Of course, running shoe aficionados argue that running without any support for the foot and ankle also leads to injury. Their position is that while barefoot (or almost barefoot, running might work for some people with great biomechanics, supportive shoes are necessary for those with less than perfect mechanics (i.e. pronators, supinators, etc.).

So the question for barefoot running is: Who’s right?

Well a recent study suggests that both camps might have some truth to their arguments. The study analyzed the biomechanics of thirty different runners who did sessions of barefoot running and shoed running. The authors compared the runners’ joint movements, knee forces, and achilles between footwear.

Barefoot and barefoot inspired footwear may serve to reduce the incidence of knee injuries in runners although corresponding increases in Achilles tendon loading may induce an injury risk at this tendon.

In other words, barefoot running may lessen the likelihood of knee injuries, but also may contribute to achilles problems. The reverse is true for supportive running shoes in that they may contribute to knee problems, but are less likely to contribute to achilles problems.

An important proviso for this study is that it merely analyzed the forces on specific areas of the body and theorized that such forces could lead to injury. It does not appear that the authors researched the actual prevalance of injuries in barefoot and shoed runners.

If nothing else, the study does emphasize the fact that there are no guarantees when choosing running footwear. Runners who experience a lot of injuries should get checked out by a podiatriatist or physical therapist to determine if there is an underlying cause for their problems.

The idea that injury issues will suddenly disappear by choosing a less supportive or more supportive shoe is simply incorrect.

[Science Direct]

The post Does barefoot running prevent or cause injuries? appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

The truth is that most people are not runners – and many engage in no form of exercise at all. The Huffington Post has an article about a recent study showing just how bad things have gotten.

For the study, scientists tracked the activity of 2,600 people for two years. They found that obese women average a mere 11 seconds a day of vigorous exercise (that’s about an hour a year), while men and women of normal weight exercised vigorously — engaging in fat-burning activities such as jogging or jumping rope — for fewer than two minutes daily, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The eleven seconds of exercise per day is appalling, but even more striking is the two minutes of daily exercise for people of “normal weight.” The article details the health costs resulting from the lack of exercise, which reach into the hundreds of billions each year.

Everyone would like a solution to getting more people to exercise, but imparting motivation to others is not easy. One option is to gently encourage people to go for an easy run with you or participate in slow paced fun runs with them.

Your reaching out could be the spark they need to begin a life of exercise and health.

[Huffington Post]

The post The costly obesity and exercise crises in the U.S. appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

For colds, the general rule is that running doesn’t hurt – and can actually help – if the symptoms are above the neck. If you have a cough, however, it is probably best to take the day off.

Flus are a different matter. The flu presents a greater challenger to your body’s immune system than the common cold and should not be taken lightly.

iRunFar.com has a good breakdown of what running with the flu does to your body.

So what happens if a stubborn runner decides to run during a fever-rich viral infection? The exercise has two prominent effects:

• It takes vital energy resources necessary for recovery away from the immune system, and redirects it toward exercise. Thus immune-system activity is decreased.
• It increases core body temperature even further, thus facilitating greater viral spread. This is most dangerous in the early stages of infection, when the body has yet to develop virus-killing antibodies.

In short, running with the flu is a bad idea. Don’t try to be a hero – rest and get better.

[iRunFar]

The post Should you run with a cold or the flu? appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

Instead of falling prey to the workaholic mentality, make a point to set aside time for non-work activities. As shown in a recent study by the Harvard Business Review, making time for exercise can improve your quality of life in all areas.

Of course, not all bosses and human resources managers understand the importance of exercise. You might receive negative comments for running at lunch or on the commute.

This is really unfortunate because running will help give you the work life balance you need to be a better employee.

[Harvard Business Review]

The post How running makes you a better employee appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

With that said, I do not believe that running is itself to blame for depression and suicides. In fact, running is one of the best ways to build confidence and feel better about yourself.

However, I do think that competitive running sometimes appeals to a certain kind of person: perfectionist, driven, type A, that may be more prone to experiencing feelings that they are never good enough, which can lead to a depressed mental state.

I think the lesson is that fellow runners and coaches need to understand the symptoms of depression and work to get affected runners the help they need.

[Daily Beast]

The post Are competitive female runners prone to depression? appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

The New York Times has an interesting article today on just how important exercise, such as running, is to reducing the negative effects of aging. The article highlighted a number of studies that have found exercise to be an important part of successful aging.

In one large-scale study published last fall that looked at more than 12,000 Australian men aged between 65 and 83, those who engaged in about 30 minutes of exercise five or so times per week were much healthier and less likely to be dead 11 years after the start of the study than those who were sedentary, even when the researchers adjusted for smoking habits, education, body mass index and other variables.

Although you may not have reached senior citizen status yet, get into the habit of prioritizing exercise now. Your efforts will provide you with the physical foundation needed to continue exercising far into the future.

[New York Times]

The post Running is key to slowing the harmful effects of the aging process appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

Of course, one big issue that didn’t exist pre-baby is “what do you do with the kid when you need to run?”

Ashley over at Food ‘n Fitness Diaries has a good set of tips for running post-partum. The advice includes running on a treadmill in your home and using a jogging stroller (when the baby is old enough). But probably the best advice is to have your significant other or other family member serve as a baby sitter.

Plan your long runs when you have a babysitter.

I do my long runs over the weekend when Cody is home. This way I don’t feel rushed, and I’m confident Hunter is well taken care of. I can also do my run outdoors, which is a huge plus. Before signing up for my race, Cody and I talked about his support being crucial. I had no doubt that he would have no problem with it, but I think it’s important to communicate expectations before jumping into something like this since it can be a bigger time commitment

Having a spouse that is willing to chip in to help you find time to train is a huge bonus. If your spouse is hesitant, explain the stress-reducing effects of running and how important it is to you.

[Food 'n Fitness Diaries]

The post Finding time to run after pregnancy appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

Marne Dunn, a digital literacy strategic program manager at the Folsom campus, took Awake@Intel twice and has co-taught it.

“The main benefits are aroused awareness of myself and how critical I am of myself and not allowing negative self-talk. It was a matter of being frustrated that I wasn’t getting anywhere and I wasn’t being heard. I was finding when you have negative stuff going on, you’re projecting that,” Dunn said.

Marne’s comment about avoiding “negative self talk” is really interesting.  In my opinion, one of the biggest roadblocks for running success is self negativity.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of putting yourself down with comments like “I will never be able to lose weight,” “running is pointless – I never get better,” or “my injury will never heal.”

These kinds of comments create a toxic environment that will prevent meaningful running successes.

As mentioned in the article, meditation may be one way to recognize negative self-talk stop it from consuming you. Take a few minutes every day to close your eyes and focus inward on your thoughts.

If you feel negative thoughts come into view, recognize them and get them out of your mind – focus instead on positive thoughts. This simple exercise may help your mind become a benefit for your running instead of a hindrance.

[Portland Business Journal]

The post Can mindfulness and meditation cut stress and improve your running? appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

One part of the article talks about a college professor who assigns the “happiness project” to students. 

Professor Betsy Allen-Pennebaker, who in addition to teaching Bodies instructs the first-year Core course Concepts of the Self (COR-110), said she assigns students a “happiness project” each semester to commit to one lifestyle change for a month that they believe will increase their individual happiness.
Most students choose one of two things: get more sleep or get more exercise. At the end of the month, students report on the experience from a psychological and neurological perspective. “All students report significant increase in how happy they are, but additionally how much energy they have, as well as their increased concentration and decreased fatigue in classes,” said Allen-Pennebaker.

Committing to one lifestyle change per month is a really neat idea. Instead of trying to change everything at once (which usually results in failure), choose only one thing you want to change.

One month might be increasing your weekly running mileage. The next month might be getting an extra 30 minutes of sleep per night. The focus in the third month might be to cut down on desserts after dinner. 

After a few months, the happiness project will enable you to make significant lifestyle changes that can last.

[Huffington Post]

The post Commit to one lifestyle change per month to improve your life appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

The results, which come from the fittingly named ULTRA (Ultrarunners Longitudinal TRAcking) Study, include the health data and running experiences of 1212 ultramarathon runners who had recently completed an ultramarathon. Of that total, 933 reported some exercise-related injury in the past year. Of those runners, 783 (64.6 percent) say their injuries resulted in loss of at least one day of training. The median loss was 14 days.

Unfortunately, the study did not detail why some runners got injured and others didn’t.  One takeaway was that more experienced runners (with 7+ years of running) got injured less than newer runners.  Therefore, there is something to be said about sticking with running even if you seem to get hurt all the time.

The study should should also provide reassurance that nearly every serious runner will get hurt – you are not alone. By persevering through injuries, you will eventually develop a enough strength to lessening the likelihood of continually getting hurt.

[Yahoo]

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