Foot Strike - the science and recommendations

Continuing my series on the basics of running, I've added a page on Foot Strike. The different strike patterns of landing on your forefoot, midfoot or heel are rather controversial, so I've reviewed the available science and made some recommendations. I've also added a related page on Overstriding.   (The page on high speed video analysis is not complete yet, so that link goes nowhere.)

Breathing while running

I was recently asked if you should breathe through your nose or mouth when you run. Typically, breathing is something that new runners tend to worry about, but in most cases you can let your body do its own thing. There are exceptions, such as overheating, asthma, and altitude. More details at http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Breathing

Altitude Training and Disease

I've made added some brief notes on the use of altitude training, specifically Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure, for treating Asthma, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, and Cancer. The research on Asthma is reasonably well established, but the other diseases are at very early stages. http://fellrnr.com/wiki/The_Science_of_Intermittent_Hypoxic_Exposure

Post Race Recovery

I was recently asked about post-race recovery, so I've created a new article that focuses on what to do in the hours, days, weeks and months after a marathon or ultramarathon race. http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Post_Race_Recovery

Calluses and blister prevention

I was just asked about blisters that form under calluses, so I’ve added some notes to my page on blister prevention.

The perception of heat on exercise

I've noted in many of the marathons I've paced that the runners are unaware of how much the temperature is slowing them down. I've also realized in my own running that mild temperatures tend to produce the perception of increased fatigue, rather than being too hot. I've found some research that backs this up, and updated my pages on http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Running_in_the_Heat and http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Impact_of_Heat_on_Marathon_Performance

 

I've even changed my list of marathon racing mistakes to make this #2, as it's the most common problems I see when pacing marathons. (It would be #1, but while mistake #1 is rare, it can kill you)