Runningmonkeys

Rather than continue the debate on whether India’s youngest marathon runner, 5 year old Budhia Sing should be allowed to run, I thought I would write about something more constructive.  I get sick of reading the same old stories re-hashed by 1000 sites worldwide and I am always on the lookout for a new angle.  […]

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Sunday, here in Ibaraki Prefecture, was the day of the Around Lake Kasumigaura Cycling event.  It was a 90 kilometre (which turned out to be 83klm) lap around the second biggest lake in Japan.  It was organised by the Japanese Cycling association and was half time trial, half social tour. 
There were about 500 registered entrants […]

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If you have spent much time reading magazines and internet resources, no doubt you will have seen this recurring question. 
“I am looking forward to a personal best in …weeks time at the… race.  I was wondering if you thought that It would be safe for me to wear racing flats?”
This is such a hot topic […]

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If you are anything like me, as soon as you get a new toy, you just have to try it out.  You are barely through your front door before you have it out of the box and are giving it a go.  It doesn’t matter if it is a CD, a tool, a book or […]

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The payoff moment could be defined as the primary point in time when it all becomes worth it.  Up to that point our efforts have not realised our primary intentions.  After the Payoff Moment,  anything else is a bonus. 
The payoff moment could be the conventional aim of an activity such as crossing a marathon finish […]

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Who told you that you would feel better if you slowed down?  Is this something that has been proven to you, or was it just what you imagine the truth to be?
When we are racing or training hard, sooner or later we will all fell discomfort, stress and sometimes plain old pain.  Is this to do with the […]

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Drills are a fact of life.
How is it that we learn to walk, talk, read, write and in fact how do we truly learn any skill.  We learn by practicing.  We can hear, read or see the concept, and so we can understand, but we still can not do it until we practice.  When we […]

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As you may have seen in my introduction to the pose method of running, I have just read and begun to implement this new running style.  I have decided to set out for you a summary of the principles of this revolutionary technique.  Firstly, though, I must warn you that it is not enough (or advisable) to make use of this method or […]

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Think of the cartoon character “The Road Runner”.  Picture him speeding down the highway with a trail of dust behind him.  Visualize his body and his legs.  His body is absolutely steady and level.  All his legs are doing is going around and around.  No thump, thump, thump.  No up and down.  No wasted energy […]

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Bike racing in Japan is much like everything else in Japan for a foreigner:

It is confused and conflicting
It is vibrant but still grey
It is full of history but laced with technology and fashion
It can be the best and the worst at the same time

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