At 35 years Bernard Lagat is a man still at the top of his game. Watching him win 3000m gold at 2010 world indoor championship I was left feeling this guy is special.Consider that his former rival such as Moraccan Hicham E Guerrouj has since retired bogged down by injuries and age.
Is there a Secret?
I tried googling for information about Bernard Lagat, Hoping to find some secret workout but I didnt find any. If his coach has discovered the secret to athlete longevity and he has refused to share with the world, You cant blame him!
The closest I came to a secret has to be an interview Bernard Lagat gave back in 2007 to a small group of American and international media at Nike’s Osaka hotel.
Two questions stood out because they explained the mans approach to training, diet and discipline.
Take us through a season. When are you in Tuscon; when are you in Flagstaff, and when are you in Europe?
After the season, I go back to Tuscon, eat a lot, play with my son, and on November 1st, I begin the base training. I’ll start with no more than 20-25 miles per week, then increase it until January 1st, when we get serious because of the indoor season. After the indoor season, we take a few weeks off, then hit it again in Tuscon until April when we go to Flagstaff for eight weeks of hard training.
In Flagstaff, that’s the time when I start training in the morning and afternoon. Once that’s done, there are several races, including Mt. SAC, Prefontaine, New York, and the US nationals. After the US nationals, I go to Germany and stay there for three months until the final Grand Prix meet of the season. Once the season is over, the cycle starts again,
Where is your European training base?
I’m based in Tubingen, Germany. It’s about 20 minutes south of Stuttgart. Stuttgart is easily accessible for us (especially when traveling to meets in Europe); all we have to do is take a short drive up to the airport. Tubingen has a lot of good forests in which you can run; you can run north, south, east, west. It’s good for a runner like me, who likes to run long distances. I stay away from cement. The good thing about Tubingen is that there are a lot of different trails. I can do tempo runs, hill work, I can run on the flat if I want to.
I was reading a running shorts review on runners world that featured eight running shorts. One interesting aspect of the shorts is the names, without the word shorts next to them you wouldn’t know what they are. Some of the names would be mistaken for: fish oil, ammunition, sports team, sports drinks.
1. Mens Nike Pinnacle Shorts
2. Mens Hind Omega Shorts
3. Womens Adidas Adistar shorts
4. Womens Moving Comfort Endurance shorts
5. Mens Brook sharper
6. Mens Under Armour Pacer shorts – This was the best name
Long time among ago I loved Nike running shoe but I fell out of love with Nike the day I bought my first Saucony Running shoes.
I still think Nike shoes are good for racing but when it comes to marathon training I prefer Saucony.
Latest Nike LunarGlide+ Shoe.
NIKE, Inc. have introduced the Nike LunarGlide+ Race Collection to celebrate the brave achievements of marathon runners worldwide.
The Nike LunarGlide+ Race Collection features nine shoes that combine city-inspired design touches.
The collection includes shoes for Beijing, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, London, New York City, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo along with a shoe for the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco.
Nike is celebrating the unique individual flavour of the world’s top marathons with color and iconic imagery that represent each city.
They have a Nike Lunarglide shoe for men and a Nike Lunarglide shoe for women.
If your city is not on that list, DONT BUY THE SHOE……off cause am kidding!!!!!!
One technique for proper running is to always remember to swing your arms while running. Most runners make the mistake of running with their arms at a stationary position. We runners have the tendency to hold our arms on our chest. The proper running technique is your arms should swing forwards and backwards the same as your leg movement.
Running well and running fast is a skill, not something you were born with (unless off course you are Usain Bolt or Kenenisa Bekele). And just like any other skill it can be taught.
In the following video shot at Nike naked running camp, you will see when the runners slow down, the coach or camp director shouts at them reminding them to use their arms / hands to run faster.
Warning : This video may not be suitable for minors.
Saucony running shoes are not as common as Nike running shoes. But after I have repeatedly seen Saucony shoe adverts on Runners world magazine and I have decided to give the shoes a try.(who said advertising doesn’t work?)
I intend to use them in my training for 2009 Stanchart Nairobi marathon.
Although the sole looked more like that of a trail running shoe I just thought the shoe would be great for tarmac running. According to the manufacturer, the the outsole features XT900 rubber compound in the heel. I dont know what that means but I hope it makes running softer and easier.
I just saw this Xbox inspired Nike sneaker shoes, I tried to force myself to like this shoes but I was unable!!
The Xbox inspired shoes were designed by Sole Junkie a Carlifornia based artist who specializes in custom based sneakers. The price tag for this Xbox inspired Nike shoes = $2,500.
In 2008 U.S Consumer report tested over 205 shoe brands and the Nike Air Zoom Vomero+2 was judged to be the best running shoe. The Nike Air Zoom Vomero+2 topped the rankings for men’s and women’s shoes.
The Nike Air Zoom Vomero+2 scored top marks in :-
Cushioning
Stability
Flexibility
Weight
And Breathability …ah! according to CR, shoes that dissipate sweat quickly keep feet cooler and reduce the risk of bacterial or fungal infection.
With so many running shoe brands out there, what makes a good running shoe? It is said the most important running gear is the shoe. You get it right and it will save you lots of energy and prevent you from injury.
These are the qualities of a good marathon running shoe
Fit. A good shoe must fit your feet like a sock, no room to allow movement of the feet. But it should not be tight that you feel pressure.
Cushioning. Running can be hard on feet and joints. Shoes should provide enough cushioning to absorb impact.
Stability. A stable shoe controls motion in the ankle. At one time I bought a Nike and went running with it but I felt very uncomfortable running in it, when I checked it I discovered the heel was to high.
Flexibility. The front of the shoe should flex enough to let the runner push off with the ball of the foot.
Breathability. Shoes that dissipate sweat quickly keep feet cooler and reduce the risk of bacterial or fungal infection.
Weight. The lighter the shoe, the better – as long as cushioning and stability don’t suffer.
Although the sole looked more like that of a trail running shoe I just thought the shoe would be great for tarmac running. According to the manufacturer, the the outsole features XT900 rubber compound in the heel. I dont know what that means but I hope it makes running softer and easier.
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