A test (n=1) of weight loss during running

There are reasons why different runners might best adopt 'slightly' different pacing strategies (profiles), even in flat corner-free road marathons, to get their optimal times - if it is critical to maintain a constant metabolic rate in skeletal muscle. One of the reasons has to do with physics, the other physiology. I thought I would try and calculate what that optimal pacing profile (for that 'mythical' flat wind-free cool road marathon) might look like for me. Just how much of a change in pace should I be aiming for if I were to make the very best use of my skeletal muscle carbohydrate stores? [The real world importance of this may be limited since it is possible that I am not limited by my carbohydrate reserves at the pace I can sustain and other runners may fail to make the best of their reserves because they start too quickly in the first place.]

The problem with using race predictors for choosing marathon race pace.

Is there a problem with using race predictors for marathon pace setting?

Often marathon runners use race predictors to help set their marathon pace - but, there is a real problem with that approach. I thought it might be interesting to give a few real world examples from people at opposite ends of the performance spectrum to illustrate the problem (and one in the middle). This is not a full scientific analysis - and you could accuse me of cherry picking my data. But, this is real data from runners who I know were making serious attempts to produce their best performance. These are runners I respect and have given their all in pursuit of a good marathon time. Of course there are plenty of examples of where race pace predictors work reasonably well - and I will try and do a statistical analysis of just how well they work for different types of runners at a later date. But, for now I want to show that care needs to be taken when extrapolating from shorter distance race performance to longer distances. What limits performance at 10km is not necessarily what limits performance in a marathon. This is not just a minor problem.

One week to the Frankfurt Marathon

It is time again to consider where I have managed to drag my fitness to and consider what level of performance might be possible at the Frankfurt Marathon. With one week to go I think all of the 'training' is now done and I should have enough data to produce a reasonable guess.

Sweat: sweet is better than salty for marathon runners

Thinking back to some lectures I attended, probably about 20 years ago now, I came across another good reason why marathon runners might want to 'over' heat acclimate (i.e. train in more clothing than is comfortable so that they can produce large amounts of sweat).

Virgin Money London Marathon 2015 - Pre-race thoughts

So, this year my race preparation has consisted of more miles than in previous years (Figure 1). In the 8 week run-up to the week before London I covered an average of 130.5 km per week at an average pace of 4:50.3 mins per km.

Thinking new stuff: 3D printing

Computers are great in so many ways - not least their ability to consume time, vast amounts of it. But, in the process of filling that space between birth and death they provide a good degree of fun.

Radio 4: The Philosopher's Arms - Sex Equality

I much prefer arguments that are based on  facts rather than 'urban myths' or extrapolations 50 years into the future. I was listening to the Philosopher's Arms on Radio 4 and heard (12min 55s in to the episode on Sex Equality) the often repeated claim that Women can run faster than Men over long distances. I think it was Beatrix Campbell talking and, in this case, the Daily Mail seems to be more accurate!