I will write a summary of the article here and you can read the whole article on NYtimes website

Five Relaxation Technique

1. Relax the eyes, if they are wide you are tense
2. Relax the face
3. Relax the jaw
4. Let the feeling spread through the shoulders and arms.
5. Stay tall, when running repeat the phrase “Stay tall”

Am taking this ideas seriously because  they come from Clyde Hart, the director of track and field at Baylor University. Mr. Hart has coached some of the world’s best runners, including Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner.

Visit Nytimes website to read the full article

2008 was the year Roger Federer was supposed to win all grand slam tournaments but at the end he won only US Open. After winning the US open he admitted it was the only time he had felt stronger and fresher.

He then adds “I want to remain at the top of the game for many more years to come and go after the No. 1 ranking again,” he said. “In order to do that, I need to get a proper rest and get strong again so that I am 100 percent fit for the remainder of the year or next year.”

Signs and Treatment of fatigue.

The primary indicators of fatigue in athletism are reduced performance and frequent injury. Taking a rest from training is the best treatment for fatigue because it allows your muscle fibres to heal from the tears that happen during strenuous training.

My thought on barefoot running was changed a little bit when I read the following advice on runners world magazine.

Go Barefoot Once A Week
Strong feet and lower legs, plus flexible ankles, equal fewer injuries. One of the best ways to gain this strength and flexibility is by barefoot running, according to McMillan, because you have to work harder at each toe-off and landing. “Try to do a few barefoot strides or some light jogging equal to between one and three laps of a track once or twice each week,” he says. Level grass works the best.

Source: Runners world UK dot com

I will try running barefoot and see how it goes.

I doubt whether the old warrior has the endurance to compete at high level. At 39 years of age he seems to have been edged out by new young distance runners from Kenya. Just look at the ages of Kenya marathon team at Beijing Olympics.

1. Martin Lel - 30 Yrs

2. Robert Cheruiyot - 30 Yrs.

3. Samuel Wanjiru (Olympic Gold Medal winner)- 21 Yrs

Back in May he finished 19th at Bangalore 10K, the Indian National daily termed his performance “a forgettable 19th”

But 2008 has been the year old athletes got back their groove. Romanian Constantina Tomescu 38 won Gold in the womens Olympic marathon and in the pool American swimmer Dara Torres won silver at ripe age of 41 years. Old is gold!!

Sometimes, less is better, if you run too much you risk getting fatigue.

This last week I have been focusing on recovering from the over exertion of that long run.

Recovering from a long run

1. I did not do any serious running during the week, just two jogs to remind me am still supposed to run a marathon.
2. My ankles, feet and calf were sore. I have been treating them with ice, massage, stretching and using anti inflammation spray.
3. Stepping up on my food intake, especially proteins and fruits to help in body recovery.

Am not carrying any running injury at the moment and my only concern now is how to treat my tired legs.

I think the reason why we know it but don’t practice it has to do with the mob psychology of a marathon.  At the start of the marathon there is a lot of excitement and this is the time every one is full of energy and every runner is trying to keep up with crowd.

But why is it so important to start at a slow pace. 

“If you conserve resources early, then they are available later. If you use them up early, then you pay later, and with interest.”

That is the advice of Jeff Galloway, writer of many marathon books.

Click to See The Book, Galloway’s 5K & 10K Running

Difficulty of Running uphill.

Running up hill means runners will be forced to switch into anaerobic respiration very early in the marathon. If you pant heavily at a flat course, imagine how difficult it will be running uphill.

Because of the extra effort required to run uphill many runners might run out of glycogen stores early in the race.

Difficulty of running down hill. 

The biggest myth of running is, running down hill is easy. Running down hill knocks the hell out of your knees and heels.  I have also noticed, when am running down hill that is when a stomach cramp is triggered.

The Best way to prepare to run up the hill.

Do plenty of speed work. Speed works are done in anaerobic respiration. The more you get used to run with little oxygen getting into your muscles, the easier it will be to run uphill. Alternatively do hill repeats during your marathon training.

Carbon load. The week before the marathon eat plenty of complex carbohydrates. carbohydrates are stored in our bodies in the form of glycogen. During running the gycogen is burned to produce energy.

For the unfit, that is, any runner with less than two months of training, the wise thing to do is to walk up the hill.

Benefits of Wearing Spira Running Shoe

The controversial shoe has a spring technology that is placed in the soles of the shoe. Spira’s patented WaveSpring technology reduces impact force on a runner’s body, which leads to an efficient recovery and less overall stress - signifying that the WaveSpring technology may be the most significant technical advancement achieved in the footwear industry in recent years. Spira’s shoes - and its WaveSpring technology - violates rule 143.3 (a) of the USA Track and Field which specifically bans springs in shoes for competition.

Do the Spira Shoe Boost Elite Runners Performance

“The shoes were super,” Said Anzhelika Averkova of the Ukraine after winning the 2007 Detroit Marathon.

Although most marathons have ignored the ban,  organisers of Boston Marathon have banned it. If I remember correctly one marathon runner at Beijing Olympic Marathon was wearing the banned shoe, I just can’t remember the name of the runner?

Hey - if you’re not aiming for a world record explore the Spira website, watch the video, read the reviews, and decide for yourself whether the technology’s worth taking a flyer on

According to a BBC report “His achievement was all the more impressive given that his training had been interrupted by a calf injury.

“Two weeks ago I had a bit of a problem with my calf muscle, but I took a week off,” said Gebreselassie. “It gave me a few worries coming here, but I forgot about it as the race wore on.

When you suffer an injury, you should never over react.

According to historians, during a Greek war, a soldier named Pheidippides ran from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon. “Nikki!” was the word he yelled out upon arrival, which translates into the modern term “victory.” Yet, unfortunately, as soon as this word leapt from his lips, he fell to the ground and died giving new, literal meaning to the phrase “my job is killing me.”

The good news is that Pheidippides boss didn’t let his effort go unrecognized.

Like any great boss, the ruling government made sure that Pheidippides’ name went down in history. Pheidippides’ run from the town of Marathon to the city of Athens was acknowledged as the original marathon course. Then, some time later, a historic run was made from the bridge of Marathon to the Athens Olympic Stadium in his name. Yet, the biggest honor to Pheidippides is that marathons are still being run today!!