Words About Things

When the runner Siraj Gena crossed the finish line in first place at this year’s Rome marathon on Sunday he was missing his footwear. The Ethiopian had started the race wearing trainers but he ditched them about 500 meters before the end in tribute to legendary Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila. In 1960 Bikila ran the entirety of the Olympic marathon, which was also held in Rome, barefoot.

Most runners put a lot of emphasis of their trainers and spend time and money finding the perfect pair. Recently however there has been a lot of interest in the idea of running barefoot  or wearing trainers which simulate running barefoot. There are various reasons why running without trainers might be a good idea particularly if you are undertaking a big run such as a marathon. I have outlined some of the main benefits below:

• Running barefoot means you receive more feedback from your feet which can help you to improve your technique. Your balance should improve which will result in better support throughout your whole body. You will be able to ensure that you spread your toes in order to maximize your contact with the ground.
• When we run in shoes we tend to let our heels strike the ground first, this feels okay to us because of all the padding and impact protection in the heel of a running shoe, but it is not advised. When your heel hits the ground it acts as a brake which slows you down and transfers your energy into the heel of the shoe. If you look at the structure of your foot in becomes clear that the arch of your foot should absorb impact rather than your heel. Running barefoot lets you train yourself to land on your midfoot rather than your heel which keeps you moving with the minimum of resistance.
• Running barefoot may give you a more natural gait which means that you are using the correct muscles in your legs. Not having the boost of a padded heel may actually make you less prone to injury as it improves the position of your legs putting less strain on your Calf and Achilles.
  

There are clearly also potential downsides to running barefoot particularly if you train a lot. The changes in the way you run outlined above may lead to injury if you discard your trainers completely. If you mostly run on concrete you may find that not using trainers put excessive strain on your joints – perhaps the beach is the best place to start? You need to be careful where you run of course, running onto a rusty nail will put you out of action for long enough to seriously upset your training.

There are running shoes available which try to simulate the act of running barefoot without the risk of cutting your feet, Vibram Five Fingers are perhaps the most well known.  Having not used the shoes I can’t say how well they work – I can say that they look somewhat creepy with their individual toe compartments. Barefootrunningshoes.org has more information including some interesting photos showing how the structure of our feet is changed by wearing shoes. Nike also produce a range of shoes which simulate barefoot running call NikeFree Shoes. You don’t need fancy trainers to experience running barefoot of course all you need is a dog poop free park!

Judging by the people I pass on a weekly basis about half of those who run or jog do so whilst listening to music. Personally I could bear to run for an hour and a half without any kind of distraction at all, I find that time drags unless I have some music on. I don’t mind being alone with my thoughts but when my thoughts mostly consist of ‘my feet hurt’ and ‘this is boring’ it soon gets a bit grating.

Considering that the London Marathon is fast approaching (it takes place on the 25th of April which is only 6 weeks away, time to panic if you have a place!) I thought it would be interesting to find out if listening to music actually boosts performance as well as relieving boredom. I decided against doing a personal study as that would involve running without music and I really don’t want to do that. Instead I had a look online to see what the general consensus was.

According to James S. Fell of ThatsFit.ca listening to music whist running is a good idea for the casual runner but not for those focused improving their performance:

“Blasting the tunes creates what is called a dissociative state; it distracts you from all the aforementioned unpleasantness to make the entire running experience more enjoyable. I’ll admit that I’m bummed if I’m out for a run and the battery in my iPod dies.
Conversely, competitive runners perform better in an associative state. They don’t want to distract themselves from the experience, but actually pay close attention to what is going on with their bodies in order to improve running efficiency”

He goes on to cite a study from 1992 that found that those who ran in an ‘associative state’ breathed more efficiently thereby improving their performance.

An old BBC article from 2005 contradicts this and suggests that listening to the right sort of music can boost performance significantly. The article concerns a study by Dr Costas Karageorghis of Brunel University which described a 20% increase in performance when participants listened to music before and during exercising. Dr Karageorghis says that the tempo of the music is important:

“Individuals need to create their own play list according to their personal music preferences and the intensity of activity in which they are engaged. Just before sport, loud, up-beat music can be used as a stimulant or slow, soft music can be used to calm pre-performance nerves.”

He also says that the genre of music which is most effective will be different depending on the runner’s personal taste: “Songs are particular to an individual – they are not prescriptive. So it’s up to the individual to select songs that drive them and inspire them.”

There seems to be a general consensus that upbeat, positive music is the best thing to maintain an upbeat, positive frame of mind whilst running. The tempo of the songs you listen to don’t necessarily have to match the tempo of your running however, I find that songs with a very quick beat or riff work best even when they go much faster than I do. A downbeat lyrical attitude might not work however as it can be easy to feel negative whist pushing yourself physically.

Tom Horan of the Telegraph finds slower, but still upbeat songs work best for him:

The first point to note is that beat is paramount, but it doesn’t have to match your stride pattern precisely. There are certainly some up-tempo songs – soulful house music of the Eighties and Nineties, for example – that are good to lock on to, stride for stride. But, curiously, it is often much slower music – soul, hip-hop or dancehall reggae, say – that instils most strongly the sensation of having your feet propelled by the beat of a drum. Somehow, the brain makes the footfalls work just ahead of or behind the beat. This riding of a beat is what gives music a sense of swing. And, once you’re swinging, running becomes a pleasure, not a chore.

I often listen to Podcasts when running as they are great at keeping your focus off the task in hand. There is clearly no benefit in terms of keeping a beat so music is likely to be better for those starting out. If I do listen to music it is normally either something very fast and loud like Converge or something upbeat and positive like The Bouncing Souls. Feel free to add a comment with what you listen to or even link to a Spotify playlist etc.

Its worth noting that if you’re planning on taking part in organized events (including marathons) most wont let you run with your headphones in as you need to be able to be aware of those around you and the instructions from race officials.

[This post was also featured on wordsaboutthings.wordpress.com]

I have been running for about two years, I started off doing a few miles once a week and have gradually increased over time. I have now managed a fairly a respectable half marathon time and whilst I’m not going to break any records I have increased my fitness level.  Throughout all the  changes in training schedules and distances one thing has remained constant: I always take my mp3 player with me. Whist it is interesting to be running outdoors and there is always something new to see I couldn’t do it without music – it helps to distract me from the boredom and the pain.

I don’t spend ages compiling complex play lists which are tailored to my exact run but I do make sure whatever I listen to has a quick tempo. For me this tends to mean Metal or Punk and in particular Hardcore Punk like Minor Threat or Youth of Today. Rage Against The Machine are also a favorite of mine. For me it is important to use music which will maintain my interest over time without becoming background noise.

I am hoping to run the London Marathon next year (it is a bit late for this year) because I have reach a plateau in my training and need something to work towards. Most people who run a Marathon get sponsorship and many charities are reliant on receiving this sponsorship money each year so I am hoping to be able to raise quite a bit.  I am trying to increase the distance of my weekly runs, this means I have an excuse to buy a load more music in order to soundtrack my training!

I have recently added CommentLuv to this site so feel free to comment and let me know what you listen to whilst you run.

Usain Bolt set a new world record for the 100 meters in Berlin yesterday, leaving his competitors behind after an uncharacteristically good start. Bolt once again shocked the world by beating his former 100 meter world record by a record amount, he cruised over the line in 9.58 seconds shaving 0.16 seconds off the time set at last years Olympics in Beijing.

Nobody has ever beaten the record by such a large amount in one race and even Bolt seemed surprised at what he had achieved. His nearest rival Tyson Gay put in a personal best record at 9.71 seconds making him the fastest American ever and yet he seemed to finish two steps behind Usain.

Bolt did not celebrate until after crossing the finishing line this time but seemed relaxed before the race, playing to the cameras and working the crowd. Even after two false starts he remained calm and started well.

Bolt has said that he believes he could go as quick as 9.4 seconds although he says that might be the limit. “I could go 9.4 but I think the world stops at 9.4.” The 200 meter final takes place today Thursday and it seems unlikely that anyone could beat Usain Bolt.

See the race in HD here.