"Paul Langer ... is an associate clinical professor at the University of Minnesota and an experienced marathoner and Ironman triathlete. He has also spent many years working a few days a week in his local running shoe store, where it seems that in the course of fitting and advising customers he has come across nearly as many public misconceptions about running shoes as he has feet." (read more)

"Due to the forward running motion, various muscle groups tend to overdevelop. The calf muscles develop more than the anterior shin muscles, the quadriceps muscles develop more than the hamstrings, and the lower back muscles tend to develop more than the abdominal muscles. Eventually, the most used muscles become overdeveloped compared to the least used muscles. As a result, various running-related overuse syndromes might occur." (read more)

 "... travellers who sit immobile for four hours or more, for example in a plane, train, bus or car, are doubling their risk of getting a blood clot. The absolute risk of developing a blood clot is still quite small however ..." (read more)

"Kyoto-born running phenomenon Toshiko D'Elia, 77, who has consistently placed at or near the top of her age group in U.S. and world competitions for the past 30 years, says the secret to her remarkably long running career is to "run to live, not live to run." (read more)

"... I dropped from [running] 90 to 110 miles a week to 45 to 60 - still high for most people, but about a 50 percent decrease for me. I also let my diet slide. On hectic days, fast food replaced healthy, homemade meals. My weight increased almost 10 percent and my total cholesterol rose 20 percent. At 43, the age my father was when he died, I got an electrocardiogram and stress test. I passed with flying colors and felt relief. But I shouldn't have." (read more)
 

"His eardrums were ruptured, his jaw fractured and he suffered first- and second-degree burns from his chest “where the device was strapped“ up into his ear channels, along the trail of the IPod's trademark white earphones. He also had burns down his left leg and on the foot, where the electricity exited his body, blowing his sneaker to smithereens in the process." (read more)

"We're conditioned to think that elite endurance athletes, capable of seemingly inhuman efforts — like running a marathon at a four minute, 54-second per-mile pace — are immune to heart disease. It's a reasonable assumption. Anyone with such a powerful cardiovascular system should be the last person to have a heart attack, right?"   (read more)

"During the first running boom three decades ago, aspirants embarked upon a six-day regimen of arduous runs hellbent on crossing the finish line in the fastest time possible. Hollow cheeks, hobbled feet and an overuse injury or two were badges of honor for the mostly middle-class men who tackled the 26.2-mile challenge. Their icon was Frank Shorter, a Yale-educated lawyer whose victory in the 1972 Olympic marathon ignited the mass running movement. Things have changed."  (read more)

The Musculoskeletal System

This is adapted from a longer article “Training All Systems of Your Body” by Alberto Salazar, three-time winner of the New York City Marathon, from PeakRunningPerformance.com

Often I have heard and used the analogy that the cardiovascular system can be likened to the engine of a racing car, while the musculoskeletal system is similar to the chassis, suspension, and wheels of the car. As I detailed earlier, we at one time were mainly concerned with the “engine” and paid little attention to the car “body.” Rather than constantly trying to improve the cardiovascular system to handle higher workloads, why not also try to improve the musculoskeletal system so that a given workload, such as race-pace intervals, will cost less energy because the musculoskeletal system is strong?

 Using the car analogy as an example, this can be done by improving the suspension, drive train, and wheels, as well as ensuring that they are properly maintained and aligned so that the car will be more efficient at a given speed. Specific types of musculoskeletal training can include weight training, flexibility enhancement, plyo-metrics, core-strengthening exercises, agility drills, and power drills.

 Distance runners, contrary to athletes in other sports, usually train only by running straight ahead. This can lead to great increases in strength in the primary movers for straight ahead motion, but can subsequently cause an imbalance due to the weakness of muscles used in lateral movement. The result is often tightness and injury. It is necessary to keep the entire body flexible, supple, muscularly balanced, coordinated, and athletic. Throw a basketball to many distance runners and they will embarrass themselves on attempting any sudden movements or change of direction. Becoming a better all-around athlete by concentrating on the above indicators of musculoskeletal health will make a runner much more efficient, quick, and powerful.