired muscles do not need to work so hard, so recovery is facilitated. An important part of increasing fitness and preventing a running injury is that the body is full recovered before the next hard workout takes place. Runners and all athletes are looking for any edge to help that recovery as they now know that the recovery can be just as important as the training. This type of recovery footwear is just one of the many strategies used to help recovery.

As these types of footwear typically have some sort of arch support built into them, they can be very useful in those who have foot orthotics as they will continue to support the foot. Some even use them as an alternative to foot orthotics. The arch support that is built into this footwear will be good for the average foot as that is what they are made for. They are not going to be too good for that if your foot is too far away from being average. In addition to the arch support these shoes are typically very well cushioned.

There are several popular brand on the market. There is the Oofos brand common in the USA and the Archies brand in Australia. In Australia they call flip flops, thongs, so you have to be careful with the terminology that you use. You only have to check out some of the common running websites and the well-known running magazines to see just how many advertisements there are for this type of footwear to realize that how much importance that runners put on these.

Smartest Ways To Avoid Running Injuries

Incurring injuries can pass as the greatest nightmares of several joggers, which is why it is significant for each and every runner to be extra watchful down the road. Many factors lead to the runner’s tendency to get injured; still, there are many ways to prevent running injuries. Here are some:

1. Commit yourself to a warm-up. The general rule in any kind of exercise session: Warm-up before heading. Accomplishing this provides you with a chance to prepare your body for the oncoming work and prevents the probability of injury. Before a run, loosen up your legs, walk for some minutes, then do some stretching. Similarly, cooling off at the end of the run is significant to reduce muscle pain. Do that by closing your workout with brisk walking or slow running. Afterward, do stretches.

2. Avoid overtraining. The best way to incur injuries is to overtrain as well as overwork your body. Unfortunately, quite a few runners, in an attempt to boost their mileage and intensity just too shortly, pushes their body beyond its capability and so placed their selves in the potential risk of injury. Two things you need to remember. One, weekly mileage increase shouldn’t become more than 10%. Two, speed buildup is really a gradual process. Next time you feel like going farther and faster, ask if your body can perform the demands, then let sound judgment overtake you.

3. Try taking a little breaks. That is especially significant if you feel soreness with your muscles or are overly tired. A couple of days of missed run is better rather than subjecting your already fatigued body to a chance for injury. Pay attention to your body well and pay attention to pain, or any other hint, in which tries to communicate it is not up for the challenge.

4. Make use of good footwear. You know you need to replace your footwear when they have reached around 300 to 400 miles. By then, their shock absorption has degraded and also their soles have worn-out, leaving them risky for running.

5. Keep from concrete surfaces. They are not only hard, they are also not very good shock absorber. Instead, run on dirt or grass trails, or somewhere there is a soft surface. It will put less pressure in your legs. Also, avoid running up and downhill to prevent stressing your feet.

6. Carry out cross-training exercises. The purpose of cross-training is to develop and strengthen your running muscles through other physical means such as swimming, biking, and hiking. It’s best to incorporate cross-training routines within your running program at least once a week. Don’t forget, however, that cross-training activities are meant to enhance your stamina and not to stress your body out and leave you with less energy for running.

7. Observe rehabilitation measures should you suspect any injury. Doing so minimizes injury complications and speed up the recovery process. You can do a massage and cold therapy to ease a minor injury. For more severe cases, meet with a doctor quickly. To further prevent running injuries, do not resume to running unless you are totally recovered.

Dangers of Running in the Cold

running in the cold

There are dangers with exercising in the cold, even though it can be an exhilarating experience. Cold injury is common in some of the extreme sports, but not necessarily in running, but it does have its dangers. Precautions need to be taken and you need to be aware of the signs of an impending problem with your body in the cold.

Hypothermia is probably the greatest and most serious problem, due to the potential to become fatal if not addressed quickly and properly. You are at greater risk if it is cold, windy, and wet; if you are young, tall and thin; and if you run at a slower pace. The classic signs of hypothermia are shivering, slurred speech, a slow and shallow breathing, a weak pulse and a clumsiness or lack of coordination. If any of this starts to happen there is an urgency to getting the runner warmed up.

At the other extreme are the not so serious issue of chilblains. This an inflammatory reaction of the small blood vessels in the toes that can be quite painful. These do not happen in the extreme cold, but are more common in the cooler climates, but do not happen in the warm climates. They appear as red color painful and itchy patches on the toes, but can sometimes affect the fingers, nose and ears. If the chilblains become chronic, they take on a dark blue color. They normally heal up reasonably quickly unless they keep recurring, which points to the importance of preventing them by use of warm socks and shoes. When one occurs, then soothing creams to stimulate the circulation is usually helpful.

To avoid a cold injury, wearing several layers of clothes designed for exercise are recommended. Take into account the wind direction when beginning your run and choose a route that is in a populated area so you are not far from help. It is often a good idea to wear a hat and gloves for further protection. If you have any real doubt, then don’t do it. Have a rest day or use a treadmill indoors.