Run to Win

This week last year covered a lot of news, and I answered quite a few reader questions.

• This week last year started off with The Running Shoe FAQ, which explained why runners wear specialty shoes and what makes them different from normal walking shoes.
• I answered a question from an aerobics instructor about how to treat posterior shin splints, including what they are, how to best treat them, and how to prevent them from coming back.
• I was asked “What is the difference between swiss balls and medicine balls?” by Susan. Swiss balls are the large inflatable balls that you can sit on, while medicine balls are the small weighted balls that you can use in place of dumbbells. For good measure, I also explained what a bosu ball was.
• Some friends of mine ran the Vermont 100 mile race last year for the first time, and all three have continued on for their ultramarathoning endeavors. In fact, there were 5 guys who went to Vermont last weekend to compete in this year’s event from our training group.
• On the news front, the IAAF finally agreed to work with Oscar Pistorius to determine whether or not his prosthetics give him an advantage. I also provided a new wrap up that covered stories about new Junior American records, doping at the Tour de France, Disney’s move to ban smoking in their movies, and a study that found that obesity is contagious.
• This week two years ago, I continued my series on how to ice sore muscles by explaining how to give yourself an ice massage and how to use an ice bath. I spent a little time exploring the cost of racing and how much race registration fees can cost. I also discussed how gastrointestinal problems are affected by running.
• This week three years ago, Lance Armstrong won his final Tour. I also gave some tips about proper hydration and how to time rest intervals while lifting weights.

This week last year had more of the same with race results and NFL picks. I also discussed:

• A video demonstration of how to tie your shoes so that they do not come untied while you are running is one of my most linked to articles on this site. I use the runner’s knot every day and have yet to have a pair of shoes come untied since I started using it a few years ago. I also listed a few exercise related How-To articles that were written on other sites around the same time.
• I reviewed Chariots of Fire, which must be the most well known running movie ever made.
• Dean Karnazes began the Endurance 50 and ran his first of 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. This year, Brad Alsop is running a marathon every day between the 4^th of July and Veteran’s Day on November 11^th. So far, he has run 82 of the 131 marathons in his efforts to raise money for the Injured Marine Semper Fi fund.
• I learned how to mix up my pushups with medicine balls, which has become my standard method over the past year. I also offered a race tip: run a bit early in the morning before a race to properly loosen up your body.
• Two years ago, I climbed Mount Washington and I wrote about gym etiquette.

Susan from the Workin’ on My Fitness site recently wrote about doing some ab work in order to get over some work-related stress. I asked her whether she had ever tried using a swiss ball rather than using a machine or just a mat. She emailed me back with the following question:

I’ve never used a swiss ball, although I’ve used those balls that are weighted. Is there a difference? I’m down to trying anything new when it comes to ab work.

It turns out that she does in fact have a swiss ball, she just had not heard the terms that I refer to them as before. Below I have provided a brief description of medicine balls and swiss balls, as well as their ugly step-brother the bosu ball.
(Click here to continue reading…)

Friday afternoon I went for a 15 mile run averaging race pace even with warmup and cooldown. When I returned to the gym, I was a little tight so I decided to stretch for 20 or 30 minutes before showering and continuing on my way.

While I was stretching, I saw a man doing pushups on medicine balls. First he started off with a medicine ball under each hand. Then he moved onto putting the medicine balls under his feet. Then he moved on to putting a medicine ball beneath each foot and each hand. I was chatting with him, and he said that it did not take too long to get used to doing the pushups with the four medicine balls. The real challenge, he asserted, was using one medicine ball for both feet and one medicine ball for both hands.
(Click here to continue reading…)