Weekly Running Roundup: BE MORE EFFICIENT

In an attempt to force some structure on my blogging habits, I've decided to start posting a weekly roundup of any interesting/life changing running articles, news, workouts, or events. Get ready to be bombarded with KNOWLEDGE, whether you like it or not.

For those wary of the barefoot running trend, a new study from the University of Wisconsin found that simply shortening your stride can increase running efficiency and prevent injuries - similar perks to running sans shoes but minus shelling out $80 for a pair of Vibrams. Also, I would just like to note that I totally beat UW to the punch back in March. BOO YA!

However, the 12+ hours spent in my cubicle may thwart any gains made by even the best running form. According to Pete Pfitzinger, co-author of Advanced Marathoning, sitting at a desk from 9-5 causes "the hamstrings [to] become short and weak and the core muscles do not have to work as you lean back in your chair." Oh, and sitting in a cube also increases vulnerability to ITB syndrome. Fantastic. Maybe Citi will dish out for one of these?

But when in doubt, you can always let external stimuli propel you into better running. NYT's Well blog reports on the interplay between music and exercise. Unsurprisingly listening to up-tempo music often motivates and tricks the body into working harder, performing faster. What better excuse do you need to download La Roux's new album, blast Cascada with pride, or go with some old school Matchbox 20 (oddly enough they're on ALL my running playlists)? Although, there is definitely some merit to unplugging the iPod now and then on your run. Running with just the thoughts in your head can be wonderfully refreshing even if you're not maxing out your speed.



Speaking of speedy runners, three of the world's top marathoners, Samuel Wanjiru, Tsegaye Kebede and Robert Cheruiyot, just announced that they'll be joining the already stacked elite field at Chicago's Bank of America Marathon. With several marathon championships and sub-2:06 records under their belts, these three runners are guaranteed to give spectators a great show at the Chicago marathon, which is renowned for being one of the fastest courses in the world. Greg, you'll be right up there with them right?

Hope you enjoyed your lunchtime information spam; obviously I had a productive morning at the office. Definitely let me know if there are any topics that YOU'D like to read about - clearly this is an evolving project!

Running Music Mixes

Every runner has their  audio entertainment preference when running. It probably changes from run to run, day to day, and what type of training you're doing. There are few things that can kill your desire to run more than boredom - hence the reason treadmills and winter are my anti-Christ. Music, or some other audio entertainment (recordings of people feeding tigers) is essential to keep your spirits up, and also importantly, keeping you running at the right pace.

So, what are my personal choices here? On the long, standard training runs, medium pace, I am in constant need of geeky, nerdy, downright pornographically pocket-protecting tech talk. Rather than keeping my mind focused on breathing and pace, it keeps my mind OFF of the fact that it's having to be idle for an hour or two. Luckily, great talk shows (in categories as varied as you can imagine - and yes Monica, there are "adult" categories) are extremely easy to locate, by way of the Podcasts section in iTunes. It hosts literally hundreds of thousands of free shows. One click to subscribe, and the new episodes are downloaded automatically to you iPod as soon as they're available. Careful, it's an addiction that can be hard to break (like peeps - topical time of year social reference!)

A few of my favourites:

• You look nice today - comedy
• This week in Tech - geekery
• MacBreak Weekly - Mac geekery
• Security Now - serious propeller-hat stuff
• The Skeptic's guide to the Universe - science (with an anti-pseudoscience edge)
• Stuff you should know, from HowStuffWorks.com - damn interesting
• The Disciplined Investor - finance

Falling into this "spoken-word" category are also audio books, and here there really is no other source than Audible.com. They have a fantastic collection (in categories as varied as you can imagine - and yes Monica, there are "adult" categories) My current recommended book is definitely Richard Wiseman's - 59 Seconds

But sometimes you're doing a faster run, trying for a specific time, or just want to turn your brain off for a while. Then, music is always a good choice. For me, the more euro-trashy the better. In this arena, you have a couple of options:

• The iPod shuffle (dangerous if you happen to have Kylie Minogue in your collection because of the summer of 2000 when you were obsessed with the way she smiled in the middle of the video to "Spinning Around"; penned by Paula Abdul, the second single from her triple platinum busting album "Light Years", posted below for your enjoyment)
  
• You can make your own playlists - if you have an inordinate amount of time on your hands
• You can hunt down pre-mixed sessions. I haven't yet found a good central repository of these, but there are a few good options:
• Sinanation - a turkish DJ in NY who generally lets you download his mixes - his latest, Apres-Ski is great:
  Après-ski by sbastas
• Running Music Mix - has pre-made mixes for pay, but also categorizes songs by BPM and style, useful if you want to put a bunch of songs together for a certain pace
• Nike+ mixes - Also for pay, but generally great stuff

Any other ideas for places to get great running music?