New Balance Unboxes Its Mimimus Trail Runners

I love New Balance. Well, by default, I love them. There isn't a shoe on the rack anywhere that will fit my wide foot as well as New Balance. I am not a famous runner so obviously I'm not being courted for endorsements so it is unlikely I will ever be able to afford to have shoes custom-made for my wide-load (5E) feet. So now they have come out with what looks like the ultimate in "minimal" shoes-- about as light and stripped down as you will find -- supposed to be as close as you can get (with protection) to running barefoot. They won't be on the market until the Spring-- I really hope they come in wiiiidddde widths so I can be out on the same playing field as the guys with narrower feet, eh. Here's a vid of hippie ultramarathoner Anton Kopricka (who has been running marathons since age 12) talking about this New Balance Minimus. Note his really ugly feet. My feet are wide but my wife says they are kind of cute. So there ya go.

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Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional.

No Broken Hearts for Older Marathoners

You've probably heard people talking about how old runners just keel over and die? Well, maybe you haven't, but I have. There is almost a gleefulness by the person proclaiming this-- look here, they are implying, all this strenuous running after a certain age is not healthy for you, in fact, better that you just take up residence on your couch and settle for the weekly (hospital shuttle) runs between here and the cardiac recovery unit in Victoria (or wherever).

Well, sorry, hate to be a toldjaso kind of person, but they just completed a study of older runners (average age of 50, oldest runner in the study= 72) in Sweden that showed after the 2006 and 2007 Berlin Marathon there were some transient changes to the heart experienced by a few of the 167 runners in the study, but no lasting damage.

Doctors examined the runners 10 days before, just after completing the race, and two weeks later. As you would expect, their heart rate jumped considerably just after the race (from an average 62 bpm before to 88 bpm average just after the race). Although more than half the runners tested for increased levels of troponin T and/or N-terminal pro-B-type natriuetic peptide (both markers of heart damage) right after crossing the finish line, just two weeks later these key parameters were back in place with normal levels. The most likely reason for the transient damage was probably dehydration-- a big problem for most marathon runners, regardless of age. Us older runners, particularly, have to make a big effort to stop at all the water stations along the route-- cool runners, that is what we need to be-- recognizing that good pure water keeps us hydrated and keeps our engine from over-heating and-- heaven forbid-- blowing up.

In the meantime, please pass the H2O cuz I got me some running to do... _______________________________________

Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional. Study cited from write up August 31 in www.WebMD.com. The photo above shows me in the June 2010 1/2 Marathon at Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The Modern Slim of the Middle Ground

Ab Belt? I don't watch TV (don't have cable thus have no reception-- nada-- zip-- blanko) so I don't get the Infomercial channel. What do you know about these Ab belts? They remind me a little of the blow up ab-trimmer I bought back in the 80s... it was supposed to sweat the inches off I think. I don't remember it being successful.

Here's what I find online:

"...Wikipedia recognizes it as successful method of training, and also states that EMS is FDA certified. From this information I formed the opinion that EMS machines do work, yet in practice many people use them in the wrong way or not for long enough, therefore people do not reap the benefits.

Unfortunately, the traditional saying of 'You pay what you get for' is true here, as many companies have started trying to produce very cheap abs belts to beat their competition, but they have forgotten that the fundamental thing that sells an abs belt is its technology, and with cheap prices, the affect of abs belts are minimal!" ~from Ryan Fisher at Squidoo

Do Ab Belts work as a training support for runners and other athletes?

"...

What the Rio people forget to mention however, is that this belt alone will not give you Britney’s tummy. In order to lose the flab from your tum you need to get a good deal of aerobic exercise, as well as working your muscles. A brisk half hour walk every day, climbing the stairs and walking to the next bus stop are all easy ways to get your heart working. No matter how rock hard your muscles are, you need to get rid of the fat on top of them before you can wear those belly tops!

4/5- Sit-ups are faster but this is a lot more comfortable! " from Little Ewok

Have you tried one of the Ab Belts? What do you think? Make a good Valentine Gift? (nah, I didn't think so hehehhe)

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Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional.

Eating for the Love of the World...

This is a very interesting video that looks at the way we eat and how it affects not only us, but our world. Are future generations going to look back on us with scorn or with respect and admiration? Question: is there a way where we can eat that will mean that families elsewhere will have a better quality of life? What do you think?

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Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional.

Secret of Being Born To Run

Who has read this book? It is fascinating to me that there are people who can run and not suffer from all of our "modern" foot ailments-- (i.e., how many people do you know who have made it into their 50s without a diagnosis of fasciitis and a prescription for othotics?)so I am really anxious to read this book. I heard that there is some talk about how chia seed was/is used as an excellent energy-food by Mexican runners (we eat chia seed every day here). It certainly would be great to know that there is a way out of buying expensive running gear and that our kids and granddaughters are not doomed to wearing orthotics some day. I also read in one of the 357 reviews (averaging 4 1/2 stars-- phenomenal!) of this book by a review by reader George Macdonald:

"If, when you finish with this book, you don't immediately get yourself outside and run like hell, then there's probably not a drop of living blood in you. This book is the perfect antidote to everything that's wrong with modern running and the way to find everything that's still so right with it. Even if it were all a work of fiction McDougall's tale would still be worth the price of admission. Fabulous."

There is lots to read on-line about this book, but I want the real thing. You can also get it for Kindle.


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Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional.

My Favorite Local World-Wide Adventurers

My wife sometimes "accuses me" of being an adventurer (read: "taking unnecessary risks" by doing solo day trips walking or hiking in nearby nature) but when I read and hear about REAL adventurers' sojourns I have to chuckle. Colin and Julie Angus are adventurers and authors of Rowed Trip. They actually live in the Comox Valley (when they aren't off adventuring). Their most recent adventure was a trip by row boat and bicycle through Scotland (Colin's heritage) and through Europe (Julie's mother is German) and to Syria in the Middle East (where Julie's father is from).
Listen to an audio conversation with Colin and Julie Angus hosted by Sheryl MacKay on North by Northwest. (if this link is broken, go to CBC.ca and search under the podcasts since CBC Radio is now switching from audio archiving to podcast archiving.) They write riveting books and also make DVDs of their adventures. The CBC interview in this blog ALMOST makes up for missing hearing them in person (so far)-- we did hear Colin when he returned from his human-powered trip around the world and it was so inspiring-- I recommend any of these books for other "armchair adventurers" out there!
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Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional.

Raw Vegan Marathoner with Running Back Physique

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Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional.

Raw Nutrition with Brendan Brazier

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Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional.

3000 Loo Rolls in Hastings Half-Marathon

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Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional.

Ultramarathoner eats 25 pounds of fruit a day

Ultramarathoner tells about how his change to a 80-10-10 diet has changed his life, not just as an elite athlete, but also in other areas of his life.


Happy New Year!
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Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional.