Trail Runners: Running On Empty?
A recent study has been published that many trail runners will perhaps be challenged by, but which confirms the experience of many sports nutritionists who have worked with trail runners, myself included.
A single line from the published paper summarises it well, but, as always, it requires further unpacking to make sense of it:
The risk of low energy availability, disordered eating, and exercise dependence appears to be high in endurance runners.
Before we get into the weeds of the who and the what, let’s start with some definitions so that everyone is on the same page.
Low energy availability (LEA) occurs when there is inadequate energy intake to support basic physiological processes after energy expenditure from exercise has been accounted for. LEA has been shown to impact normal metabolic, endocrine, and physiological processes that can result in negative health outcomes.
In the normal run of things, you would fuel your training with what is left over after you have allocated energy to maintaining the basic systems and functions of your body – metabolic, hormonal, immune, musculoskeletal, and digestive health.
Let’s assume all of these processes require 2000 calories per day in order to function optimally. And let’s say you eat 2500 calories per day. This leaves you 500 calories to go charging up and down hills on.
Low energy availability occurs when you force the body to prioritise energy delivery to working muscles and the cardiovascular system and you are not eating sufficient energy to fuel all of the other functions.
If we go back to our numbers above and use our assumption that your body’s systems require 2000 calories to function well, you are burning 500 calories through your daily trail running activity, but you are only eating 1500 calories (or less), the numbers don’t add up. Your available energy is low - you are 1000 calories per day short.
If your household budget is running $1000 deficits, something has to give. As things wear out or require maintenance, there is no money in the account to cover the cost, and so things continue to degrade.
Disordered eating (DE) refers to a range of irregular eating behaviours and attitudes towards food that may not fit the clinical criteria for an eating disorder but can still have negative effects on physical and mental health. Disordered eating can range from unhealthy dietary habits such as skipping meals (including training fasted), calorie restriction and excessive exercise with the goal of weight loss to similar but less severe characteristics observed with an eating disorder.
Unfortunately, such behaviours have a high prevalence in endurance athletes (as this study on trail runners has shown), with the aforementioned low energy availability often being a downstream consequence, at least in part, of disordered eating behaviours, particularly when these behaviours accompany the belief that “lighter is faster”.
Exercise dependence (EXD), also known as exercise addiction, characterised by a compulsive and uncontrollable urge to engage in physical activity, often to the detriment of one's physical health, social life, and overall well-being. EXD has been shown to be related to body dissatisfaction and, consequently, is a component of disordered eating/eating disorders.
High training volumes, which are common in the ultra/trail running community, can contribute to large energy expenditures. But high energy expenditures alone are not a good marker for assessing the risk of exercise dependence butcan still contribute to low energy availability and the related health and performance outcomes (whether or not there is disordered eating involved).
That said, higher scores on the Exercise Dependence Scale(EDS-21) have been associated with larger energy deficits, and with disordered eating symptoms in both male and female endurance athletes.
Anytime you combine an endurance pursuit, such as trail running, with its inherent high training loads and large energy expenditure, its culture of being low body weight and lean, and add in disordered eating and exercise dependence, you create the perfect situation for participants to be at high risk of low energy availability and downstream consequences affecting physical and mental health.
On to the specifics of the study titled Low Energy Availability, Disordered Eating, Exercise Dependence, and FuellingStrategies in Trail Runners. Researchers surveyed 1899 trail runners between the ages of 18 – 40 years (510 male; 1445 female), looking at factors such as training and racing volumes, carbohydrate intakes, low energy availability, disordered eating, and exercise dependence, all using validated scales.
The results make for sobering reading:
As you might expect, the low energy availability scores were positively correlated with the disordered eating scores.
Perhaps stating the obvious, among the female athletes surveyed, those at risk of low energy availability appear less likely to fuel sufficiently than those not at risk.
This brings us back to the summary line from the start, “The risk of low energy availability, disordered eating, and exercise dependence appears to be high in endurance runners”, with the researchers adding, “Furthermore, meeting carbohydrate recommendations during training and competition should be emphasized to avoid negative health outcomes associated with LEA in endurance runners.”
The study authors noted that low carbohydrate availability(LCA), independent of or in addition to LEA, is another risk factor in development of relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) and related health and performance outcomes.
Watch this space as I think we will see more talk of low carbohydrate availability as a specific subset of low energy availability over the next few years, adding to the alphabet soup that is athletes not eating enough.
There is a lot to unpack here, and as I said at the opening, those involved in this sport and who see the body types, training volumes, and fuelling habits as normal, willpotentially be quite challenged by these results. However, far from being an outlier, this paper adds to the growing pool of literature highlighting the very thing that many of us in the field have been seeing, and saying, for years now.
It is estimated that 22–58% of endurance athletes have LEA, with a greater prevalence in female athletes, and specifically those in sports with an emphasis on leanness and/or high training demands. Think the likes of running, cycling, triathlon, etc., here.
And lest you think this is exclusively a female athlete problem, there is a growing body of literature suggesting that male athletes are also at high risk for LEA and associated long-term complications. Male athletes may have a lowerenergy “threshold” before LEA symptoms become more apparent, and they may be more tolerant to intermittent periods of LEA compared to females. But they are still impacted when they run large chronic energy deficits. Due to limitations in the current suite of assessment tools, it is likely that the prevalence of LEA in men is being underestimated.
It is perhaps helpful at this point to do a quick primer in energy. While it is common to think of our energy intake as a whole – total energy/calories – it is more helpful to separate our different energies into different buckets as it were.
Protein energy is what it says on the tin – the portion of our energy which comes from protein. While some of this can be used for fuelling in certain circumstances, the vast majority of our protein energy is used structurally to build and repair our bodies, to make hormones, neurotransmitters, and so on.
Non-protein energy is the energy derived from fats and carbohydrates. While some of this energy can be used structurally (though cannot replace protein), the vast majority is used as a fuel source. It is our fats and carbohydrates which are best thought of as calories.
When we talk about low energy availability it can be one of the following:
An individual might, on paper, be eating adequate protein for their sex, weight, and training status. But because they are underfuelling carbohydrate, a lot of this protein is being diverted to make glucose from amino acids. Because this protein is being diverted for fuelling, it is not available for structural needs, and thus a protein energy deficit occurs.
Historically fat played the nutritional villain. These days, it is more likely to be carbohydrate and animal protein. But while some individuals don’t fear fat as much as their mothers did in the 80’s, they certainly don’t eat enough of it when they decide to run a low carb diet plan. If carbs go down, then fats should go up to compensate. As so few do this, they invariably drop themselves in a low energy state.
Take an individual who, for whatever reason personal to them, has adopted plant-based leanings and thus have cut a lot of protein, AND have reduced carbohydrate, AND they don’t eat a lot of fats, choosing to instead fill up on predominantly high-fibre foods, perhaps the occasional piece of fruit, or an avocado and some nuts, and you have a recipe for LEA and all the downstream consequences.
If you think this sounds extreme, take a casual stroll around social media one day. You’ll find variations on the above galore.
In this most recent survey, most runners reported meeting carbohydrate recommendations of 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour during competition and training lasting 1 to 2.5 hours in duration. However, a large percentage of trail runners reported not meeting current fuellingrecommendations of 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour during training runs and competitions lasting longer than 2.5 hours.
This suggests to me (and is backed up by my own observations in practice), that runners are either not aware that their carbohydrate requirements increase with the increasing duration of a session (and they believe they are eating enough), or they are aware that they should be eating more but are resistant to this. It is not uncommon for an individual to boldly state that they eat enough even before we unpack what they are in fact eating.
This ‘misfuelling’ can oftentimes be unintentional – an individual simply wasn’t aware of the increased requirements for longer distances. However, high levels of body dissatisfaction and ED tendencies also influence overall energy intake, especially in female endurance athletes, and “could impact fuelling strategies and dietary practices of athletes participating in endurance running.”
Individuals often come into endurance sport as a means of losing weight or controlling weight (or controlling some aspect of their life more broadly). Finding short-term successin races and events can be a side effect of this initial involvement and can, unfortunately, further reinforce body dissatisfaction, disordered eating patterns, and exercise dependence tendencies.
This notion is backed up by this current study, with the authors stating:
“Findings from the current study suggest that risk for LEA, DE, and EXD appear to be high in trail runners, particularly in female runners. Athletes at risk for LEA had significantly higher risk for EXD and DE. Furthermore, female athletes at risk for LEA and DE appear to be less likely to meet fuellingrecommendations during training and racing.”
In the current study, approximately half of female runners reported menstrual dysfunction (MD), with a higher prevalence of this in younger females than older females. Female athletes with MD were more likely to experience inconsistent menstruation, lose their period during phases of high training, experience less periods over the past year, and to have lost their menstrual cycle for more than 3 months than female athletes not at risk for MD.
It should be noted that women who use oral or hormonal contraceptives could potentially be masking their underlying low energy availability and menstrual dysfunction. Despite a growing level of awareness among athletes, coaches, and health professionals, many female athletes may still lack theknowledge and awareness around the negative consequences of LEA female reproductive health.
Disordered Eating, Normalised
Disordered eating is a tricky subject to write about, especially with the suggestion that it might be somehow normalised in certain sports. It can be confronting to learn that the eating patterns you follow, the same ones you see everyone else follow, are in someway “disordered” and doing harm. So much so that it might be easier to shoot the messenger (as is often the case) and to dismiss their assertions as wrong.
I wish I was wrong. But both the experience of coaches, practitioners, and the growing body of research suggests that disordered eating practices are a significant contributor to low energy availability in athletes. Some examples of DE include skipping meals, restricting calories, and excessive exercise, which can impact energy intake and energy balance.
Consistent with other studies on endurance athletes participating in leanness-focused sports (sports where athletes have a heightened sensitivity to body weight), the current study suggested that just under half the sample population of runners, mainly females, were at risk for disordered eatingand this was correlated with low energy availability. This is similar to the findings of earlier research suggesting that athletes at risk for DE were more likely to be classified as at risk for LEA.
This is clearly a complex issue and boiling it down to only 1-2 factors risks missing a lot of nuance and detail. However, with the advent of social media and online community groups, where the advice given out in such forums is often not from qualified sources, it is easy to see how underfuelled runners are freely giving out advice which leads to further underfuelling in their running community.
“What I eat in a day” posts, the humble brags around how far or how long someone ran on little or no fuel, and a #nodaysoff culture help to normalise underfuelling and continuous high-volume training, with any negative consequences of such behaviours being buried.
Or worse, they are hidden in plain sight, and nobody is connecting the dots, e.g., athletes who run high mileages every week, whilst openly discussing issues around their mental health. It becomes difficult to know whether such issues are being helped by their exercise or are a consequenceof it.
I should note here that while the research strongly suggeststhat disordered eating may be a contributory issue and may help identify athletes at risk for underfuelling and low energy availability, not all athletes failing to meet their energy needs are on the spectrum for disordered eating and/or exercise dependence, and these should not be used as the only factorsfor further investigation into the presence of LEA in athletes.
What to do about it?
The standard line from researchers in such areas is always “more research is needed”, and while I don’t disagree, I believe that we could spend the next decade researching these topics more deeply and not actually change the culture or reduce the risk of harm to those who are a part of it. Conservatively, if we take the totality of the research, 1 in 2 endurance athletes are underfuelling their training and competitions, are showing signs of having issues with low energy availability, and in many instances, this may be as a consequence of disordered eating and exercise dependence.
Changing this culture is not going to be easy.
The first step to change is creating awareness of the issues. And in this instance, whilst recognising the need to tread carefully, everyone involved in the endurance sport communities – athletes, coaches, health professionals, and parents – need to label things for how they are. There are signs of this happening, with athletes who have been harmed by the excessive focus on weight, leanness, and appearance, and the normalised training and fuelling practices associated with this focus, increasingly speaking out about what they went through and the damage it did to them.
There needs to be better role models. Female athletes, in particular, who are fuelling themselves well need to show everyone what, and especially, how much they eat, reinforcing the idea that they can ‘eat big’ not because they train hard and consistently, but they can train hard and consistently because they eat big.
Where poor (if not downright terrible) advice is being given out on endurance training forums, it needs to be called out, quickly corrected, and repeat offenders should have their posting privileges revoked.
We need a culture of celebrating all shapes and sizes (not just the ‘racing snake’ look) and showing and celebrating the process not just the outcome. The standard line of “she trained hard and looks lean” from various commentators and coaches (professional and amateur) only serves to reinforce a negative culture. Highlighting individuals who train smart, surround themselves with a good team, focus on their recovery as much as their running, and how strong/powerful/fast someone looks (rather than lean/light/lithe) will help to shift the narrative.
It is only when we start building this awareness and changing the common culture and narratives through alternative actions that we will see the state of the running community, as highlighted by this research, begin to change.
Jamie Scott - Nutritionist
]]>
There are two questions inside of this question I’d address first.
For the point of this article, I will make some general assumptions.
Your main goal is to run a Half Marathon or Marathon PR (personal record) on the road
You want a pair of Carbon Racing Shoes.
Remember this – The fastest shoe is not always the shoe that gets you to the finish line the fastest.
So let’s dive into this.
What is a Carbon Racing Shoe?
Gone are the days where the race (pun intended) to have the lightest shoe to compete was the goal. Although still important, (and we know that weight has a lot to do with performance) weight alone is no longer that primary conversation in “Racing Shoes”.
I would have loved to be in the room when the Nike lightbulb went off and they successfully pulled off their first attempt at what we now know as Zoom X. To be fair if we go one step back I feel like Hoka made the overstacked/maximal shoes acceptable. But at that time it was just (and I say just like it’s a bad thing, it’s not) super expanded EVA.
So between Hoka driving the question of – can we put more between the foot and the ground successfully? And Nike working with Nasa to begin the creation of “Super Foams” into footwear. Along with technology in terms of production starting to catch up we had the perfect storm which led to where we are now. Remembering too that research and testing takes multiple years and often brands are working 3 to 4 years ahead.
What we know now is racing shoes work to maximize human efficiency and economy. Those two words are important because they are very individual. When we think about running as fast as we can over a MARATHON. We think of things like Ground Contact Time, Force, Velocity, Stride Length, Cadence, Vertical Oscillation – oh, and “Not falling apart” or really “falling apart as late as possible”.
Now I will say this – shoes will not run the race for you. Period, end of discussion.
The Racing shoes we have now (if the person can positively adapt to the biomechanical demands and use them frequently in race simulation distances) will help you train more and be less beat up. However, research shows the rate of injury is all but the same when you compare old school with new school. The site of the “injury” has changed when you compare the two.
Anyway – A Carbon Racing Shoe is an over-stacked supercritical foam-based midsole, with a carbon-fiber stiffening agent to maximize the potential spring and leavers of the human body, geometrically designed to take elements of impact away during running in the hope it makes the end user more efficient and economical on event day.
Fit & Feel – Honestly this is still the most important thing. We can talk as much science jargon as we like. If the shoes feel terrible you shouldn’t wear them. Particularly for a Marathon. Chances are you are out there for 3,4 or 5 hours. If it isn’t comfortable and doesn’t fit. The 2 or 3% potential performance benefit you MIGHT get out of it is negated.
At this stage, there are not any 2E Carbon Racing shoes available in NZ. But brands like Topo do have PEBA-based shoes like the Spector in a more natural foot-shaped toe box. However, I have found some shoes like the new New Balance SuperComp Elite v4 to be generous in their fit, along with the Adidas Adizero Pro 3 and the Puma Nitro Elite 2 both have decent volume in the upper.
Foam – Not all foams are created equal. This will feel different for everyone depending on the speed you run, how long your stride length is compared to cadence, and potentially your weight along with the race distance, the racing surface, and elevation gained/lost.
Some are super compliant and not very resilient (very soft) which to me feels like being in a sandbox and I get no direct feedback from it. I also find these tiring for my feet. They feel like they take energy away rather than give it back. (Nike Alphafly or New Balance SuperComp Elite v3)
Some are super resilient and don’t appear to squash (not a technical term) much but offer more bounce and can perhaps have a more aggressive rocker/toe spring/toe vamp (Saucony Endorphin Elite, Adidas Adios Pro 3) The other interesting this about these two is the carbon is split (rods in the Adidas and forked in the Saucony). Gives the end user a little more control (might not be the right word) of the lateral to medial movement. (Completely anecdotally)
Others sit in the middle – Hoka Rocket X2 being a good example. The lower stack height in this means the softer foam bottoms out in the forefoot better for me so it feels more like the later examples.
Stability – Is the shoe going to keep you upright for the duration of the event? I’m happy to go on the record here. If the shoes are creating unusual or abnormal gait patterns that cause you pain, discomfort, or injury then they are not for you. We want limited but necessary amounts of medial and lateral movement to absorb and reuse the forces of running, but we don’t want those to be exaggerated negatively. So again it’s about – can my body meet the biomechanical demands of my footwear choice.
Some of these options use side walls – midsole coming up over the outside of the upper (Rocket X2 from Hoka and New Balance Supercomp Elite v4) others use convex or bulbous-shaped midsoles and midfoot/forefoot flaring or a varus wedge (Saucony Endorphin Elite or the Adidas Adios Pro 3) to help you find stability. But bear in mind, that your body will start to fall apart in the later stages of the event, so we want to make sure that in motion you feel safe and stable.
So, should you buy and race in a Carbon Racing Shoe?
Sure, if it feels good, functions well, and increases your enjoyment on the event day.
Will it help you run faster? Maybe.
I’ll follow up with a – Should I or how much should I train in my racing shoes before race day another time.
As always these are just my thoughts, how I look at footwear, and the feedback I get from clients. Everybody is different and the best way is always to come into the store (or a local running spec store to you) and talk it over with the team.
Oska
]]>
Lucky for me, Oska is so easy going. I love frameworks. Having done my time down the bunny hole of specific physiologic pathways and mechanistic understandings of how we work, these days I am much more inclined to loves me a good framework for understanding how us funny monkeys operate, physiologically and psychologically.
One framework I stumbled upon this year was that of a concept known as “Drifting into Failure.”
"Drift into Failure" is a book by Sidney Dekker that examines the ways in which complex systems (which you and your body/brain are certainly one) can drift into failure, and how these failures can often be traced back to small, seemingly insignificant events or decisions.
Dekker argues that many large-scale failures, such as plane crashes or nuclear accidents, are not the result of a single catastrophic event, but rather the accumulation of a series of small failures or errors that ultimately lead to disaster. These failures can occur in any complex system, whether it be an aeroplane, a nuclear power plant, a hospital, or human beings (think physiology, psychology, relationships, and so on).
Spend enough time on this rock circling a star seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and I am sure you can quickly think of a few of your own Chernobyl moments - those small, seemingly insignificant events or decisions which accumulated over weeks, months, and years, resulting in “catastrophic failure”.
Dekker argues that in order to prevent drift into failure, it is important to focus on the root causes of these small deviations and address them before they become larger problems.
Let’s start with an oil tanker-sized example and then we can move closer to talking about you.
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred on March 24, 1989 when it ran aground on a reef in Alaska, spilling millions of gallons of oil into the ocean. According to Dekker’s “Drifting into Failure” framework, the disaster was not the result of a single event, but rather the accumulation of a series of small failures and errors.
For instance, the captain of the tanker was drunk at the time of the accident. However, this was not the root cause of the disaster. Rather, it was the result of a culture within the company that did not prioritise safety and allowed the captain to continue working despite his apparent alcohol abuse. Additionally, there were problems with the ship's navigation equipment and the crew's training, which also contributed to the accident. Oil tankers are one thing. But what about something a bit closer to home?
You are out for a run and you catch an edge on your shoe, rolling your ankle and rotating your knee, giving your ligaments in both structures a catastrophic stretch.
Unlucky, right?
Perhaps.
Or perhaps not.
What if that catastrophic accident was the accumulation of a series of decisions made over time, creating a situation whereby if something was going to go wrong, it was going to go really very badly wrong?
Could it be that the trip happened late in an extended run when you were fatigued? You went out at a faster pace than your coach had been telling you to keep and it was more important to keep up with your friends and/or set a cracking pace on Strava. You went out with little to no fuel in the morning because fasting = fat burning. Nor did you take on any fuel during your run despite being out over 90 minutes.
The fatigue created from the above scenario made you a bit more careless and clumsy, and more prone to dragging your feet.
In the weeks prior to your trip above, you had been, let’s say, a little bit lacklustre in your enthusiasm for getting into the gym and doing that programme your coach tells you is there to help resist fatigue and to minimise injury in such a scenario. Your lack of consistency - through those small decisions where you tell yourself you’ll just skip this workout and make it up later - helped create a catastrophic scenario.
Maybe that fight you had with your partner just a few days before also contributed? You did what you always do - shutdown - and not address the underlying issues in your relationship. Your coping strategy, as always, is to go for a run. But running when emotionally upset and having your brain replay the whole thing over and again, meant that you were watching where you put your feet.
Now of course, accidents do happen. But more often than not, when I put my own coaching clients through the Spanish Inquisition post-catastrophic injury-causing event, there are a series of small decisions and contributing factors - proximate and distal to the event - which certainly didn’t help an individual’s cause.
In outlining and creating some understanding around this concept and framework, the goal is to recognise how small, seemingly insignificant choices, behaviours, or habits can accumulate over time, leading to negative consequences or a decline in personal wellbeing. And in creating that recognition, we can, hopefully, be less flippant toward or dismissive of the broader, more holistic parts of our wellbeing simply because we’d rather spend more time running.
This framework, like so many, runs deep. When you start to think about it more and apply to yourself, you very quickly get lost in the Multiverse of your own life. To unpack how it might apply to each and every dimension of wellbeing in our lives (physical, emotional, social, intellectual, occupational, financial, environmental, and existential), would see me writing a tome of an essay that nobody would read (though it might put me in article credit with Oska for a couple of years…).
To keep things short and knowing that everyone loves a good listicle, here are some specific examples of how we might drift into failure in pursuit of our athletic endeavours: -
Training Consistency
If an individual gradually becomes inconsistent in their training routine, skipping key workouts (*cough* strength training *cough*) or neglecting proper recovery, it can lead to a decline in performance. Small deviations from the training plan may seem insignificant in the short term but can accumulate over time, resulting in decreased fitness levels. -
Nutrition and Hydration
Neglecting proper nutrition and hydration may seem like it will have an immediate impact, but over the course of training, it can contribute to fatigue, decreased energy levels, and compromised performance. And as per my earlier example, decreased energy and increased fatigue are the perfect starting ingredients for an injury. Small lapses (or not so small, as is sadly so often the case) in maintaining adequate food intake and hydration can lead to a drift into suboptimal energy levels with consequences, one way or another. -
Injury Reduction
Ignoring early signs of discomfort, failing to address minor injuries, or neglecting proper strength and mobility training can contribute to an insidious decline in our physical wellbeing. This can eventually lead to more severe injuries, hindering the ability to train effectively. We may say we haven’t the time to factor in these important training strategies, but if you aren’t prepared to take a couple of hours a week for injury reduction work, then you best be prepared to make time for several weeks and months of reduced training when a significant injury does occur.
Goal Setting and Progress
Tracking Losing sight of initial goals or failing to regularly assess and adjust one’s training plan, may see an individual drift into a state of stagnation. Regular goal setting and progress tracking are essential for maintaining motivation and ensuring continuous improvement. Having someone that is not yourself to check in with and who is more objective about you than you ever will be is a good idea (aka, a coach - preferably one you don’t sleep with because objectivity fails at that point). -
Emotional Regulation and Mental Resilience
Over time, external factors or life stressors may impact an individual's mental resilience and motivation for running. If not addressed, these issues can lead to a gradual decline in the enjoyment and psychological benefits of our physical endeavours.
By the time this gets published, I am probably going to be late to the new year’s resolution setting party. But given that Monday’s, the first of the month, or a new year, are all opportunities to hit the reset button (with the new year beginning Monday, 1st, 2024, even the most OCD of us should be happy, IYKYK), now is a good opportunity avoid slapping some fresh makeup on our mistakes of the past, and especially avoid making the common decisions (train longer, harder, faster, more whilst eating less than is recommended for a small child) that can see us drift into failure.
Rather than resolving to make some sort of unsustainable drastic change, I would encourage people to slow the f*&k down and take a more gradual approach to 2024.
Get curious.
Take this framework and try to identify a previous failure that you “drifted” into. It doesn’t have to be fitness-related. Personal finances, personal relationships, anything - it is all up for grabs. And the thing that really bakes most people’s noodle - it is all interconnected. Pull on a thread and see what unravels.
What were the causes of the failure? Not the superficial, easy to reach failures. If “old shoes” were the in-reach failure, dig deeper. Why didn’t you replace them? Get uncomfortable.
These root causes become the real areas to dig into and set some goals and strategies around. Underfuelling yourself? Why? Want to lose some weight when you probably really don’t need to? Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
If you arrive at an answer like “my mother teased me for having bigger legs when I was 16”, there is your root cause to address.
Deep, huh?
Easy?
No.
But if you twisted your knee because you didn’t eat enough before your run, and your superficial reason is that “being lighter will make me run faster”, but your REAL reason is that your mother taunted you as a teenager, be prepared to keep on drifting into failure until you are prepared to address that deeper complexity.
As they say here in Austria, Guten Rutsch (Happy New Year)
Jamie Scott
]]>So I have been on the hunt for another option and discovered the Coros arm strap version. I have been using it for a few weeks now and have most definitely put it through its paces both cycling and running.
Design and Wearability
It sits on an elastic strap that has a small velcro fastener and can be made to fit most arm sizes. The small monitor is comfortable, in fact, you can barely feel it is there. It is lightweight and does not affect arm motion when running.
Comfort
I would say for the most part it is comfortable. I could feel the buckle part under my arm when running when the strap was not at optimal tension but not at all when cycling even on long rides. There is a sweet spot of being too tight or too loose which takes a bit of adjusting at the start.
Battery Life
Initially on taking it out of the box it needs to be put on charge to 100% before it will happily talk to any watch. I wore it for a full twelve hours while doing a long bike ride (a very long bike ride). It ran out of battery at some point during this day but it didn’t give any indication, or any indication that I could see, that it was about to give up the ghost. On the watch face there is a note of the percentage battery of the heart rate monitor but I for one was not going to be watching this intently when training.
Compatibility with Coros Pace
I have a 2022 version of the Coros Pace 2 and they seem to connect smoothly but only once you have connected it. There is no automatic connection, one must scroll to settings on the watch select it from accessories and then connect.
Once a workout is finished and completed then before the next one it has to be reconnected the same way. This is slightly inconvenient when doing a brick session and involves more admin than is necessary.
So it’s comfortable and looks good but does it actually work? In a word, yes. On a brief test to compare it to a chest strap the numbers were within 5-10 beats per minute difference.
Conclusion
This is a good alternative to the chest strap design currently on the market. Once the nuances of connection and the strap is comfortable and secure it is an easy piece of hardware to use during land-based activities.
]]>It’s been 9 weeks since I got back from Europe. I’ve been thinking of what to write. Ideas seem to have come and gone. Feelings have gone around and around. Thoughts too, some good some bad. That’s part of it, right? I said that to Matt a few days after racing. “This come down is going to suck”.
You know I think sometimes we can lull ourselves into this false sense of security.
What I mean by that is we can prepare so exceptionally well that we expect it to come easy. Like writing an excellent speech and just thinking that public speaking will come easy.
You think to yourself, I’ve run 180 kilometers a week and not missed a session. Been sleeping in an altitude tent for 9 hours a night and working a little less. I am in great shape, I’ve recovered well and I’m coming off of PB shape.
I’m not saying that’s the attitude I went in with. Because I can assure you. Running 14:45 for the first 5km of a ½ Marathon ensures it is not going to be easy. But I had thought I’d like to be a little more comfortable.
I’ve never really been in that racing position. Not going to win, not going to lose, not going to run a PB, but having to fight for every position. I’d prepared for it, but not for how mentally deep I had to dig to not toss the towel in.
A wise man sat across the table in 2018 before I ran the Christchurch Marathon. He said, “When you tick through certain distance spots in a race, like 5k or 10k, and you see the best split you’ve ever had through those checkpoints. Remember you are having the best day of your life”. For 15km I was having the best day of my life in a Half Marathon.
Creating effort isn’t easy. It’s this sort of inner argument of physical self-preservation, ego, and self-talk. Effort is easy when you think you might win or run a PB. It’s worth it, your mind doesn’t take much convincing. But when you find yourself in the situation, I found myself in it was confronting.
We used to talk about it in my football playing days. If this happens, then what? A plan inside of the plan. That’s not a goal. Goals are the big shiny things at the end or the start or whatever you might score yourself out of 10 on when you finish.
The IF-WHAT-THEN is your ability to take past experiences, learnings, emotions, feelings and understandings and apply them to the situation under pressure and fatigue.
I am super competitive. In sports, in business, in almost everything. Those closest to me know that.
I found myself 10km into the race, I’d run 30:07 through that marker. Having the best day of my life. But also knowing I am working way outside the lines. But also not slowing down, just thinking to myself keep going. Give yourself an opportunity and deliver yourself well to 16k.
Matt and I had talked about 2 goals.
The wheels started to fall off about the 40-minute mark, and physiologically that is about right. When you are talking about fine margins. To run as fast as you ever have you must have controlled the things you can and then hope enough of the others fall into place.
I’m thinking, “damn I am in trouble, my lungs are burning, there is concrete in my thighs and my arms feel heavy. The wind is blowing, and I swear this road feels uphill”.
Another wise man once said, “It is easy to run well when it’s feeling easy, but can you find a way to run well when it feels hard. That’s the question”.
Then I go back to my IF-WHAT-THEN and I hope that this resonates for people.
My current output I know I can’t keep this up for another 9k. My ankle is sore, my chest hurts a bit, mouth is dry and I've dropped my gel. The group I was with has blown apart. A few in front and a few behind.
So, adjust my finish line. I know I can keep this up for another kilometer. Internally I made a deal with myself. My current finish line was not 9k away anymore. It was the next guy down the road. Find the next guy and make that the race.
There it was, don’t let anyone pass me and run the next guy down.
Over the last 9 kilometers,’ I picked off 11 guys and no one passed me. I finished 64th (33 places above my ranking). There was no PB, but a resolute last 10 minutes meant I finished within 18 seconds of it.
I’ll be honest, finishing was almost a relief. I was tired, missed my family, and running 3 hard half-marathons in 6 months had taken its toll on my body.
I was proud that 32-year-old me had delivered on the promise 18-year-old me had made to myself.
I was grateful to Katy who had been a full-time single parent for 3 weeks. (more like 12 with all the training)
I was grateful for the team in the store who kept things moving along without missing a beat.
I was grateful for the messages I got in the days leading up to and after the race from friends and the community.
But I was most proud I ran as hard as I could, for as long as I could. Effort can only be measured truly by the one exerting it. I can honestly say I could not have run any harder.
That is something I will live with forever.
Running is a drug, we push ourselves to individual limits in the pursuit of self-empowerment and self-understanding. To see how far, how fast, and how disciplined we can be.
I run because it makes me a better me, I run because it gives a day purpose, I run because it brings people together, and I run because it gives me and others enjoyment.
Thank you to those of you that got me there, you know who you are. I’ll be forever grateful for the community of people who lift me, guide me, and encourage me.
OB
]]>
A top 5 GOAT no one was expecting. A higher cadence stability shoe, with the perfect blend of new age foam and older reliable durability where you need it. A shoe that can run a sub-3-hour marathon or 100 miles a week.
I don't say this lightly. There aren't many running shoes I have picked up over the last 15 years and gone, "bugger me, I would change nothing about this. Congratulations, you have nailed it". I truly believe this about the Saucony Tempus.
Our industry is in a period where everyone is afraid of what everyone else is doing. Rather than looking at what they want to be. The Tempus (and Saucony in general), as well as Brooks haven't caved to outside pressures, not making all 16 of their shoes the same, and more power to them. My biggest problem (not to turn this into a rant) is that most brands are so worried about the customers they aren't servicing or what they are missing out on rather than focusing on what they have and then building on those foundations.
By in large the issue with stability shoes has been that they are heavy, hard, and uncomfortable. Even the word "stability" has been thrashed around and flipped on its head to a point where I even questioned what it meant. The Tempus addresses those issues without sacrificing key features, durability, and comfort.
The shackles came off when the patent expired off the Adidas Boost material and the way it was manufactured. Talking about one of the most durable midsole materials (E-TPU, expanded thermoplastic polyurethane), finding a workaround for the rotting problem and mass producing it. The only downside to Boost is it was so damn heavy. So either there were minimal amounts of it to keep the shoe light (minimal stack) or lots of it and it was heavy. Great for bigger runners but not for those with a higher cadence and lighter on their feet.
With the advancement from TPU to TPE or PEBA they halved the weight of boost and termed it PwrRun PB. We then had a highly responsive and high-energy midsole material. The one downside is the density is very soft (35 durometers on my external shore reader) the softer it is, the less stable it becomes, especially when moving at training speeds.
Once upon a time, brands made shoes based on the foot behavior of the end user, they used features to help fight fatigue and poorer gait mechanics while changing materials so uneven movement patterns meant the shoe wore down somewhat evenly over time. Now it seems we are so concerned about in-store feel we've forgotten what the shoe will look and feel like at 200km.
This is where the magic happens for the Tempus. When we talk about creating stability. We are talking about slowing the rate, limiting the range, and controlling the duration of excessive (relative to the individual) "pronation" (for want of a better word, I know it's crude but just go with it) of the runner. There are a bunch of ways to TRY and achieve that. Whether it is creating a theoretical "mountain" to roll up, using firmer materials under the medial side of the foot, flaring the midsole, or use of a rocker. Each of those has its place and will work together to make up for any weaknesses in the runner. The Tempus uses all of these features. It's thoughtful but not overthought.
Saucony has gone with a two-density and two-material midsole. This is smart, the higher pressure areas of landing and take-off are made with the highly durable and responsive PWRRUN PB. This makes the shoe feel soft and bouncy. To create stability the foot is in contact with a firmer (48.5 durometer) EVA-based foam. A thin layer around the heel, a larger foot-to-ground contact piece under the arch which is beveled across the lateral side (think 4wd suspension), and then ground contact in the forefoot which creates a stiffener along with semi-aggressive toe spring and a rock-like feel. The filled-in waist means there is always shoe available depending on the runner's fatigue level. The Forefoot is accommodating and the heel has a good lockdown.
By using the PEBA foam the shoe is extremely light in its class, meaning it can be used for up-tempo efforts or those that are running 3-4 hour marathons and can't cope with the out-and-out racing shoes as well as an everyday training shoe for those with a quicker cadence, better GCT but still need some stability on the medial side. It also makes it durable, personally, I have been getting close to 1000km.
Dual-density shoes are not dead, they have worked for 20 years. Whether we can prove it or not. I know after talking to 10,000-odd runners a year. It works. Period. But what Saucony has done is fuse together proven (in practice) ideas with new-world tech. That to me is where the magic is. They haven't tossed the baby out with the bath water.
Practical, runner-first footwear.
You can shop the Saucony Tempus here
]]>
Running, a sport of endurance, speed, and mental toughness, has always been an attractive choice for those seeking to maintain or improve their physical fitness. It has also been an attractive choice for those seeking to lose weight. Indeed, I would argue that many amateur runners, if you held their toes to the fire, would confess that they took running up, at least initially and in part, to lose some weight.
Potentially, as part of your journey into the realms of running, whether you're now a seasoned marathoner or a novice relatively early in your habit of regularly lacing up your running shoes, you've heard about something called power-to-weight ratio. You’ve maybe even heard that it is important for optimising your performance. This ratio, which determines how effectively your body can convert strength into speed, is a key factor in achieving your best running times - there is no arguing this fact.
However, there's a common fixation among runners on the weight aspect of this power-to-weight ratio (consciously or unconsciously), seeing them, when starting out, focus too heavily on reducing their body weight rather than increasing their power, often with unintended negative consequences.
It will be the contention of this article that amateur runners should consider shifting their focus more toward increasing their power, for both improved performance and better health.
Understanding the Power-to-Weight Ratio
Before diving into why runners often focus on reducing their weight, it's crucial to grasp the fundamental concept of the power-to-weight ratio and its significance in running performance. Simply put, the power-to-weight ratio is the relationship between the amount of power your body can generate and your body weight. In the context of running, this ratio is a key determinant of your speed and endurance.
Power (W) = Force (N) x Velocity (m/s)
In this equation, and for ease of understanding, we’ll equate "force" to the amount of strength your muscles can produce, and "velocity" to the speed at which you move.
Force (N) = mass (kg) x Acceleration (m/s2)
When you're lighter (less mass), you require less strength (force) to move (accelerate) your body, which can translate to increased speed.
Example: If a stripped down, race weight Oska at 60kg is racing against a 70kg off-season Oska who has been eating a lot of Chunky Monkey ice cream, and both are running at the same speed, then it is the lighter race weight Oska needing to produce less force for that same speed.
Lower force production means a lower energy cost. From a race performance standpoint, you don’t get medals (directly at least) for running with the lowest energy cost, you get them for running the fastest (having the highest velocity).
With a bit of mathematical wizardry (which I don’t have, but the internet does), we can rearrange the above equations for velocity:
Velocity (m/s) = Power (W) / (Mass (m) x Acceleration (m/s2))
Ergo, to be a better runner, get as light as possible, right?
Well, only if you willfully ignore the other parts of the above equation - power and acceleration (acceleration requiring the force [strength] to move your mass, no matter how much mass we are talking about).
The Weight Reduction Obsession
One of the most pervasive myths in the running world is the idea that shedding weight will automatically lead to improved performance. This obsession with weight reduction stems from several perceived benefits:
The logic here is simple: less mass (weight) should result in faster running times. Many runners assume that if they shed a few kilograms, they'll be faster on the track or road. This notion holds some truth - we can’t pretend that the mass part of the above equations doesn’t exist - but it's not even close to being the whole story.
Carrying less weight can also mean less strain on your muscles and joints, potentially reducing the risk of injuries and allowing you to maintain your pace over longer distances. This is also true - to a point. Speak to Oska about his experiences of being too light and you’ll soon learn that the strain on your joints can suffer just as much when underweight (most likely due to the high volume of training, the lack of regeneration time, and the under-nutrition which is driving that lower body weight).
Aesthetics. Looking the part. Having a lean athletic physique is often considered more desirable, and, truth be told, this is often the bigger driver for most people (though few will admit that). Many runners believe that shedding excess weight can help them achieve the body shape they desire. And this is totally okay, especially if it is a bonus effect of focusing on other critical areas of health and performance rather than being the primary focus which is driving many of the unhealthy and maladaptive behaviours seen in runners (though not exclusive to runners, obviously).
I will address this a bit more in a future post on the difficult topic of disordered eating in the running community.
Runners often compare themselves to elite athletes, who themselves often tend to have low body fat percentages. This comparison can create unrealistic standards and lead amateur runners to focus on weight reduction.
While these perceived benefits of weight loss are enticing, they often overlook the critical aspect of overall power.
Losing Weight at All Costs
The obsession with reducing body weight often leads runners down a treacherous, yet sadly, well trodden path.
Underfuelling and low energy availability become common pitfalls, as many runners start consuming insufficient energy to support their training and activity. The consequences of this approach can often be quite devastating for the health and wellbeing of the individual as well as their performance. The vast majority of the nutrition clients I work with come to me with complaints which can be traced back to their regular low energy availability (including, ironically, their inability to lose weight).
Reducing energy intake (protein and calories) below your body's needs can lead to a host of nutritional deficiencies. Runners may not get enough essential nutrients like amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids, which are crucial for tissue repair, energy production, and overall health.
Severe nutritional deficiencies generally occur slowly and insidiously over time. A more immediate consequence of a lack of fuelling is the killing of your power, no matter what your mass is.
We’ve all been there. For whatever reason, we haven’t eaten enough on a particular day leading to a total lack of pep in our step (no power). Think of your body like an electric vehicle (EV). You can strip as much weight out of your EV as you like to make it lighter and perform better, but if you didn’t charge it up, it ain’t going anywhere fast.
Muscle is a power generator, and weight loss (achieved through the means that many commonly deploy - undereating and overtraining) can lead to a loss of muscle mass and power. For those who drastically cut their carbohydrate intake in particular, the glucose that was otherwise derived from their diet is now produced via a process called gluconeogenesis - literally the production of new glucose.
Much of this new glucose is derived from the breakdown of muscle mass, reducing it and leaving people progressively weaker over time.
Despite the initial performance boost from any short-term weight reduction, runners, over the medium to longer term, may find themselves losing the very power they need to improve their performance as their muscle mass and function deteriorates.
Excessive training without adequate fuel can lead to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S; overtraining syndrome), a condition characterised by fatigue, decreased performance, frequent illness, and a build up of injuries. This physical deterioration can quickly escalate to mental and emotional burnout, causing runners to lose their passion for the sport.
Is Lighter Always Better?
Research suggests that body weight can affect running performance, but it's not a simple matter of "lighter is always better."
However:
This final point is perhaps the most salient point: your weight is a side-effect of doing a number of other things right, such as training hard and eating well. In other words, if you follow a good process regarding your training and nutrition, including prioritising increasing your strength and power, then you will likely settle into a good body composition and weight.
The Power of Running: Is lighter really better? (Part Two)
In part one, I outlined my argument as to why a disproportionate focus on weight ultimately ends up working against most runners at some point in their progression. In this part, I’ll focus more on why runners, especially those just starting out and relatively early in their development, should focus on building more power.
By way of summary, here are a few key reasons why I believe prioritising weight reduction over power production can backfire:
While reducing weight may make running feel easier, it doesn't necessarily translate into increased power. In fact, as previously mentioned in part one, extreme weight loss can lead to muscle loss, reducing your body's ability to generate power.
Being too light can lead to reduced bone density and muscular support, making your body more susceptible to injuries. Stress fractures and joint problems become more common when your body isn't adequately prepared to handle the impact of running.
The low energy availability which often accompanies attempts at weight reduction can have negative effects on your overall health, including hormonal imbalances, a weakened immune system, and disrupted menstrual cycles in female runners. A focus on weight alone often ignores the bigger picture of physical wellbeing.
Nutrition and Training: A Power-First Approach
Shifting the focus from weight reduction to power enhancement is the key to unleashing your running potential, especially as you are starting out. While body weight is important, it's not the sole determinant of success. Achieving the optimal power-to-weight ratio requires a holistic approach that considers both nutrition and training strategies, which includes strength, stability, muscle, and the development of a full range of metabolic energy systems.
Strength (force) is a crucial component of running performance. Not only is force production required for the likes of acceleration and running uphill, but more importantly, good durability in running requires force absorption.
Force absorption is, in simple terms, the ability to ‘soak up’ the impacts of hitting the ground, repeatedly, with several times (2.5-3x) your body weight per stride.
Incorporating strength training into your routine can help you develop the muscular power needed for faster and more efficient running. Strength training can also promote muscle endurance, which is essential for maintaining your form during long-distance races.
Include strength training exercises 2-3 times per week. Focus on compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, and lunges to target multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
Adding plyometric exercises, such as jumping drills and sprinting, can also help improve your running power. These activities not only strengthen the muscles but also enhance your explosive energy, which is essential for anyone looking to finish a race with a strong kick.
Add plyometric exercises like box jumps, bounding, and ladder drills to your training routine to enhance your explosive power.
A word of caution, here, however. Adding plyometric work can seem like the easier option than adding in a strength routine. But plyometrics should come after at least some fundamental strength has been built. Not only is a certain level of force production required to jump/hop well, but you also need to be able to absorb the force of the landing.
I recommend getting some expert advice for both strength training and plyometrics, starting very conservatively on the latter especially.
Endurance training isn't just about racking up mindless miles at once pace; it's also about developing power and resilience. By consistently training at a variety of intensities and efforts, you build endurance (durability and repeatability), enabling you to sustain your running power over longer distances.
Integrate longer runs, interval training, and especially short hill repeats to develop your endurance and stamina. These workouts are essential for increasing power during races.
Balanced nutrition is the foundation of any successful running regimen. To fuel your body for power, consider the following:
Ensure you consume enough calories (carbohydrates and fats combined) at baseline to support your daily activities. There is no point considering your specific training needs if you are simply not eating enough on a day to day basis for your general activity levels and function. This is something I see often. Individuals will swear black is white that they are eating enough for both their daily needs and their training, when in reality they are already in a low energy state just on a day to day basis.
A qualified and registered nutritionist or dietitian can help you determine your specific needs. It is important not to just follow what everyone else is doing as there is a high chance they are underfuelling themselves.
Protein is essential for muscle repair and growth. Include lean sources of protein in your diet, such as meat, chicken, fish, beans, and tofu. Again, work with a qualified nutrition professional to ensure you are getting good advice.
Carbohydrates are your primary source of energy during running, particularly at higher intensities and faster velocities. Alongside insufficient protein, consuming insufficient carbohydrate is a common nutrition error I see in runners (and other endurance athletes).
Staying well-hydrated supports muscle function and recovery. Dehydration can lead to a decrease in power and overall performance.
Consuming a balanced meal with a combination of protein and carbohydrates 2-3 hours before a run can help ensure you have the energy and nutrients necessary for a successful workout. What is a balanced meal? That is an individual thing based on a variety of factors. You could spend a lot of time, a lot of money, and make a lot of trial and error mistakes figuring it out yourself, or you could get some qualified advice from a coach who knows what they are doing.
Case Studies
To illustrate the transformation from weight-centric thinking to a power-first approach, consider the following case studies - clients who are runners and who achieved success by shifting their focus. I have changed the names to keep identities anonymous.
Case Study 1: From Constant Dieting to Powerhouse Performance
“Emily”, an amateur runner, spent years chasing a lower number on the scale. She restricted her food intake to lose weight, but her running times remained stagnant. Frustrated and fatigued, we introduced her to strength training and changed her focus on food and nutrition, away from restriction and toward fuelling and abundance.
We applied the paradigm: eat more, train harder, get stronger, build muscle, burn fat - in that order. Within a year of this change, Emily not only increased her power and running speed, but she also shed body fat despite eating more than she had in a long time.
Case Study 2: Trading the Scale for Speed
“John”, a dedicated marathoner, was fixated on losing weight to improve his race times. However, after months of experiencing multiple injuries, he realised that his approach was unsustainable.
With some guidance, John shifted his focus to developing his overall power, including strength and power-based conditioning workouts. Like Emily, he was able to better maintain a healthier body weight. His improved strength allowed him to endure longer runs and recover faster, ultimately leading to faster marathon times.
The Balancing Act of Health and Performance
In the quest to optimise your running performance, especially if you are not a professional athlete and it is not your job to run, it is essential to maintain a balanced perspective on your health and wellbeing. The pursuit of an ideal power-to-weight ratio should prioritise long-term health and sustainability, which implies more attention and focus be paid to developing the power side of the equation.
I want to be clear, if I haven’t already, that this isn’t a case of one over the other. There will certainly be those individuals whose health and performance will benefit from decreasing their body fat levels. It is my contention that, regardless, starting out with a focus on improving power will help most people achieve both a better power to weight ratio and better health and performance.
The power-to-weight ratio is a multifaceted concept that goes beyond simply shedding weight. While body weight does play a role in your running performance, it's just one piece of the puzzle. The key to unlocking your running potential lies in a balanced approach that emphasises power development, proper nutrition, and a commitment to your overall health. By shifting your focus from weight reduction to power enhancement, you can achieve your best running times while also improving your physical wellbeing.
]]>What better way to kick off with what is the most well-known and longest-standing running shoe franchise outside of a Nike Pegasus.
Spanning 30 years the Asics Kayano has been a mild to moderate stability shoe. Donned by millions of road runners all over the world. Built on principles of resisting the loading patterns of a pronated foot type. Carefully crafted with feedback, advancements in materials, technologies, and ideas.
This brings us to version 30 and with that, the biggest changes to the franchise we have ever seen. If I’m honest the writing was on the wall when ASICS released the Kayano lite a few years ago.
The burning question – Is the Asics Kayano a good shoe? – Yes is it. Is it a great shoe? I’ll let you decide.
Define good – Premium materials, put together in a thoughtful way offering its end-user comfort and useability. In other words – Solid but not redefining.
Define great – Industry leading ideas, and premium/new materials, put together in a unique but sensible and thoughtful way to improve performance and training for its user. In other words – Game Changing
Who is it for? Runners looking for hard-wearing and comfortable shoes, that more than often land heel first, have medium to high amounts of ground contact time and neutral to mild pronation. The very slight rocker may help those people leave the ground more effectively.
The reason I say neutral to mild pronation is whether the powers that be agree with me, a slightly firmer medial side breaks down slower under medial movement pressure than not. I see it every day, not in a fabricated lab or test setting. But out on the road, 10,000 people a year. Which I believe keeps the foot alignment intact for a longer duration in correlation with the life of the shoe.
Now I completely agree that in some cases a shoe with a denser medial side can cause both irritation to the arch (rubbing) or the shin (poor shock absorption). But in both cases, if the shoes are fitted correctly to the person, we don’t have those problems. There is a need and room for both.
The removal of the lateral gel means the back outside corner of the shoe will last up and wear much more evenly. Because the gel piece didn’t break down, we often saw the EVA midsole completely collapse if the user touched down heel-heavy first. The bulbus nature of the midsole in version 30 around the heel counter makes a secure and “safe” cradle for the heel, limiting rotation on landing and the sheer mass of foam + the softness does gently guide the foot on landing.
With the full ground contact midsole and stack height the torsional strength of the shoe is still right up there. It will mean this isn’t really for an efficient runner (we await the new 2000v12). Those people, they may find it too stiff, loud, and slappy, or the planta may have some irritation as the foot wants to have more control of the shoe than it will let it.
Understanding the 4D Guidance System is a little tricky, and the labeling on the shoe I think ASICS would agree might not be the greatest placement and a touch confusing. My understanding is they are talking about midsole shaping, cutouts, and the inclusion of an even gel pad in the heel of the shoe. This isn’t a new theory and Brooks set us on this “guidance” path back with the Adrenaline 19.
The outsole has a great amount of rubber, that will add to torsional stiffness and last up to the miles on the road. However, I don’t think it will do a little trail cross-over anymore given the stack heights, the risk of an ankle roll increases.
At 300g (Mens size 9) it is on the heavier side, but for the right person, the balance and poise (I couldn’t find a better word) will mean it does indeed feel light and bouncey. For the wrong foot type, it will feel like a piece of 2x4 timber.
So. To wrap the waffle up.
The Asics Kayano 30 goes down as a good shoe for the right person. Are all Kayano 29 wearers going to like it? I (subjective) don’t think so. Will some new wearers be able to roll in it? Yes, I think so. Is it groundbreaking? Well, no. It feels like a sidestep catch-up rather than a leap forward. Which doesn’t mean it’s bad. There is no question it is more comfortable and more durable in the shock absorption department. It will do a fair job at holding and guiding a foot if necessary but will not cope with moderate to severe medial movement over time.
As always the best path forward is to come and have a chat, increase your body’s ability to create stable joints, absorb shock, and move efficiently.
All those things in consideration I am giving it an 8/10 as an overall score. This is 100% subjective and given it’s the first review I have written in over 2 years means almost nothing ;)..
Happy Running, Oska
]]>
I started running in primary school at the Waimairi School cross country. I was never the fastest, but discovered that I enjoyed running and competing in races. So I joined a club and began to train and set goals each year.
For me, running is one of many sports that I train hard for and compete in. I play cricket and race triathlons in the summer, and play hockey, road cycle race and run cross country in the winter. But running is the one sport that is a constant for me throughout the year. Running is key for my fitness, but also my mental focus and it helps to clear the mind.
As a junior I made the Canterbury Cross Country Team. This was a big goal for me and an awesome experience. Paul Norton was our coach and told us every year that it was the hardest Canterbury team to get into, he would remind us of current athletes who had been in the team in the past, like Anton Cooper. Training with people like Paul and Craig Eustace at CHAV as part of a group, have had a big influence on my running. My results have improved but more importantly it has helped build my passion for running. I have been so lucky to have people be so generous with their time and advice.
This year I have raced in New Zealand Secondary Schools triathlon and cross country, with the duathlon later in the year. I also ran in the 10km at the Frontrunner Christchurch marathon finishing 2nd in the u20 and 10th overall. These were all great experiences for me and the longer the better so looking forward to doing more.
My sporting goal is and always has been to be a professional cricketer. I know that running will help me on my journey towards this goal, but I also know that running will always be my go-to in life for fitness, enjoyment and to have a clear mind.
My favourite shoes for training are the Adidas Boston 10’s. These are a great shoe for on the road as they are soft, comfortable and stable. They are perfect shoes for my size and I have gone through multiple pairs. My favourite shoes for racing on the road and triathlon are the Asics Metaspeed’s. These are a great option as they are super lightweight and a fast shoe.
I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Frontrunner race team. I have been coming to Frontrunner to see Oska since a young age with my family. For me, Oska is someone I have always looked up to. I look forward to being part of the team and developing my running further.
Thank you to Frontrunner Colombo for your support.
Cheers
Henry
]]>
Hi, I’m Kim; I was that toddler! I’m married to Mark and have two adult sons, and they are the best cheer squad I could ask for. Our family also consists of a couple of dogs, cats, Stan and Hilda (goldfish) and their offspring – too many to count.
Here is a quick glimpse about me:
My love of running didn’t start until I was in my late 20s, although I had given the 80s leg warmer a good workout at the gym. I entered my first City to Surf in 1996, I only entered as a group of friends planned to run it, and I loved it! The runner's high should be bottled. It is a ‘thing’. My whole well-being improved when I was out running. Running is my happy place, and it's my time and time to catch up with friends and meet new ones.
There were periods when running was not feasible due to family, injury, and work obligations. However, I eventually ran two marathons in Melbourne, one of which was shortly after my 50th birthday. Training for the marathon helped me maintain my sanity while living abroad, and I made lifelong friendships.
In 2021 I was recovering from a knee injury. I had just managed to tick off the magical 10k distance when I discovered I had skin cancer, surgery was followed by radiation treatment as the Cancer cells had invaded surrounding tissue. I decided life was too short not to give things a go and live life entirely. This year I signed up to run the Tarawera 50k in February 2024. To say I’m slightly nervous about this would be an understatement; I’m committed to going out there and enjoying the day, plus I've heard the aid stations are excellent.
Currently, I run with the Christchurch Marathon Clinic once a week; I hit the trails a couple of times a week and pound the pavements when I can, squeezing in some strength training to help with the creaks in my knees and stability on the trails.
It would be amazing to catch a glimpse of you out there, whether it's surrounded by nature on the trails or pounding the pavement, pursuing your passions.
]]>
5 Rules I Live
There is no question,
2. Don’t cheat and skimp
Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”, and it couldn’t be truer. Even the very best plans can be tossed out the window and sometimes you need to be punched in the face to find a better plan. Don’t be afraid to take the hit and find another way. Or take the hit and come out swinging. A wake-up call can be the defibrillation to your goal that sees you succeed.
]]>
Hello, I am Lahana!
Currently an Occupational Therapist working within Vocational Rehabilitation. Running is something that I’m incredibly passionate about and truly couldn’t imagine it not being such a big part in my life! I started running when I was 14, being dragged along by my speedy sister, not wanting to get left behind meant I had to jump on the running train and get involved (initially this involved plenty of complaints) however now I have truly grown to love the sport- the competitive nature against individual times, the team training aspects and all round social aspects of the sport! As I have got older I have definitely become more competitive and truly believe the reason I’m still solely in this sport is the amazing people I have been sounded by!
Having made so many friends and having such a supportive coach (Craig Eustace) has really encouraged me to keep persevering and just enjoy my running journey!I don’t have a favourite spot to run (often will see me doing loops of Hagley or in the Christchurch hills) as long as I have some company I’m incredibly encouraged and satisfied in all my runs!
My biggest motivation has to come from my very determined sister- who has definitely set some high standards (being biologically the same, I often question when I’ll be as speedy haha) in all honesty my sister is one of my main drivers with running always encouraging me and showing me what I’m capable of and of course starting the competitive nature from birth!
Some of my recent successes include getting back into competing- last season was my first track season in 4 years and I truly left feeling so proud of myself, doing my biggest mileage, winning some races and getting PB's every race definitely left me wanting more!My favourite shoes would have to be my most used shoe, the ASICS gel Kayanos! Have been getting these for years!
I am truly so passionate about this sport and encouraging everyone along the way! I believe the most important factor within the sport is the support network you surround urself with! On that note I am incredibly excited to be apart of the Frontrunner Colombo Race team and really promoting such a massive part of the CHCH running scene (thank you Front runner for all that you do)
]]>
When I moved to Christchurch (nearly three years ago) I bought a bike and decided to try triathlon. I have just finished my first season of racing with a trip to the Long Distance World Champs in Ibiza Spain. I managed a great end to the season and came home with gold for my age group. Running is hands down still my favorite discipline and long runs are my favorite sessions, closely followed by the rare chance to add in some speed. My go-to running shoes are the Saucony Tempus, they’re the comfiest shoes I’ve ever had and have a wee bit of support if you need it. For racing, I have been racing the Saucony endorphin pros and loving them as well!
Career-wise I am hoping to be an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, I studied dentistry and am just finishing my medical degree currently (both required for this specialty). Between studies, I spent three years working in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department at Waikato Hospital which was the inspiration to go back to study and continue on the long but rewarding pathway. Work can be incredibly busy and stressful at times, one of the ways I best deal with this is through running.
I am the biggest believer in runners high and the health benefits you get from running – both physically and especially mentally. As such I am super stoked to have been picked as part of the Frontrunner Columbo Race team and I am looking forward to promoting running as part of such a cool team!
]]>
Guten morgen from a sunny and busy Stadtplatz (town square) in the small town of Baden in Lower Austria (south east of Vienna). Why I am here is irrelevant to this article, but I feel, based on some of the feedback to part one, that this is a nice safe distance to write from.
Ironically, as it turns out, a piece on information, behaviour change, and keeping everything in CONTEXT, saw a few people get their panties bunched, as they took a line out of context.
Trigger warning: I don’t think I can continue on with part two without addressing that feedback. Especially as said feedback necessitated Oska to edit the post purely to placate people and allow him to get on with more important things.
So here was the offending statement from the previous post:
For example, if it is socially normal for runners to do crazy volumes of training, at intensities well above what they should, while following certain diet trends within this social group [*cough* veganism *cough*], then my nicely referenced information post will have limited impact.
I can’t help but wonder what the feedback might have been had I used the following example instead?
For example, if it is socially normal for CrossFitters to do crazy volumes of training, at intensities well above what they should, while following certain diet trends within this social group [*cough* keto *cough*], then my nicely referenced information post will have limited impact.
That the use of the term ‘veganism’, in the context of everything else written, triggered some people, is disappointing. I expect that this opening gambit will itself be triggering, for the same reason - an inability, when emotionally entrenched in a topic (see point 1 in the previous article), to see the totality of the picture.
In this instance, those who are motivated to follow a vegan diet to stay true to their person values and beliefs around what is best for them and the planet can’t see that there will be those who undertake a vegan diet as yet another in a long line of dietary trends which come and go, doing so because someone in their sphere of social influence also did so, probably to lose weight.
I can say this with great confidence because myself and my professional colleagues deal with so many such individuals, following any number of popular dietary trends, veganism included, and who, when given advice on how to improve such diets (more often than not by increasing the energy density of their food choices, or how to improve their protein intake), freak out and fight against such advice. And they do so because their primary reason for undertaking such diets is that it is a socially acceptable form of energy restriction.
If people truly believe that there aren’t people and groups out there running more than they should, at intensities higher than they should, whilst using diets such as veganism or keto to justify eating far less than they should, then I’m sorry to say, such beliefs are a fantasy and not grounded in reality.
Moving on…
Skills
Before the above little excursion, and following on from the intent of my introduction in part one, I want to tackle what I believe to be the real crux of helping people improve their habits and behaviours - skills.
Now it might sound patently obvious when written out - that running is a skill, for example.
But yet, both Oska and myself, from our individual professional perspectives, will attest to the fact that many people hold an expectation that simply lacing on a pair of running shoes will allow them to run, and such people are frustrated and disappointed when their experience doesn’t match such expectations.
Running is an incredibly complex motor (movement) skill. Heck, walking is complex enough, and many people struggle to do this well even before they amplify all the forces and stresses on the body through attempting to glide through the air at pace.
We can marvel at Oska and how smooth and effortless he makes running look (though he will be the first to point out the flaws in his own technique and skill), but this ‘effortlessness’ is the outcome of a whole lot of effort in terms of the practices and actions Oska takes to master this skill.
Repeatability and Durability
To illustrate the point further, let’s be somewhat simplistic and break the act of running well down into two broad categories:
Under each of these broad categories, there are multiple skills to develop. There might be specific running drills to undertake, either as isolated components, or something a bit more integrates, such as stride-type drills. You might need to develop strength in a certain area, or mobility, with each component there requiring its own skillset.
To be able to do everything consistently, week in, week out, you might need to develop good time management skills, otherwise the training just won’t happen.
Then all of this effort requires energy and fuelling. Nothing will kill your repeatability and durability quicker than a lack of fuel and the ensuing fatigue that goes with this.
Sidebar: It is a lack of energy which typically brings people of many different dietary stripes to seek my help and input. It is when my advice becomes “you need to eat more” butts up against an individuals desire to restrict their food intake (typically for some form of disordered eating) that things get… ‘interesting’.
Practices
For each of the broad skills outlined here, there will be daily, weekly, and monthly practices. We can think of practices as the more habitual process side of building skills.
For seasoned highly-skilled running veterans, these skills and their practices are often taken for granted - they are just what happens when you have been doing something for years, have figured out, through trial and error what works and what doesn’t, and you have structured your life around your passion.
For Oska, these practices are largely in the same category as brushing his teeth* - just a part of his routine and with a relatively low cognitive burden. Sure, he is (mostly) only human, and as such, there will be days where he will have a bad case of CBF (Google is your friend here for understanding TLA’s), but, again, like brushing his teeth, he just gets the practice done.
*If having good dental health is the skill, then brushing your teeth, twice a day, every day, is the practice.
But for me, as a non-runner, to become a good runner I would need to understand what these skills are, the practices they require, and what actions I need to take, in some sort of strategic and sequential manner. It quickly all feels a bit overwhelming, especially when all I want to do is run.
But if I don’t respect the skills and undertake the regular practices such an activity requires in order to do it well, I can’t hold any expectation that I will be able to do it, repeatedly, and without breaking down in the process.
Actions
Let’s do a small thought experiment.
If the goal is to master the skill of good dental health, and this is achieved through the practice of habitually brushing your teeth twice per day every day, how would we teach someone who doesn’t have this skill or its practices as part of their habitual routines?
You would take the practice (brushing teeth) and break that down into specific actions, e.g. after your breakfast and dinner meal, you would go to the bathroom, place a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on your toothbrush, and brush each quadrant of your teeth in the correct pattern, for 30-seconds each quadrant.
You can see how specific the actions are, in terms of their time, place, and how you go about them.
You might get the person for whom you are helping develop this practice to commit to and undertake the action(s) for, say, 2-4 weeks, using various tools (such as tracking) to ingrain them and to facilitate them becoming habitual practices.
Information Doesn’t Brush Your Teeth
At the risk of sounding like an Oral-B commercial and overstretching the toothbrushing analogy, you can perhaps see that simply giving someone the information about the importance of tooth brushing for good oral hygiene doesn’t necessarily translate into the act of brushing one’s teeth as a habitual skill.
If you are teaching your child about brushing their teeth everyday, you perhaps go through this process without much thought. You teach them the actions, in a relatively specific manner. You get them to repeat these actions, using various means of reinforcement and support, until they become habitual, and you continue to link the importance of this daily practice to the skill being acquired (looking after one’s dental health) and the ultimate outcome (shiny white teeth with minimal cavities).
What you don’t do is simply give the information relating to the outcome and leave it at that.
And Yet…
We all tend to fall into the trap of giving more information believing (hoping) that it will change behaviour. Perhaps we do this because (in part at least) with information about the what and why, nothing has to *actually* change?
I know that when I work with individuals and groups, the what and the why is the fun part. It’s the easy part. It is the part where you take someone through the logic and reasoning and they smile and nod, and you think “Wow, they really got it. Cool, I can’t wait to see their progress.”
The reality is far more frustrating.
There is a big gap between <action which should be taken> for <reason action should be taken> and the actual action being taken. Most coaches do their best to give actionable advice, of course. More often than not, however, the people coming to you for coaching have come to you with an outcome in mind and perhaps have a number of roadblocks before they can really engage with the process.
From Goal to Action
Want to run a marathon (or anything else equally awesome)? Come into the process with the mindset of needing to develop skills rather than just seeking information about the outcome.
Goal achievement only happens — reliably — when you do two things:
If you do these two things, you can accomplish your goals more quickly, with less effort, and maintain your results.
Skill Development 101
A skill is an ability to do something that will allow you to achieve the bigger goal.
Remember, information is not a skill. Just because you know some stuff (e.g. say you read running blogs) does not mean you have the skills to achieve an ultra.
Skills take time and practice to develop. That’s why we break down skills into practices: manageable activities you can work on to build competence.
Practice Makes Progress
A practice is a daily behaviour or action that helps with skill development.
Most coaches would suggest devoting at least two weeks to any given *single* practice — that’s the time required to get comfortable with any practice.
But as the word implies, practices require just that… practice.
A good practice should follow the ‘Five S formula’. Each practice should be:
When you unpack the 5S formula above, you can quickly see where people begin to make mistakes and get lost. They might bite off more than they can chew, choosing practices which they see someone else do, but which are too hard for them right now.
They might undertake a series of random things unrelated to each other.
They might undertake the correct practices, just in the wrong sequence.
They might ignore the biggest barriers in front of them right now.
And they might fail to get help and support (there’s no shortage of this available in The Frontrunner Colombo community, but even such support can’t offset the other 4 S’s).
How to Build Your Skill & Practice Plan
Step 1: Pick a goal — any goal — that you want to work on. Using the flowchart above as a guide, write your goal at the top of the page in the “goal” box.
Step 2: Now brainstorm what skills may be needed to achieve your goal. Tip: If you don’t know what skills your goal requires, this is where you can ask for help from the team in the shop. Your skills list doesn’t need to be perfect— just get your brain working. Write your ideas in the “skills” boxes.
Step 3: Think up some practices that may help you build those skills. Again, you might need some help and perfection is not required. Write your ideas in the “practices” boxes.
Step 4: Once your worksheet is complete, review the plan. Do you have the expertise to know whether it’s right for you? If so, consider the right time to get started. If not, is there someone who can help review the plan and help you revise it?
Step 5: When you’re confident with the plan, consider what you’ll do for support and accountability. Who will you check in with? How frequently? What can they help with?
Step 6: Get started. Begin with your first 2-week practice and continue your curriculum of practices from left to right on your worksheet.
Why Can’t I Do it All at Once?
Don’t try to race to the finish line too fast! Practices take time to develop. By devoting two weeks to each practice you’ll gain competency and get to ‘level up’ consistently.
By pacing yourself, skill development will become a lot easier and faster than you think!
If you get stuck at any time, find help. Don’t try to go it alone. There’s someone out there that can help you overcome obstacles or re-route your plan.
And remember: This process works for any goal, be it running, getting stronger, nutrition, improving relationships - anything.
Jamie Scott
]]>
]]>
Oska and I are often like two ships passing in the night. Sometimes we’ll cross paths in the shop, or, lately, it’s been in the gym. Somewhere in our conversations, I’ll pop in the question, “what do you want me to write about this month?” I generally know what all the usual hot topics are in nutrition (read as: recurring themes), but I want to hear from Oska if there are any specific questions he has been asked, or if there are any areas he knows people are really struggling with.
The last time I asked that question, the answer was “carbohydrates.”
People are struggling with the topic of carbohydrates - when to have them, how much of them to have, or even if to have them at all (Tldr; yes you should have them).
Now I feel like a kid who, despite being late to turn an assignment in (this post was due last month), turns in something that is largely unrelated to the assigned task. #sorrynotsorry
Part of my tardiness relates to life. But part relates to procrastination.
I know what needs to be written on this topic. I’ve written about it, at length, before. But I just can’t bring myself to do it this time. Let me share with you why.
Information Overload
We are saturated in information/misinformation.
But we don’t need no [more] education.
I’m being flippant. Information is important. But information by itself simply doesn’t change behaviour. And that - behaviour change - is what really counts. Far too many practitioners, like myself, keep trying to scream ever louder, clamouring for attention on whichever platform we can get 5 minutes on, to sell more information.
I could write for Oska a very fine article on the whys and wherefores of carbohydrate for runners. It would be well-researched, backed up by many years of research, and it might even be fully annotated and referenced. And it would barely shift the needle as far as an individual’s behaviour goes.
Unless that information changes behaviour, it is just another word salad on the internet. It might give a good dose of confirmation bias to those who are already actioning the information outlined, but for those who actually need to make a change, it would likely do very little.
Let me share a diagram with you.
When it comes to behaviour change, there is a significant distinction between mere data and information and the combination of knowledge, insight, and wisdom.
Information refers to the raw data or facts conveyed to individuals in such a way as to provide them with an understanding of a particular topic or situation. E.g. A short post on the importance of carbohydrates for running.
However, knowledge goes beyond mere information by incorporating comprehension and awareness of the underlying principles and concepts related to a behaviour. Insight takes knowledge a step further by enabling individuals to perceive and interpret the information in a meaningful and personal way, connecting it to their own experiences and beliefs.
Finally, wisdom encompasses the application of knowledge and insight to make sound judgments and decisions regarding behaviour. It involves a deep understanding of the consequences and long-term implications of one's actions.
While information alone may provide a foundation, behaviour change is more likely to occur when individuals possess the combination of knowledge, insight, and wisdom, as it empowers them to critically evaluate their behaviour, recognise patterns, and make informed choices that align with their values and goals.
Context Matters
It is my knowledge, insight, and, dare I say it, wisdom, which leads me to understand that unless I write a very extensive text book on the subject, there are always going to be gaps, caveats, and exceptions. None of which can be addressed, effectively, in 1500 words.
The problem with simply conveying information when it comes to behaviour change is that information alone is often not sufficient to effectively change behaviour. While knowledge and understanding are most certainly important components of behaviour change, they are just one piece of the puzzle.
My favourite saying (one that is only slightly less annoying than “it depends”) is context matters. When, where, how, and why we might apply some information is always very contextual, both between individuals, but also within individuals.
We Are Complex Creatures
Human behaviour is complex and influenced by a variety of factors, including personal beliefs, attitudes, emotions, social norms, environmental cues, and habits. Simply providing information assumes that people will automatically act on that information and change their behaviour accordingly, but in reality, it's often not that straightforward.
Several factors contribute to the limitations of conveying information for behaviour change:
I know for an absolute fact that more often than not people choose to reduce or eliminate carbohydrate, not because they want to deliberately tank their running performance, but because they want to lose weight/fat/get leaner. This is absolutely the wrong approach for *most* people (again, context matters). But my rational information rubs up against an individual’s emotional fears and rationality always loses that fight.
For example, no matter how good my post on carbohydrates might have been, it will naturally compete for attention against a sea of content on social media. There are literally 1000’s of accounts run by sub-55kg women in hot pants showing what they eat in a day (in reality, how little they eat in a day). Such content will confirm exactly what some individuals would rather hear than anything I would write.
For example, if it is socially normal for runners to do crazy volumes of training, at intensities well above what they should, while following certain diet trends within this social group, then my nicely referenced information post will have limited impact.
Once people become aware of and can navigate the aforementioned factors, they take a step closer to being able to actually change their behaviour. And this is where I start to get interested.
I’m going to wrap this up here and will pick up in part two of this. But I will leave you, dear reader, with this:
To get better at something which requires skills, you need to break those skills down and practise them, repeatedly, over time.
In this respect, perhaps what we need is less information telling us the what and the why, and more knowledge, insight, and wisdom telling us how.
To be continued…
]]>
Gone are the days of the light, low stacked super flexible Racing shoes. When Nike launched their first Carbon Shoe in 2017 the world of racing shoes changed dramatically. Supercritical foams, max stacks, and full leverage meant the old-school racing shoe disappeared from our shelves. This meant also the trainer/racer category was flipped on its head and the days of a classic Asics DS Trainer, New Balance 1500, and Saucony Kinvara were no longer.
Now a market dominated by max stack, composite plates, toe spring, and bouncy midsole.
But where to start? My first thoughts are, having a Trainer/Racer will help your racing shoes last longer and if I am honest I would normally suggest purchasing the takedown model of the racing shoe you like. But like most things, the brands make subtle but annoying changes to the shapes and they don’t always fit.
Before we get into the nuts and bolts of a Trainer/Racer I’ll define what I think one is.
The shoe can take you from a moderate training speed or effort to a faster training speed or effort. Lighter than a training shoe, but more stable than an all-out flat.
They will have a little more outsole for life and probably (but not always) not be so aggressive in its toe spring leaver. Meaning when we put our flat on it still feels fast and they can be used to “jog”. The upper will be more durable and often more traditional than some racing shoe uppers. They are also a great gateway shoe for someone who wants a racing shoe, but perhaps it takes 3:15-4:30 to run their marathon.
So what to look for?
I’ll often use my trainer racer as my kick-down long-run shoe, which means I need it to feel a little more stable than the racer. Personally, I like the heel to feel snug, and snugger than my daily trainer as the added toe-off power means we can get more slip (especially if the shoe is a little stiffer), I’ll always lace lock these ones too. The midfoot area and how the upper holds the arch is something I look for too. I don’t want it to feel loose, the extra torque created by moving faster means I want to be held well. Then given the time spent in the shoe I want to make sure my toes aren’t crammed. I still like a little bit of forefoot flex; I find the carbon shoes too stiff to jog in and it hurts my Achilles. More than likely due to the fact we use more of the shoe moving slower than when we are all out and we don’t have as much momentum or force going into the shoe. So we can’t use the leverage the plate gives us.
In terms of the midsole, I prefer a firmer ride to something very soft. That has some width across the waist of the shoe. The extra ground contact at slower speeds means there is midsole to catch my arch. Unlike a flat where we might land further forward on the foot for the majority of the usage.
We are looking for optimum versatility here. Something we can push the boundaries of our ½ marathon PB but also run for a few hours in. Look for comfort first, an appropriate amount of stability, and a bounce/toe spring your body likes. Make sure it isn’t a dramatic change into your flat as this is a great shoe to bridge the gap between your everyday trainer and race day footwear.
As always enjoy your running and any questions sing out.
Oska
]]>
Part 1 of our 3-part series on your shoe rotation starts with the humble daily trainer.
Often left out of the conversation by the shoe geeks as it isn’t that exciting. These shoes are on our feet 90% of the week. Built for protection and comfort this category of shoe is made to absorb long mileage while making up for any gait anomalies we might have. Protecting us from both surfaces and loading forces.
Daily training is our slower-paced easy runs, long and short. Meaning more ground contact time and more time spent sinking into the shoes. With that comes the need for a stable base, not to be confused with structure (although for some both may be needed).
For me, a stable base is one where there is a shoe available wherever and whenever your foot loads it in full stance. Doing our best to make sure we aren’t spilling over the sides. When our medial arch is under full load, we are feeling stable and not compromised.
Outsole – Where the rubber meets the road (or trail). The outsole to our daily trainer should have a higher abrasion rubber. Made for durability and maximum life. It offers grip on all surfaces but also protects the more vulnerable midsole materials. The outsole pattern can also enhance or restrict flexibility on toe off depending on your needs. The tradeoff here is rubber is heavy. More rubber makes for a heavier shoe, but one that “should” last longer.
Midsole – Personal preference comes into play here, but for our daily trainer some padding is always nice. Remembering that the quantity of material doesn’t always mean the softest and is the softest even what we need. For me, I like a medium softness, slightly responsive midsole material, a wider base, and an 8mm-10mm pitch. I don’t like anything with a stack height much more than 30mm in the back. Keep in mind this will differ for your average mileage, body weight, foot strike, and surface. When you stand, feet shoulder-width apart and nice and relaxed, you should feel like there is a shoe under most of your foot. Not like you are falling off the back, or sides, or being made to fall dramatically in or out (unless you have a valid reason or referral from a physio/pod/doc). The midsole componentry is also what will act and react to our gait loading patterns. Helping the shoe to wear evenly over its life. Your heel should feel cupper, arch held and toes free to spread but not slide around.
Upper – Believe it or not the upper is what we feel most. It can make the shoe feel stiffer than the midsole might be. It is also responsible for holding us on top of the midsole. This ultimately becomes more important the higher the stack height, the faster we are going, or the technicality of the trail we are on.
Our humble daily trainer upper should be a little heavier than its racing shoe sibling. I’m always looking for a few more overlays or inlays for stability (particularly around the midfoot), a good heat-welded toe cap, and durability in the forefoot flex. A comfortable and secure heel counter with no bits rubbing. Again, the more durable materials will mean the better daily trainers are up around 270g+ (for women’s sizes) and 300g (for men’s sizes).
To summarize, daily trainers aren’t sexy, they don’t feel that fast and they are made with maximum durability and protection in mind. But as we spend 90% of our week in a pair they need to be just right. Softer and higher here doesn’t always mean better. Extra ground contact means we need to make sure they are stable and suitable to your foot strike and loading patterns.
As always if you have any questions just reach out and happy training.
]]>
Oska gave me my latest assignment, and no, it wasn’t to come up with an article title that might get one into trouble with only a slight slip of the tongue. My question to Oska was, what is something you see people struggling with at Run Club.
Hips.
Not hipsters, though they can be problematic, too.
Pelvic tilts, to be precise.
So here we are, me writing about one of my favourite musculoskeletal topics - hips. It is one of my favourite topics because the punchline, as it so often is, is get stronger rather than necessarily more bendy. And yes, both Oska and I recognise that we’re banging a drum that few will want to listen to. But nonetheless, on the off-chance that someone might read this and recognise that being a stronger runner means being a better runner, we’ll publish this thing anyway. You can always read it while you are stretching…
What is Pelvic Tilt?
Some very basic anatomy to start off with then. It is perhaps most helpful to think of your pelvis as the structure into which your torso plugs into, via your spine. It is also the structure that your legs plug into via your hip joints.
Your hip joints are ball and socket joints, meaning they have many degrees of freedom in their movement. Your pelvis, perched on top of these joints, is akin to a bucket of water balance on stilts.
If the bucket of water tips forward, spilling water out the front, this is anterior pelvic tilt. Anterior pelvic tilt is the posture you adopt when you want to show off your glutes on Instagram or TikTok.
If the bucket of water tips backward, spilling water out the rear, this is posterior pelvic tilt. Posterior pelvic tilt is the posture you adopt when you want to do a ‘Mr Bean, running’ impersonation.
There is a third type of pelvic tilt often missed in such tippy pelvis discussions, and that is lateral pelvic tilt. In this scenario, your bucket of water is spilling water out one side and it is running down the side of your leg.
When that bucket is nice and evenly balanced front to back, and left to right, we can consider this a neutral position. You might now be thinking that neutral is just what you want. But running is a dynamic movement - and this movement includes some degree of water sloshing around in your bucket.
It is the dose which makes the poison.
When Does Pelvic Tilt Need Fixing?
Humans are naturally wonky. We are all asymmetrical to some degree or another. There are plenty of runners out there who likely have some awful anterior or posterior pelvic tilts going on, and they run just fine - pain-free and fast (lateral tilts are somewhat more problematic).
Rather than diagnosing the tilt, it is perhaps best to examine what is causing it, as it is more likely the reasons for the tilt rather than the tilt itself which can cause issues for an individual.
An anterior pelvic tilt (bucket tipping forward) might be downstream from tight hip flexors and weak abdominals.
A posterior pelvic tilt (bucket tipping backward) might be downstream from a tight low back and weak glutes.
Lateral shifts in your pelvis (where one side sits higher than the other, laterally) could be cause by such things as leg length differences, spinal curvatures (e.g. scoliosis), sitting for prolonged periods cross legged, or running on off-camber roads and trails too often. Such lateral shifts can lead to tight glutes and ITB issues.
It is important to highlight a point I have made in previous articles, being that a tight muscle is often a weak muscle, one needing strengthening rather than stretching. Indeed, taking a muscle that is tight because it is weak and finding weird and wonderful ways to swing off it in an attempt to lengthen it, can sometimes make the problem worse.
Now, I’m not saying that some gentle mobility work, self-myofascial release (such as foam rolling) and massage isn’t warranted or helpful. But if your lumbar muscles, glutes, abs, and hip flexors are weak (even if also tight) because you are someone who sits for prolonged periods, then, in my experience, you will get much better results from making a strengthening programme the cornerstone of your self-care routine.
Is Your Pelvic Tilt Really an Issue?
This is one of those times where it is important not to self-diagnose. Get someone who is experienced in assessing runner technique and posture (*cough* Oska @ The Front Runner *cough*) and/or someone who is qualified and experienced in some form of functional musculoskeletal assessment.
Preventing Pelvic Tilt
Never sit again. Throw away your couch and always squat instead of sitting.
Too extreme?
Blame your feet and your shoes.
Yes, it might be your shoes. But it is just as likely not to be, forcing you to look a bit harder at your structural integrity and mechanics (which, sadly, can’t often be fixed by shoes and orthotics).
A good assessment will help you target exercises specific to your needs, but there are some general tips we can offer.
For those who simply must run no matter what, there are also some drills you can perform to help with good pelvic alignment. This is a good resource for those wanting instruction there.
I’ll close with the reminder that being a good runner means appreciating that running is a skill-based activity. Simply running more and faster doesn’t make you a better runner and can, most likely, make you a whole lot worse.
The knowledgeable team at The Front Runner are more than happy to sell you new shoes to help you perform better and have more fun, but they are also just as happy to talk about skills, drills, and non-running training. It might not be what you want, but it just might be what you need.
Jamie
]]>There are a lot of topics which get discussed in running circles. Volume. Intensity. Nutrition. Shoes… Rarely, in the top 5 of hot topics, will you find tendon stiffness. Yet, if you want to get the most out of your running, and maintain your longevity as a runner without the slow creep of pain and injury, it is important to understand the role that tendon stiffness plays.
Tendon stiffness refers to the resistance of the tendon to stretching when force is applied. In running, that force is primarily you hitting the ground. In this post, we'll explore the importance of tendon stiffness for runners, why it's beneficial, and how to increase it through strength training.
Think of Tendon Stiffness as Rubber Bands
Tendons are strong, fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones. To understand the concept of tendon stiffness, let’s think of two different types of rubber band.
One is new, thick, and very stiff (resistant to stretching) when you try to pull it apart. When you do manage to pull it apart (storing a lot of energy in it as you do), it snaps back as you let it go and release that energy. The other is old, thinning, and despite being easily stretched, it doesn’t release a lot of energy when you let it go.
Similar to our rubber band analogy, tendons resist stretching when force is applied, and help to store and release energy efficiently.
Why is Tendon Stiffness Important for Runners?
Tendon stiffness is critical for runners for several reasons:
Speed: Tendon stiffness affects the speed at which the muscle can contract, which directly impacts running speed. The stiffer the tendon, the faster the muscle can contract, resulting in faster running speeds.
Efficiency: Tendon stiffness also affects running efficiency. The stiffness of the tendon helps to store and release energy as the foot strikes the ground and pushes off. The more efficiently the tendon stores and releases energy, the more efficiently the runner can move.
Reduced Ground Contact Time: Tendon stiffness plays a crucial role in reducing ground contact time. When the tendon is stiff, it can absorb more force without stretching excessively, which results in a shorter ground contact time. Reduced ground contact time can improve running performance and reduce injury risk.
Reduced Injury Risk: Tendon stiffness helps to reduce the risk of injury. When the tendon is stiff, it can absorb more force without stretching excessively, reducing the risk of injury.
What Happens When Tendon Stiffness Declines in Runners?
Declining tendon stiffness can result in the following:
Decreased Running Speed: Declining tendon stiffness can slow down muscle contractions, resulting in slower running speeds.
Decreased Efficiency: As tendon stiffness declines, the ability of the tendon to store and release energy decreases, resulting in a decrease in running efficiency.
Increased Ground Contact Time: Declining tendon stiffness can result in a longer ground contact time, which can increase the risk of injury.
Increased Injury Risk: When tendon stiffness declines, the tendon is less able to absorb force, which can result in an increased risk of injury.
Why Tendon Stiffness Should Not be Confused with Muscle or Joint Stiffness
It's important to note that tendon stiffness should not be confused with muscle or joint stiffness. Muscle stiffness refers to the resistance of the muscle to stretching, while joint stiffness refers to the resistance of the joint to moving. Unlike muscle or joint stiffness, tendon stiffness is beneficial for runners because it helps to store and release energy efficiently and reduce the risk of injury.
What Causes Tendon Stiffness to Reduce?
The lazy answer here is ageing - getting older. Like so many declines in our function, reduced tendon stiffness is far too readily written off as a part of the “natural ageing process”. This rationale perhaps gives people a get out of jail free card, excusing them from actually doing anything about this and many other physiological declines they might be experiencing. “I’m just getting old” is a common phrase to hear.
But rather than being baked into the cake of ageing, reduced tendon stiffness is more likely a function of factors we have control over - factors correlated with ageing rather than being caused by it.
One of the main causes is overuse and repetitive motions, which can result in inflammation and degradation of the tendons. In other words, simply running by itself can degrade tendons - especially when the volumes are forever high, and periods of rest and regeneration are few and far between. Improper training and not allowing enough recovery time after intense workouts can lead to decreased tendon stiffness.
Another cause is inactivity, where lack of use can lead to decreased tendon stiffness. Perhaps you are the type of runner who is either all in, or all out? You are either running crazy high volumes until you get sick or injured, or you are doing nothing at all.
My personal favourite cause of poor tendon stiffness is undernutrition and not fueling the body with essential nutrients (I am a Nutritionist first and foremost after all).
Nutrition plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and stiffness of tendons. Perhaps the single biggest nutritional factor is a lack of high quality protein - both total protein and protein sources supplying collagen to the body. Protein is the building block for connective tissue. Without sufficient protein in the diet, the body may not have the resources it needs to repair and maintain the tendons.
After protein and the amino acids we derive from eating it, there are the micronutrients. Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen, a protein that makes up a significant portion of tendons. Vitamin D is also important for tendon health, as it helps the body absorb calcium, which is critical for strong bones and connective tissue. Magnesium is a mineral that helps regulate muscle and nerve function and is also involved in the maintenance of tendons.
Lastly, hydration is important for maintaining tendon stiffness. Dehydration can lead to decreased elasticity and increased risk of injury in the tendons. It's essential for runners to stay hydrated and replenish fluids lost during exercise to maintain tendon health.
What are the common nutrition problems I see in many runners, especially recreational runners? Not fuelling sufficiently, not eating enough protein or high quality sources, vitamin and mineral deficiencies (again, due to not eating enough), and chronic dehydration.
Layer this on top of poor training structure, not doing any strength training, and insufficient recovery, and you have a recipe for low tendon stiffness and poor tendon health in general.
How Can You Increase Tendon Stiffness?
Strength training, and in particular, heavy strength training, is an effective way to increase tendon stiffness. Heavy strength training involves lifting weights that are heavy enough to challenge the muscles and tendons. By challenging the muscles and tendons in this way, the tendons become stronger and stiffer, which can result in improved running performance and reduced injury risk.
Additionally, heavy strength training can help to improve overall strength and reduce the risk of other injuries, such as stress fractures.
Why are Runners Reluctant to Engage in Heavy Strength Training?
Good question.
Despite the benefits of heavy strength training, many runners are reluctant to engage in it. This is often due to a number of misconceptions, such as the belief that heavy strength training will make them slow and bulky. However, this is not the case. Heavy strength training can actually improve running speed and efficiency, and it won't make you slow or bulky if you do it correctly.
There is also the reluctance to give up some running volume each week to go hit the gym. There can be a number of reasons for this, but nearly all stem from some element of fear (fear of losing fitness, fear of not burning enough calories, fear of not losing enough weight, and so on).
My Top 5 Tips for Improving Tendon Stiffness
Engage in heavy strength training: Incorporating heavy strength training, such as lifting weights, into your routine is one of the most effective ways to improve tendon stiffness. This type of training helps to increase the density and strength of the tendons, reducing the risk of injury.
Incorporate plyometric exercises: Plyometric exercises, such as jumping and hopping (power training), help to improve the elasticity of the tendons and improve the stretch-shortening cycle, which is important for running performance. Note: You should be lifting heavy before you are doing a lot of plyometric work. Strength comes before power.
Cross-train with other forms of exercise: Engaging in a variety of exercises, such as cycling or swimming, can help to provide a change of pace and allow for different types of stress on the tendons, helping to improve stiffness.
Adequate recovery time: It's important to allow for adequate recovery time after intense workouts and activities to prevent overuse and fatigue of the tendons. This can include taking rest days (and recovery weeks!) or using active recovery methods, such as foam rolling or stretching.
Maintain a balanced diet: Eating a balanced diet that includes essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, such as protein, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, magnesium, and staying hydrated, is crucial for maintaining tendon stiffness and reducing the risk of injury. Additionally, consuming a diet that is low in processed foods and high in anti-inflammatory foods can help to reduce inflammation and support tendon health.
]]>This is my first post proper for Oska and the Frontrunner team. And it just might very well be my last. Because in a shameless click-baity grab for attention and popularity, I am going to blow the lid on all of Oska’s training secrets. If this post disappears as quickly as it appears and you never see another post from me again, then you know what has happened. You will probably be able to find my body in a sack full of bricks in the lake in Hagley Park.
I’ve known and worked with Oska for a few years now. I also know and work with many folk who are card-carrying members of the Oska Baynes Fanclub, most of whom would give up their first-born child to be able to run like Oska can. Well, now you can keep your kids AND Be Like Mike (Oska), because I’m about to tell you exactly what it is that he does that makes him so goddamn good.
To keep the word-count trim and without further ado, Oska’s Secret Sauce is…
CONSISTENCY
I know right!?
I was shocked too.
My specific question to Oska was this: “What 3 things do you do, week in, week out, that you know helps you perform, but which many people seeking your advice struggle to come to grips with?”
His answer covered, perfectly, the three key domains I try to help people with in the coaching I do - sleep, eat, train, repeat:
Consistency of Sleep
Oska maintains a consistent bedtime and wake time, prioritising plenty of sleep most nights.
Consistency of Food & Nutrition
Oska eats the same variety of foods in the same amounts across the week, ensuring he gets plenty of high-quality carbohydrates and proteins to fuel his training and recovery.
Consistency of Training
Oska has a very well-rounded approach to his life balance. He generally doesn’t try to cram everything into each week. When a long way out from a goal, he will do more or less some weeks in order to accommodate life. However, when approaching his target goal, he creates more space in his life for training and recovery.
I love Oska’s attitude and approach to his training and performance, and indeed his life in general. He takes a no frills approach, and puts a lot of weight in the core ‘big rocks’ of consistent sleep, nutrition, and training. As passionate as he is about the latest shoe tech, he knows the best shoes aren’t worth a damn if he is underslept, underfed, and not managing his training loads and life stressors well.
From my perspective, I would love to see people develop a deeper understanding that nutrition and training are dependent variables. That is, nutrition influences training, and training influences nutrition. Sadly, and all too often, people treat their nutrition and training as independent variables.
We can throw sleep into this mix too. Even only 1-2 night’s poor sleep (let alone the chronically poor sleep habits I see in many folk) are enough to have a significant impact on our appetite and metabolism, changing not only the types of foods we want to eat, but also how our body digests, absorbs, and partitions the energy from that food. Being underslept changes our training performance, generally reducing power and endurance, whilst increasing the perceived effort - we go slower and it feels harder.
A poorly thought out and executed diet can be problematic for our sleep. Undereat during the day then attempt to backfill that energy hole in the 2-3 hours before bed, and you will struggle to settle into a comfortable night’s slumber (and will likely not be hungry in the morning, seeing you start the undereating process all over again the next day). It is not uncommon for me to see people underfuel themselves across the day, and find themselves unable to unwind in the evening prior to bed. This can be directly related to the stress hormones the body is releasing in an attempt to mobilise some energy. These same stress hormones will make it difficult to initiate sleep, as well as sustain sleep across the night. Early morning awakenings are often a sign of being underfuelled.
Poorly managed training loads - typically too much volume and/or intensity - can drive nutrition demands which we struggle to meet (e.g. higher protein requirements for recovery), and can drive cravings, especially for the likes of carbohydrate, which we may fall victim too through periods of binge eating. Falling face first into a tray of donuts can lead to issues of self-loathing and disgust, which we then attempt to self-medicate with even more training. Excessive training loads, despite the fatigue they induce, can also put us in that tired-but-wired state. We’d love to sleep, but our nervous system just feels on edge all the time and we can’t relax.
Hopefully you can see just how intertwined sleep, nutrition, and training loads are. When any one of these core pillars is out of balance, consistency of training starts to falter. Oska knows this, and knows that it is his consistency - his ability to show up to almost every training session, week in, week out, which drives his performance beyond anything else. Indeed, the number one performance driver for nearly all endurance sports is total annual volume, and it is consistency across all the domains mentioned here, which allows that volume to build.
It is important to acknowledge here, too, that Oska doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It would be easy to dismiss what he does and how it is not attainable for most mere mortals because he is a “pro”. Except he isn’t. He has a family, staff, runs a retail store in a tight market, and gives A LOT back to the running community. He has much the same pressures on his day as the rest of us. What Oska has done is build good structures, systems, and schedules around himself to support his goals.
Our structures are the environments we have around us - built and social - which either help or hinder us in our daily endeavours. Perhaps a good example of Oska’s structures is the team he has supporting him. This includes his coach, Matt, his training partners, and perhaps the most important member of his support team, his wife, Katy. If Oska had to be a lone wolf in his passions, I am almost certain he wouldn’t be as successful as he is.
Ask yourself who or what needs to be around you in order to support your goals? How can you make your structures easier for yourself?
Work towards building those structures.
Systems are the processes and practices we use to make things happen. Oska has put in place various systems, allowing greater consistency with fewer barriers. I know he invested in some good strength equipment for home, allowing him to hit this important aspect of his training without needing to go to a gym and be away from home and his family too much. But perhaps his favourite system is his beloved airfryer, allowing him to quickly and easily prepare and eat high-quality meals while he is at work, ensuring his energy levels remain high.
What needs to happen for you to be more effective in your day? What processes and practices need to be in place? Create and do those things.
Our schedules are exactly what is says on the tin - the things we have booked in (scheduled) at certain times. You are scheduled to start work at a certain time. If you need to go to the dentist, you make a booking and schedule it in. There are two patterns I see, when it comes to schedules (and I am guilty of both myself):
In his response to my original question, Oska states that his sleep is sufficiently important that he sticks to a consistent sleep and wake schedule. He also schedules in his training, prioritising it - when it needs to be prioritised. He also ‘de-schedules’ other aspects of his life in the final build up to a key event or goal. He has enough experience and awareness to know that he can’t do everything at once, and manages his weekly and monthly schedules to suit.
Book your sleep, training, and nutrition just like you book any other appointment. Make it a time priority, put it into your calendar, and stick to it.
It is important to understand here that schedules are built on structures and systems. Oftentimes, we people come to me for nutrition, what they are expecting to get is a nutrition plan (schedule), which they do. But such plans are difficult to stick to, consistently, if you don’t have good structures and systems in place. Indeed, it is the lack of structures and systems which sees the whole lot fall over and sees people exclaim that “the plan just didn’t work for them.”
So there you have it. Oska’s secret to training is consistency. This consistency isn’t a case of good luck or good genetics. It is, however, the result of good intentions, the willingness to try, fail, and try again. It is the result of building a little on a little - those structures, systems, and schedules - week after week, month after month. It is the result of chasing progress rather than perfection.
Want to improve your consistency game? Give this a try:
There are no perfect answers here, just solutions to the problems you encounter. Build towards these solutions. Soon enough, you too will be consistently consistent, and everyone will be wondering what your secret is.
Now don’t tell Oska I let his secret out.
I am Jamie Scott, New Zealand Registered Nutritionist, strength coach, and now proudly offering support and advice to the Frontrunner community. I have always admired the ethos and passion of Oska and the wider Frontrunner team. The support they offer to everyone is amazing, and something I have felt personally and been privileged to receive in my own life. It is now exciting to be a part of the team and be able to give something back.
In my role as a Nutritionist, I have worked with a wide variety of individuals over the years - everyone from those wanting to simply have enough energy to get through their day, through to high-performance athletes, including Frontrunner faces, Katherine Camp, and Oska himself. While there are many factors individuals have in play which influence their food and nutrition, the common ground I see, almost without exception these days, is people not fuelling themselves enough to maintain their energy and vitality.
Ask any good coach about what is the key to making progress and developing your fitness and capacity, and it is consistency. It is hard to stay consistent, showing up to do the basics of training, day in, day out, month after month, season after season, if our energy levels are up and down like a rollercoaster. Indeed, if I think about the one piece of consistent feedback I have had from working with Oska for the past 5 or so years, it has been that the changes we have made with his nutrition have allowed him to stay healthy, and maintain his energy levels, which in turn has allowed him to show up and do the work. Nothing flash. Nothing fancy.
Of course, it is easy to see how the opposite holds true, too. That one amazing workout, that one big run counts for little (in terms of longer term progress) if it is followed by a couple of weeks of low motivation, missed sessions, illness and injury (ask Oska what life was like before we rebooted his nutrition). Sadly, at a time when everyone is looking to cut either carbs, fats, or proteins, or some combination thereof, all depending on which diet tribe they are aligning themselves with, combined with the ever quickening pace of life and the associated demands, a loss of energy and vitality, motivation and consistency, is more often the norm, and is often framed as some sort of individual failing - “laziness”, “lacking discipline”, “no willpower”, etc.
Which brings me to my why. All too often, introductions focus on the who (Jamie Scott) and the what (Nutritionist), but rarely do they focus on the why and the deeper underlying values of what is driving and motivating an individual’s acts of service. Frontrunner is ostensibly a shoe shop. Oska is a business owner. But if you have spent any more than 5 minutes in the store, with any of the team there, or you follow them on social media (or here via their resources page), you will know that things run much deeper than that. This comes down to Oska’s why, his values and vision.
My why - what gets me out of bed in the morning - is my desire to help improve people’s energy, vitality, and lust for life. To help them find the energy to not just survive, but to thrive in this crazy world. Specifically, I help people to focus on the ‘big rocks’ of health and wellbeing, so that people can have a greater capacity to live a fulfilling life. I wear many different hats to achieve this. Sometimes I’m a nutritionist. Sometimes I’m a strength and conditioning coach. Sometimes I’m a public speaker. Sometimes, like now, I’m a writer. The vehicle might differ, but the journey is the same.
Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll put out a regular call for your nutrition and training questions (though don’t feel limited to just those areas - there are a lot of bases I can cover relating to general health and performance). Please feel free to get involved and ask that burning question. Chances are, if you are wondering about something, someone else is too. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Jamie.
The Battlers application is our next Brand Ambassador Program.
We're looking for two people starting their fitness and running journey who would like help to achieve the firsts steps and be happy to share the journey with our followers. Whether it is trying to run non-stop for 5km or simply commit to 3 days a week of moving.
The Battlers will receive shoes fitted by us, clothing from pressio and help towards their goal.
We are teaming up with a local Personal Trainer Aaron Shaskey who has a specific interest in running and adventures and Bodyfix to get the participants off to a good start.
Bodyfix are offering our ambassadors 10 weeks free gym membership and Aaron is going to coach you with the overall program and 5 free one on one sessions.
The PT will also oversee the 10 week program and be there to support you with us along the way.
The participants must be Christchurch based and able to commit to the gym sessions. 3 half days of filming and have time for 3 handwritten blogs across the 10 weeks. From August 1st. (give or take a week)
To apply fill then the google docs form in the link below
Yep, it's that time of the year again. Single digit mornings, frost on the car windscreen and running by headlamp in the evenings. Winter poses a few challenges to getting in your weekly mileage but here are a few of our key winter running essentials to make you a bit more comfortable.
Built for warm with a key pocket on the arm and in multiple colours the 2XU Ignition 1/2 zip is a great addition to the winter running wardrobe
There is lots to like about the Pressio brand. Sustainable fabrics and well thought out designs means the brand has made waves across the industry in its first year.
Available in High, Mid and Low Rise Waist Bands
Brushed thermal and a pocket
With both proximity and distance modes, plus dimming, strobe, red night-vision and lock functions, and 350 lumens this is a practical head lamp for runners on the roads and trails
The First Dawn Packable Jacket is simple, light, and breathable, purpose-built with long trail runs in mind, it is the waterproof protection you want packed in your trail vest or backpack.
I have been thinking about this [opportunity] a lot lately. I don’t often think about much when I go running, I’ll sort through the days tasks ahead. Daydream about races past and present. Come up with the odd marketing idea. But more often than not it’s blank, meditative like state. Taking in my surroundings, feeling my feet hit the ground and monitoring how laboured my breathing is.
But the last 3 months have been different. It could have been the stress of another lockdown or the cancelled races. Possibly even feeling like I am in the last 30% of my body allowing me to do the thing I love over and over again. However, I have been thinking a lot about what opportunity means to me. Could look back on and think, did I take that opportunity? Did I even realise it was an opportunity? How did I tread it? Did I look at it the right way? Yes, that is right I am talking about self-reflection (how very new age man of me).
My motivation and dedication don’t often wain. But they have done a little over the last year. Racing is my reward, a reward for planning and executing a plan, managing a plan and learning about my body and how it responds. Racing is the reward for letting running control almost everything about every day, every week and every month.
I’ve done a lot of writing, trying to reconfigure how I feel about “sport”. Writing, thinking, re-wiring. We talk a lot in sport about our “why”. Whether you like the term or not, it has defined the last 8 years of sport. I worked a lot on my Why. It has evolved over time as I’ve understood myself more. If you haven’t done some work on this I’d suggest you do. But what I hadn’t done is any work on what I feel about opportunity. Have I created a structure and lifestyle to nurture possible opportunities? That really got me thinking. Because for the biggest why in the world, the strongest determination, motivation and dedication. If you can’t see and feel your way into the opportunities you are missing the point.
So here I was, jogging around Hagley Park. Daydreaming about nothing in particular. Feeling like it was all a bit of a waste of time. Then getting a little annoyed at myself for thinking that way. (Yes I argue with the inner me, more than you would think). I thought, “Oska, you are here doing this to give yourself the opportunity for tomorrow”. But, what was tomorrow? Much of the same. But that isn’t the point. The point is this. Every day we are presented with opportunities, some of those are specific to the day, some of those set in motion others for the future, some accumulate over time and come together as one big opportunity.
When I stand on a start line I ask myself one very simple question. Have I given myself an opportunity to perform the best I can, today? That doesn’t mean preparation has to be perfect (been there and done that). It means, did I take my opportunities in training and in resting. Did I fill all my cups of health and well-being? Did I take those opportunities along the way that lead me here?
We often look from now till then. Planning is done from today to tomorrow. But what if tomorrow is relying on what yesterday did. Am I giving future me an opportunity?
This goes for all the micro cycles of training, the way we eat and sleep. How hard we work and the people we surround ourselves with. Each one of those influences the opportunities we have and how we take them.
My advice, for those disappointed or frustrated people. What opportunities did this last training cycle present to me? Was it a better and healthier me? New friends? New clarity? There is no question events are a reward for the opportunities we have given and taken along the way. Just don’t let the last one bring the others down. You’ve put yourself in a better position, made personal advancements and created new prospects. That sounds like a reward to me.
Oska
]]>I trust you have all enjoyed the lockdown sunshine; stopped to take a deep breath, enjoyed the birdsong, and said hello to many strangers while out and about like I have.
I thought it would be nice to take the time to explain something I’ve been passionate about and have been doing for over four years with the wonderful support of the Front Runner team.
I started up a small initiative of gathering up old running/sport shoes for Kids in Need. These are children from ten decile one schools, two High Schools and one Special School.
A lot of these children don’t own a closed-in shoe for winter, have never had a sports shoe, or are wearing shoes two sizes too small!!
It all began when I noticed I had five old pairs of running shoes sitting in the garage for gardening shoes.
As you are all aware, our running shoes do have a lifespan for each individual. We then pop them aside and buy a new pair.
Roll on four years and I have supplied these kids in need with over 2500 pairs of shoes, kindly gifted by our Front Runner community.
I asked the Principal who facilities the giving of the shoes if she was “over“ me dropping them off to her. Her answer was ‘we can never have enough as we run out every time
I wanted to continue to drive this wee project of mine so Oska and I are now looking at ways to expand this within our community.
So my big ask, while you’re still in your bubbles and have time to spring clean - grab those unwanted spare running/sport shoes (kids ones as well, as they are really needed) and drop them off in-store when we open back up. I’ll give them a clean and a sort, then drop them all off to the kids in need.
Believe me, a small gift of giving a pair of shoes makes you feel very humbled.
Take care and see you in-store soon
Lynette xx
Greetings sports fans. We have been lucky weather-wise here in Christchurch over the last 5 days, being able to get outside for our mental and physical health. If you live near the hills, beach or parks especially good. For me being able to put my shoes on and run around the river here in Cashmere for 30 minutes a day has been good for my heart and head. I can run by my grandson's house and wave and say gidday, not quite the same as a hug, but maybe next week. I'm feeling fit and healthy.
My run along the river through the trees, lots of bird song, on the dirt track and along the grass park near Hero's, lots of walkers and buggy pushing parents is nice to see, it's still disconcerting to notice the hint of fear in the masked ones, as I pass 2 meters apart.
Oska has said to me he has been busy at the shop filling shoe orders all week. Great to be of service to you all. It's a bit lonely tho. I sure miss the time in the shop the last two weeks with Lynette, Sam, Tom, Kat, Judd, and Bailey being able to help my fellow runners, multi/sporters, walkers, and special customers get the best shoes possible for their endeavors. So my Mondays and Fridays have been filled with some spring cleaning around the house, reading, and watching La Vuelta on the tube.
I hope, shall i say, more relaxed guidance for our lives is forthcoming, so we can meet face to face to chat about our running dreams and goals at the Frontrunner Colombo.