Why are the Vaporfly and Alphafly so special?
The Nike Vaporfly 4%, Next%, and now the Alphafly Next%; the world’s most controversial line of shoes have made running popular enough that it actually got on the news – and not just because of the Olympics. But, what made these shoes so controversial? Was it the carbon fiber plate, the new specialized foam, or how it aided Eliud Kipchoge in accomplishing the once-thought impossible feat of a sub two-hour marathon? Well, today, with the power of SCIENCE, and hours, nay, days of research I have found the answer. For a brief moment, let’s recall an earlier post about the history and evolution of running shoes, in which we learned that Nike popularized an increase in the cushioning of shoes, especially in the back heel, with the Nike Cortez. This became a trend in daily trainers, with running shoes becoming higher in volume and overall cushioning to absorb more of…
Saucony Endorphin Pro: The ARM Review
In the carbon fiber arms race taking over the running industry, the new Saucony Endorphin Pro is Excalibur, Zeus’ mighty thunderbolt, or, perhaps even the Infinity Gauntlet. It is top-tier, a thing of beauty, and an absolute monster on the roads. There are two necessary questions to answer when assessing the new wave of carbon fiber plated racing shoes. First, what is the shoe like? Very important. Second, how does it stack up compared to the gold standard that the the Nike Vaporfly, and now Alphafly, series has set? Perhaps more important. Let’s dive in. Out of the box, the Endorphin Pro will make you tear up a little bit. Mostly because the shoe is truly beautifully designed, but also because of a noticeable chemical smell from the shoes (don’t worry, it fades pretty quickly). The shoe is flashy and bold with the mostly white color scheme, but it’s not…
The Evolution of Running Shoes
To whoever says that running shoes aren’t rocket science, you obviously haven’t paid attention to the latest innovations in shoe design! Carbon fiber plates act like diving boards to give runners a little extra spring, while new foam cushioning with high energy return makes shoes both more comfortable and more responsive. Then, there are heel-to-toe offsets to make running easier, but even there, we don’t see agreement — some runners choose low to no heel offset shoes, while others seek out the exact opposite. It’s a lot! So, how did shoes get to this point of complexity? Some say heel offset (the heel resting higher than the toe) in running shoes has its origins in horse riding boots, as they have extra material in the heel to sit in the stirrups more comfortably, which eventually translated into extra cushioning in the back heel for running. Others believe that it’s based on…
Science of Running: Intense Training and the Immune System
When trying to stay safe and healthy during our present public health crisis, it’s good to fact check the glut of information available to us against medically qualified sources. A big one for us? The claim that intense training can weaken the immune system. This is partly true, but don’t let that scare you into tossing away your P90x or sprint workouts just yet. We’re going to science our way through this! When looking at scientific journals and reports (listed at the end of this post), we see that when attempting intense training, there can be a temporary suppression of immune functions and thus a slight increase in susceptibility to infection, otherwise known as the “Open Window” theory. However, this occurs after prolonged sessions of intense workouts of around two to three hours, with a rest in between intervals of less than one minute, and going at close to max…
Glitter Gals: Representing the Bay Area at the Olympic Trials
I am so blessed to be a runner. It has taken me to places I never could have imagined and connected me to people that have changed my life. This past February, I ran in the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta — an experience worth a lifetime of miles and worthy of its own blog post! Since then, I have been reflecting a lot on the importance of the community that runs around me. I never would have made it to Atlanta without my community. I was honored to travel to Atlanta with eight of my teammates and our coaches and our families. In this time of social distancing and shelter-in-place, it can feel like we are running alone more than ever. But do any of us really ever run alone? I made a decision a long time ago to prioritize running. It is a decision that I recommit to all the time. When…
Science of Running: How We Became Runners
It has been two weeks since the shelter-in-place mandate, and there is a lot of scary news regarding health, hygiene, and how we all have to live with minimal amounts of excursions from our own homes. However, human nature and evolution goes against just staying at home, as many have taken to the streets to run off that third tub of Cheetos and escape the confinement of our couches. So, why should you join the many in going out for a run? Simple — we evolved from swinging on trees like Tarzan to becoming ultramarathon hunters, and to this day are still natural-born runners. The human body is incredible and cleverly put together in a way that makes us one of the best-equipped animals to go extreme distances. Millions of years ago, we evolved from classical primates that looked similar to current ape species. So, what changed? For starters, we…
Base Building Workouts to do During an Off-season
During the present COVID-19 pandemic, several sources have recommended limiting high-intensity training that could possibly weaken our immune systems. Long runs or hard interval sessions can deplete our glycogen levels and leave us more susceptible. I agree with this and would suggest keeping the majority of training aerobic and limit most higher efforts to a ‘comfortably hard’ tempo at most, such as marathon pace. If you are going to run faster paces, keep the number of reps on the lighter side compared to what you would normally do in training. With no races in the near future, this is a perfect time to focus on staying healthy, keeping up base training and laying the foundation. The following strength workouts are great for base building periods like the one we’re all in, and can all be done at a moderately hard effort without overdoing it. Long Hill Repeats/ Hill Circuits Find…
Get Through the Quarantine With Some of Our Favorite Books About Running
So, you’re working from home. And your gym is closed. And your restaurants are take-out only. And day-care is closed. Are you losing your mind yet??? The good news is that our favorite activity, running, remains pretty much the same. Running is one of the best activities on the best of days. As it turns out, running is one of the best activities on the worst of days too. Fresh air, blood pumping, time out of the house, time to yourself — running can save our sanity in these high-anxiety times. But, we can only run for so many hours each day. That brings us back to the main problem with this shelter-in-place order — there are a lot of hours in the day to fill. As you wait out the next few weeks, here are seven of our favorite books to help you find some escape even when you can’t…
What Running Socks Are and Why They Matter
At its core, running is simple — put on the shoes, lace them up, and get going. You really don’t need much more to get by, right? Well, maybe not. Let’s take a closer look at, yes, the humble sock. First, we need to say farewell to our old friend, cotton. Cotton: soft, lightweight, natural — what’s not to like? Unfortunately, one of the most important characteristics of cotton is that the material absorbs moisture, rather than repelling it. What does that mean for running? When you sweat, your cotton apparel, including your socks, absorbs that sweat and keeps it on your body. Combine that with friction from movement, and you often get abrasive rubbing, blistering, and chafing. In other words, no fun. Your generic athletic sock from a department store 6-pack is likely made mostly of cotton. Those socks cover your feet, but don’t protect them. The main causes of blisters…
The Importance of the Warm-up and the Cool-down
Unless we’re in the ranks of the elite runners, we have to weave our running into our daily lives and schedules — not always an easy task. We have these small windows where we can fit in a few miles here or there without any wiggle room, often leaving things like the warm-up and cool-down by the wayside. Other times, we don’t feel like doing all the pre- and post-run prep, just wanting to lace up the shoes and go. No matter the reason, when we skip out on warming up and cooling down, we also skip out on the chance to properly set ourselves up for success with the workout and recovery. The benefit of the extra ten to twenty minutes spent doing these things extends far beyond the workout itself! Why you should warm up It’s beneficial to warm up before any type of workout so that we can…