Runningmonkeys

The other day I received an email from a nice lady called Rosemary.  She had the pleasant job of informing me that I had won a million euros in a lottery based in the Netherlands.

I was particularly surprised since I don’t remember ever entering a lottery based in the Netherlands, but her helpful email explained that my email address had been selected at random, and so it was not necessary for me to have ever bought a ticket. [Read more →]

Sometimes time is short.  Today is one of those days.  I have to decide how I will use my time to best achieve my goals.  I have enough time, today, to either run or right a full Running Monkeys post.  Guess what I have chosen?

Sorry, but running always wins over writing about running. 

Everyone is looking for ways to achieve their goals faster.  If your goal is to increase your running speed, then this may be your answer.

There are only two possible ways to increase the speed that you travel at:

1. Travel further in each step
2. Take more steps per minute

Pretty simple stuff really.

The first is dangerous and difficult to achieve.  The second is relatively safe and achievable for most runners. [Read more →]

This is officially the rainy season here in my part of Japan.  That means moderate to hot temperatures with very high humidity.  On some days the humidity is so severe that it is difficult to tell when it has actually started raining.  I continue to sweat for about an hour after running and there is virtually no evaporation so I leave puddles wherever I go for much of the time. 

I am about to head out the door for a run and so before I leave I thought I’d drop a quick post with my humidity survival tips: [Read more →]

The Pose Method of Running is designed to make me run faster.  Gradually it is achieving this.

The VDOT concept (by Jack Daniels) is  designed to compare running intensities.  It does this by allocating a number on a scale to a group of comparable finish times (over different distances). 

What happens when these two principles meet? [Read more →]

Today I realised another small milestone in the gradual process of mastering the Pose Method of Running.  This evening in the dark, hot and humid streets of downtown Tsukuba, I ran on my forefeet non-stop for 8 kilometres. 

This mightn’t sound too exciting to you, but believe me I am excited.  Over the last few weeks I have progressed from being a long time heel striker to a comfortable forefoot striker and I believe that is a big achievement.  [Read more →]

Evelyn at Homespun Honolulu has written a very balanced review of the 1st Annual Hibiscus Half Marathon in Honolulu.  Her report is a mixture of satisfaction and constructive criticism (check it out for yourself). 

This got me thinking about what a really good race looks like.

[Read more →]

What makes a running habit stick?

Time - As with any habit it is the time that we spend doing it (how long we do it for) that locks in the habit

Intensity - It is how vivid the experience, and how much an impact it makes on us that locks in the habit

Complementary factors - It is the effect of other aspects in our lives that either reinforce or degrade our running habits. [Read more →]

There are plenty of factors which determine how fast we can run.  Some are under our control and some seem like they are not.  A lot of people believe that the race you were born into is the penultimate determining factor.  More specifically, there is a lot of noise going around running circles that indicates that you have to be Kenyan to win.

Is this true or have we simply fallen for the stereotypically biased view of what makes a champion runner? [Read more →]

I love running shoes.  I think it is the whole association thing, but just the thought of running shoes makes me happy.  Does that sound weird to you, or am I not alone?

Anyhow there is a new kid in town in the world of running shoes and they have bought with them a whole new bag of tricks.  They are called Newton. [Read more →]