Build Your Running Body by Pete Magill

Build Your Running Body: A Total-Body Fitness Plan for All Distance Runners, from Milers to Ultramarathoners - Run Farther, Faster, and Injury-Free is a book I have been waiting to be released for awhile and it has just been published. I sent in my order and should have it in a few days. Pete Magill, one of the authors along with Tom Schwartz and Melissa Breyer, is the fastest American distance runner over age 50 in the 5K and 10K and used to run the blog Younger Legs for Older Runners. I look forward to reading it and from the list of accolades from the running community, the book sounds like a winner. I am not so gung-ho that running is the best exercise anymore. I have seen what it has done to my body after 40 years of running and I watch time and again multiple running friends give up the sport in their 40s and 50s as their bodies can no longer handle the running life that was so easy for us when we were younger. There has to be a better way to stay healthy, particularly as long time runners hit their 50s. Wear and tear and imbalances wreak havoc once you hit a certain age. Maybe this book offers younger runners a plan so as not to make the same mistakes us older runners have (just run and it will all work out). It also may offer a way back for those of us whose bodies have let us down. I certainly will read this and write a review, but if you are an aging runner or one who doesn't want to end up on the injured list, you might want to give this book a shot.

Here is what the book offers according to Amazon:

Whether you're a miler or an ultramarathoner, if you want a fit, fast, and injury-resistant running body, there's a better way to train than relentlessly pursuing mileage. This easy-to-use workout manual draws on the latest research in running physiology to target all the components that go into every stride—including muscles, connective tissue, cardiovascular fitness, energy production, the nervous system, hormones, and the brain. With the breakthrough whole-body training program inBuild Your Running Body, runners will improve their times, run longer and more comfortably, and reduce injury.
With more than 150 workouts—from weightlifting and cross-training to resistance exercises and plyometrics—fine-tuned to individual skill levels and performance goals, PLUS:
• 393 photos that make it easy to follow every step of every workout• 10 training programs to help runners of all levels integrate the total-body plan into their daily routines• Interviews with leading runners, exercise scientists, and coaches—learn how elite runners train today• Race strategy for the crucial weeks leading up to the competition and through to the finish line• Exercises to prevent injury and rehabilitate common running ailments• Seasoned insight on barefoot running, the pros and cons of stretching, and other hot-button topics• Nutrition guidance on carbs, proteins, fats, and weight loss• More than 30 recipes to speed recovery and cement fitness gains• Beginners' guidelines every step of the way• Valuable tips on proper apparel, tracking your progress, and more!

For those who want to learn more, there is a Facebook page, a new blog, and a new website for more information. I had also heard that Pete Magill has used an ElliptiGO when injured and according to the new site,  the ElliptiGO is,"The ideal cross-training device for healthy runners and the best replacement for running for injured runners."

Here is an excerpt from the book detailing 12 Exercises to Build Your Running Body.

Running and Riding alongside the best

Sometimes a fan or spectator can pull off something truly majestic like this guy who wheelied himself into history alongside 2014 Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali and celebratory teammates on the Champs-Elysees today.



At other times, someone makes the effort, like this little kid did, during the 2014 Commonwealth Games Women's Marathon this morning and it doesn't turn out as planned.



These remind me of the old ABC Wide World of Sports saying, "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."

100 Seconds to Beat the World: The David Rudisha Story

This outstanding documentary was shown on the BBC this week and is well worth watching.

Documentary telling the story of Kenyan athlete David Rudisha, the greatest 800m runner the world has ever seen, and his highly unusual coach, the Irish Catholic missionary Brother Colm O'Connell. Shot over ten years, the film begins in 2005 when we first meet David as a shy 16-year-old arriving at a training camp with nothing but a dream of emulating his father's 1968 Olympic silver medal. The camp is run by the unlikeliest of coaches, missionary and amateur athletics trainer Brother Colm, who quickly spots his talent. Together they embark on a journey through injury, disappointment and terror when violence sweeps through the country in the aftermath of the 2008 election, all the way to the 2012 Olympics and the greatest 800m race the world has ever seen.
With unprecedented access and featuring interviews with Seb Coe and Steve Cram, this is an epic, magical and uplifting tale that reaches far beyond sport.

If you have Hola installed on Chrome, you can watch it on the BBC:  If not you can watch it here:



One thing missing from the Documentary was video of his Olympic World Record run. You can find it here on youtube.

You might also enjoy this documentary on Brother Colm as narrated by Eamonn Coghlan: Man on a Mission.

I just got back from two weeks in Kenya, but I can count all the runners I saw on both hands. I will admit to being ready to run myself if those hippos or crocodiles got a little closer. This is on the Masai Mara at the Hippo Pool on the Kenya/Tanzania border.

Year Anniversary on the ElliptiGO: new shoes Altra Paradigm

When I got my ElliptiGO last year, I decided to use it for a year to see if it would help my hip and my running stride. I kept away from running except for monthly short trial runs and snowshoe racing. I only ran a bit over 100 miles in that year. Riding the ElliptiGO was another story. In one year and five days, I accumulated 5000 miles! I thoroughly enjoy riding it whenever I can and a good fast 30 miler is my GOTO ride. I can say the ease and speed of riding is more fun than running (at least the running I can now do) and that the ideas of going distances and routes beyond what I can run keeps it interesting. However, I still miss running, particularly running fast and racing.

Well, on the one year anniversary of riding the ElliptiGO, it was time to see if I could run pain free. I got a new pair of shoes: the Altra Paradigm (I had always wondered what mixing an Altra shoe with a Hoka One One shoe would be like and this is that model). I went out for a 2 mile run with the new Altras and despite feeling sluggish, I liked the feel of the shoe. I ran midfoot and the rocker sole propelled me forward over my stiff toes. It was humbling to only do a 9:10 pace per mile, but I felt better than during other tests and highly encouraged. The next day, I ran 2 miles again, but at a faster pace, worked out for an hour and a half at the gym then ran another two miles. That was probably more than I could handle as my hip got sorer after the run. Each run was faster so that was encouraging. Because of the now familiar limp returning and soreness all night, I took a day off and ran the same two mile loop again. This time I got just under 8 minute pace and I was starting to enjoy short moments where I could feel my stride returning. After the run, I started stiffening up again and couldn't sleep at night due to the bones of my pelvis feeling like they were being pulled apart. My muscles and hip joint just still aren't ready for running, so I closed down that experiment and got back to being a full time ElliptiGO rider again.

I am not sure if it is even the hip joint that is the problem or just that my muscles aren't firing and holding my weight correctly when running. I will keep trying. I am going to Kenya for two weeks and when I return I will figure out what to try before I run the August Falmouth Road Race.

Notes about my  8 miles of running in the ALtra Paradigm:

They are very lightweight and comfortable.

They are a zero drop shoe, so they feel a little weird at first when standing or walking around with the rocker.

The wider forefoot gives my feet the room to spread out (see below) and also more stability for my running stride. There are two things that I have found helpful in the past year for overall body health (getting rid of musculoskeletal pains). I found that I need a full length shoe lift in my right shoe. Clearly Adjustable started making one that is easy to use as figure out the correct height. This works so much better than just a heel lift and has helped erase chronic lower back and sometimes upper back pains. Also whenever my left leg starts feeling wonky and and I get pains in my toes, behind the knee, and up the left hip, I have been using Correct Toes. The pains will disappear within a day of use. I have used them even in a 100 mile bike ride last year, I wanted to use these in a running shoe more often and the Altra is just the shoe for that. I also get more forefoot balance when I use them and they seem to help me use my 1st MPT joint which often just gives way and leads to my left foot rolling in.

Hoka running shoes were too tight for my forefoot and I ended up getting pairs that were almost one size larger than I needed, which ruined the rocker effect, but made them great shoes for my ElliptiGO riding because the toes can get sore from pushing into the front of the shoes. The Hoka One Ones are like tanks and with the extra room I had up front I had no toe problems.

The colors of my Altra Paradigms somewhat remind me of the old 1970s Nike Elite racing shoe seen here:

1978 Paul White Road Race in North Falmouth. Most of the
racers are sporting Nike Elites. I am in the blue and yellow racing
singlet.

I will be stopping not only my running attempts, but also my ElliptiGO riding as I will be traveling to Kenya tomorrow for another stint of teaching and working in the Mathare Valley slum in Nairobi. If you are interested, you can follow my trip here.