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1. This Runner Couldn’t Find the Right Shoes for Races, So She Launched Her Own Women’s-Focused Brand:
The ultracompetitive running shoe market has a new player, and women runners are its priority.
Hilma, a women’s-focused direct-to-consumer running shoe brand, is set to enter the marketplace. The shoe launch is slated for October via Join-hilma.com with a $159 price tag. The waitlist is open now, and Hilma confirmed it has already received thousands of signups.
Today, the company announced it has secured a $3 million seed investment led by Brand Foundry Ventures, whose prior investments include footwear brands Rothy’s, Tecovas and Allbirds. Other participants in the round include former Nike president and former Banana Republic CEO Jeanne Jackson; co-founder and resident of Rothy’s Roth Martin; founder and executive chairman of Tecovas Paul Hedrick; founder and CEO of Ceremonia Babba Rivera; founder and former RunKeeper CEO Jason Jacobs.
More...from Footwear News.
2. Keep Moving FWD: How Adidas and Carbon 3D Updated the 4DFWD:
What You Need To Know
We headed to the Pacific Northwest to hunt for bigfoot
Somehow we ended up at Adidas HQ instead, which is just as good
Here’s what we learned about the updated technology that makes up the 4DFWD
We all have runs where it feels like we’re stuck moving in place despite every step we take. Luckily, Adidas seems to have come up with the solution to tackle this running nightmare — the Adidas 4DFWD. Designed specifically to move runners forward, this shoe provides a non-stop, smooth forward transition with every step.
This past week we traveled up to the infamous Portland, Oregon, to get a better introduction to the Adidas team as they lead us forward into the future of running. Although we didn’t find bigfoot while there, we learned a lot about the updated Adidas 4DFWD line and the possibilities presented by Carbon’s 3D-printing technology.
More...from Believe in the Run.
3. The Secret To Exercise: Research Shows It’s How Often You Do It, Not How Much:
Everyone agrees that exercise is important but is it better to work out a lot a few times each week or a little bit each day?
So, should I work out for longer once a week or a little bit each day?
It’s a conundrum that many health-conscious people face, and a new study from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has a solution. This recent study reveals a little bit of daily activity might well be the most beneficial approach, at least for muscular strength. Fortunately, it also implies that you don’t need to put in a ton of effort every day.
More...from SciTechDaily.
4. World Athletics looking into menstrual cycle research - Coe:
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has hailed as "worthwhile" comments by female athletes questioning the apparent lack of research into the effect of the menstrual cycle on performance.
Coe told AFP in an interview in Zurich, host of the Diamond League finals, that he was currently "examining the landscape" to see what research into periods was actually available.
"I have asked our health and science teams to give me the background to whether or not there is research out there," Coe said.
"And if there is, is it being disseminated properly? Are we really understanding as much as we possibly can?
"Is there a need for us to (carry out research) if there is a delta of understanding, or is that something that we can start doing?"
More...from France24.
5. When Harry wants to be Sally: Proposed changes to Title IX seek to enshrine gender identity as reality:
While U.S. citizens, and particularly women and parents, should be celebrating the golden jubilee of Title IX, marking 50 years of protection against sex discrimination, they are instead feverishly trying to stop the Biden administration from implementing sweeping changes to the 1972 federal civil rights law. The proposed regulations undermine the initial premise of Title IX, prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. These regulations will chill speech and enshrine gender identity as a reality, which could trump sex-based, freedom of speech and religious rights.
The new protected class
The federal government is using its financial might to force capitulation to the illogical mantra that a person’s belief about his gender is reality and that anyone who questions or disagrees with that belief system is guilty of sex-based harassment. Protections based on sex will be rendered meaningless. The “protected class” will no longer be based upon immutable biological characteristics but instead upon a range of people’s “feelings about their sex”—feelings that are subjective, fluid and often transitory. The confusion and harm these regulations will cause to children and youth cannot be underestimated, nor can the erosion of parental rights.
More...from The Ohio Press Network.
6. How to Boost Your Immune System: 3 Tips for Athletes:
Check off these three boxes to keep your immunity up as cold and flu season approaches.
While COVID restrictions have eased in many places, there continue to be hot spots where cases are spiking. And though we’re not in peak cold or flu season, it won’t be too long until these get into full swing. With this in mind, let’s take a look at several proven, medication-free strategies for supporting healthy immune function so you can maintain your overall well-being and keep up the continuity of your training and racing.
1. Sleep Longer and Better
You’re probably well aware of how sleep impacts your recovery from today’s session and prepares you to perform well tomorrow. But did you also know that it’s an essential component of regulating your immune function?
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and University of Virginia Health Sciences Center investigated the link between sleep duration and quality and the risk of catching the common cold. Publishing their results in Archives of Internal Medicine, they concluded that people who slept less than seven hours were almost three times more susceptible than those who got eight hours or more, while those with low sleep efficiency (i.e., not staying asleep for most of the time they were in bed) were five and a half times more likely to get sick.
More...from Training Peaks.
7. How to Avoid Hurting Yourself at the Gym:
Here are the four exercises you’re most at risk of doing wrong — and what can keep you safe.
Torn ligaments. Pulled muscles. Overuse injuries. With every new exercise routine comes a new risk of injury, whether it’s straining a muscle from lifting, developing knee pain from running, or tearing a tendon during calisthenics. With an estimated 8.6 million sports and recreation-related injuries each year in America, these fears are not unfounded.
However, before you let this fear keep you from starting a new exercise routine, the good news is that the majority of sports injuries are “overuse-related, rather than traumatic, meaning they typically don’t require surgery,” said Dr. Matthew Matava, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician at Washington University in St. Louis.
More...from the New York Times.
8. Why do my legs hurt so much after some workouts?
You might have spotted pro triathlete Sam Pictor chatting to Andy about his ‘Everesting’ challenge on our YouTube channel. He felt like he’d taken a "sledgehammer to the quads" after the event, which got us talking in the office about all the times we’d experienced a similar feeling after tough races.
In most cases it's a classic case of DOMS taking effect, but there's also situations where a more serious condition called rhabdomyolysis could come into play...
Most serious athletes are familiar with the feeling of sore, achy muscles. You might have even contemplated taking the stairs backwards the day after a hard workout or race (and, to avoid embarrassment, probably settled on taking them very, very slowly...). But why does this happen? And is it ever something more serious?
Three Oregon Ducks American Football players would answer ‘yes’ to that question. After days of gruelling, ‘military-style’ workouts that involved hundreds of push-ups and up-downs, they were each left with life-long kidney damage after being hospitalised with ‘rhabdomyolysis'
More...from Precision Hydration.
9. The Best Fall Running Gear We’ll Be Using in 2022:
It's the best time of year to log miles. Here's what we use for ours.
Fall is without question the best season for running, so we’ve put an obscene amount of time and effort into researching, procuring and testing a variety of gear for the upcoming training season. Spanning apparel, footwear, accessories and recovery tools, we’ve rounded up our the best fall running gear from brands like Tracksmith, Hoka, Smartwool and more. Some are holdouts from previous seasons, while others have wormed their way into our running rotation thanks to innovative tech, unmatched comfort or the simple shift in temperature. Below, the best fall running gear we’ll be using for 2022.
The Best Fall Running Clothes:
The Top: District Vision Air-Weave Strech-Mesh T-Shirt
Los Angeles-based botique running label District Vision may be lauded for their chic, minimalist designs and high-profile endorsements — they span running royalty Tinman Elite to Jeff Goldblum — but their apparel is no joke. The Air-Weave Tee is perfect for dipping fall temps; tightly perforated for air flow and mobility, it’s light enough to handle the longest of runs but warm enough to fend off fall’s chill.
Mpre...from Inside Hook.
10. Sex Differences in Running Are More Complicated Than We Thought:
Women are said to be 10 to 12 percent slower than men across distances, but a new analysis finds narrower gaps for sprinters.
A pretty good rule of thumb is that women, on average, tend to be about 10 to 12 percent slower than men across a wide range of running distances. That used to be an uncontroversial observation. But these days, with debates swirling about the participation of transgender athletes and those with differences of sexual development (DSD) in elite sport, such pronouncements are more fraught. Is that gap an ironclad rule of nature, or a sociocultural artifact?
A new study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, from Emily McClelland and Peter Weyand of Southern Methodist University, digs into the nuances on this topic, and finds evidence that different rules apply in short sprints compared to long endurance events. (Ultramarathons, as usual, are yet another story.) This is a particularly interesting finding given the seemingly odd regulations that currently apply to DSD runners such as Caster Semenya, which affect only events between 400 and one mile—the distances at the intersection between sprint and endurance regimes.
More...from Sweat Science on Outside Online.
12. Gravel Biking Is Picking Up Speed:
A faster bicycle design with thicker tires is allowing cyclists to explore America’s 2.2 million miles of dirt road.
Early in the pandemic, Shequaya Bailey bought a gravel bike. She’d been an avid road cyclist for years, and was even the president of the Pittsburgh Major Taylor Cycling Club, but she wanted to try something new.
Gravel cycling, simply put, is riding on unpaved roads. Similar to mountain biking, it opens up diverse terrains, ranging from wide-open dirt roads to chunky gravel to smooth trails. But like road biking, you can move swiftly without getting in over your head (or handlebars) on challenging terrain.
Ms. Bailey’s gravel bike expanded her “comfort, access and peace of mind” when exploring the counties around her home in Western Pennsylvania, she said. So she loaded her gravel bike with camping gear and rode the 333-mile Greater Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath to Washington, D.C. She pedaled for four days through deciduous forests, visited historic towns, explored caves and wandered Virginia’s Great Falls along the route.
More...from the New York Times.
13. Is sleep and rest the same thing?
How often do you wake up feeling exhausted despite having got what you would consider a good night’s sleep?
Generally, we think we are well rested because we have managed to get a good night’s kip, but you may be surprised to learn this is not necessarily true. There are different types of rest needed for different aspects of our wellbeing! The reality is if you are waking up exhausted despite having just pushed out 6-8hrs of unbroken sleep, you are missing out one or more types of rest needed.?
Consider the following:
Physical rest (This can be passive or active).?
Passive physical rest includes sleeping and napping.
Active physical rest means restorative activities such as yoga, stretching and massage therapy that help improve the body’s circulation and flexibility.
More...from Optimise Your Age.
14. Which works better--speed work, or distance?
It’s the essential training question--the one we all want to have answered. You’re increasing training for an upcoming race, and want to know which type of training will give you the biggest payoff: more speedwork, or more distance? A Finnish research team recently tackled this question using a 2-week training block for comparative purposes.
Here’s the key data: 2 groups of mid-30s runners averaging about 30 miles per week were placed into performance-matched groups. One, the Interval group, then did the same workout (6 x 3 minutes hard) 10 times in the next two weeks. They basically maintained their prior mileage. The Volume group, by contrast, did 10 slow, comfortable runs that increased mileage by 70% to 48 miles per week.
Who won the race? It was basically a tie, with both groups improving by about 2 percent.
The Interval trainers seemed to struggle more, at least in terms of increased muscle soreness and decreased heart rate variability (a higher score is better). This caused the researchers to comment that interval training might leave “less margin for error.”
More...from Run Long, Run Healthy.
15. Running vs. Triathlon Running: What’s the Difference?
Running after riding a bike is much different from running on fresh legs. Learn about the physiology of running vs. triathlon running, plus how to estimate your triathlon run time.
When comparing runners at the start of a road race to triathletes leaving T2, it becomes obvious that standalone running and triathlon running have their differences. Although the crossover benefits of aerobic training are undeniable, a fast open 5k time is no guarantee of a fast half marathon off the bike; conversely, the athlete mowing through the field in the back half of an Ironman marathon might not be the one breaking the tape at the local Turkey Trot. An elite runner turning to triathlon might create a buzz, and triathlon fans may enjoy speculating what their favorite pro could run in an open marathon, but sport is filled with numerous examples proving that the relationship between standalone and triathlon running is individual, multifactorial, and certainly not linear.
How is running in a triathlon different from running a 5K?
What, then, causes some of the difference between standalone and triathlon running? Factors such as muscle fatigue, dehydration and glycogen depletion, decreases in mechanical efficiency, and changes in running economy lead to increased oxygen consumption when running after cycling. Anaerobic energy expenditure has been found to be increased, as well. These changes cause the energy cost of triathlon running to be anywhere from 1.6-11.6% greater than standalone running at the same pace. Even moderate intensity cycling has been shown to alter cardiorespiratory variables and increase running cost. Some studies have found biomechanical changes with running off of the bike that negatively impact running economy, including decreased stride length, altered stride time variability, more forward lean, and changes in ankle angle at initial contact. The forward flexed position of riding leads to increased anterior pelvic tilt and spine extension with decreased hip extension, which can impact performance, and increase injury risk. Other research has shown neuromuscular alterations, such as changes in muscle activation patterns in the quadriceps and hamstrings with triathlon running. And if those first few minutes feel the stiffest, that’s because they are- ankle and hip range of motion are most impacted in the first ten minutes after cycling.
More...from Triathlete.
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