Having pampered my formerly fleet feet with the INOV-8 285 race flats some time ago, I decided to get into a pair of INOV-8 305 training shoes instead of my much loved La Sportiva for the upcoming summer-autumn training load. A very big call indeed.

With nothing but all round praise for the gossamer weighted 285s, my expectations for the 305s were high. I need a mid to high mileage shoe that can cope with gravel roads and lots of them, without struggling for traction and preferably devoid of a bloated, over hyped soggy cushioning system that blew a gasket inside 100kms and did nothing to assist my natural gait.

Did the 305s deliver? Yes, flawlessly ( well apart from the laces which I just do not like but that’s a personal preference  not a technical deficiency).

Out of the box, the 305s are a pedestrian looking design in terms of aesthetics but as soon as you pick them up and put them on you realise there is a lot of shoe performance in a super light weight. The 305s are intended as a high mileage trail and adventure racing training shoe, providing high levels of comfort, grip and performance. After extended training use I can say it is suited to the purpose for which designed; without question.

Just on the out of the box phenomenon. INOV-8 shoes are a rare breed in that they immediately feel like slippers when you put them on ( providing you got the sizing right); there is no breaking in periood.

Read the rest of this entry »

Every year it seems there is an ultimate well being silver bullet proliferating on health food store shelves promising amazing benefits. GOJI or Chinese Wolfberry is one of a number of adaptogens  with the added attraction of being derived from an exotically originated Tibetan location (great for marketing hype). Digging beneath the hype, there is an emerging body of solid science around some of the tabloid claims that Goji is an efficacious adaptogen.

The goji berry contains 19 amino acids, including 9 that are essential for proper body functioning. This vitamin rich berry also contains 21 trace minerals, more protein than a serving of whole wheat, and more vitamin C than an orange.

The goji is super abundant in what are known as Glyconutritionals (Phytonutrients, Saccharides). These have been shown to lower cholesterol, increase lean muscle mass, decrease body fat, accelerate wound healing, ease allergy symptoms, and allay autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, psoriasis, and diabetes. Bacterial infections, including the recurrent ear infections that plague toddlers, often respond remarkably to saccharides, as do many viruses–from the common cold to the flu, from herpes to HIV. The debilitating symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome and  fibromyalgia can abate after adding saccharides. And, for cancer patients, saccharides mitigate the toxic effects of radiation and chemotherapy–while augmenting their cancer-killing effects, resulting  in prolonged survival and improved quality of life. Marine
Phytoplankton and Goji (Lycium) berries are a rich source of saccharides/glyconutrients

Read the rest of this entry »

Moderation in all things is a simple, consistent guideline to most things in life including hydrating in summer endurance events. Get your fluid and electrolyte balance right  and you can underwrite a performance, get it wrong and drink water to excess and you can potentially be facing up to catastrophic ill health. In the worst case scenario,  you can overwhelm your sodium levels in your plasma with excess water and  be battling hyponatremia.

Hyponatremia is a disturbance in the fluid-electrolyte balance, causing an abnormally low plasma sodium concentration (less than 135 millimoles per liter). The normal range of plasma sodium concentration is 136 to 142 millimoles per liter. An ongoing decrease in plasma sodium concentration upsets the osmotic balance across the blood-brain barrier and can trigger a rapid entry of water into the brain.

A reduction in plasma sodium concentration to 130 to 134 millimoles per liter generally causes no apparent symptoms. Early signs and symptoms of hyponatremia tend to develop when the plasma sodium concentration falls below 130 millimoles per liter and include bloating, “puffiness,” nausea, vomiting, and headache.

There are many potential causes of hyponatremia, but most often it is simple over-hydration. Exercise-associated hyponatremia is primarily caused by drinking an amount of fluid that exceeds sweat and urinary water losses. The most likely explanation for exercise-associated hyponatremia is that excessive drinking reduces the plasma sodium concentration. During exercise, urine output decreases and sets the stage for hyponatremia if too much fluid is ingested or
retained.

In general, an athlete who drinks too much during exercise lasting more than four hours in hot, humid climates is at risk of developing hyponatremia. Smaller and slower athletes who go over the top with fluid intake are at high risk. While large athletes are not ‘immune’ to hyponatremia, the fact is small athletes require less fluid to dilute their extracellular fluid. Slower-paced endurance athletes have more time and more chance to consume too much fluid.

Read the rest of this entry »

Support our sponsor iconic 100% NZ owned off road endurance folks i-RULE who design and make their entire range in NZ.

Between now and December 31st, 2008 if you team up with 2 others and you buy a team kit of TORO and MOTUs each or JUNO and RANTS each with an inVEST each you will get yourselves a free super stylie and comfortable PARCOURS or BLADE merino cross training and casual top……………

It is now common to find extensive studies that support the claims that altitude training can improve speed, strength, endurance, and recovery as part of your overall training program.

Why is this so?

You may well ask.

According to the physical sciences, as barometric pressure decreases with increasing elevation, the number of molecules in a given volume of air decreases proportionately. The result, on an absolute basis, is that there are fewer oxygen molecules present in air at higher elevations. What is changing is the actual number of air molecules in a given volume of air, or the air density. This in turn means that there are fewer oxygen molecules available to be transferred to the bloodstream in the lungs. The absolute number of nitrogen molecules also decreases at the same rate, so that the relative proportions of oxygen molecules in the air remains constant at 21% even though there are less molecules of oxygen in the air at high altitudes.

This changed environment elicits concomitant adaptation responses from the body.Exercising or living at altitude reduces the partial pressure of oxygen available; the body responds by increasing the production of erythropoietin (EPO) from the kidneys that in turn increase the number of red blood cells. In theory when you return from altitude you will retain the increased number of red blood cells for a period of time which will thus increase your performance at sea level. Other benefits of altitude training include increased muscle capillary density as well as increased cellular enzymatic capacity.

Certainly, the better the body is at transporting and circulating oxygen the higher the intensity and the longer the duration of work that you will be able to carry out. Since the O2 carrying capacity relies on the number and efficiency of red blood cells, then the greater the number of red blood cells the greater the oxygen carrying capacity.

Similar adaptations can be gained without having to go atop a high mountain.This can be done by using chambers and tents with altered air composition or by interval hypoxic training (IHT). During IHT the athlete is exposed to sharp, strong altitude stimulus using such devices as a hypoxicator and the Altolab. IHT also allows the athlete to continue to train at high intensity at sea level without the negative effects on training intensity and performance that occur whilst training at altitude.
Read the rest of this entry »

Pomegranates are being hailed as a super-food which can protect the heart, turbo-boost antioxidative action and assist in athlete well being.   There exist a multitude of health benefits to be gained with the introduction of pomegranates to your diet. The active ingredients in the fruit are positively implicated in cancer deterrence with most studies to date focused on prostate cancer application. Pomegranate extracts and pomegranate juice have some potential benefits in treating prostate cancer. Researchers have been able to demonstrate that they may stop prostate cancer cell growth, induce cancer cell death and inhibit angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels that supply tumors with nutrients and oxygen). Also, tests(2) have shown that PSA (prostate specific antigen, an indicator of inflammation or cancer of the prostate) levels may be lowered by
pomegranates. In addition, further studies indicate that pomegranates might not only help treat but may also help prevent prostate cancer(3).

In addition, studies have reported anti-inflammatory properties, and to boot, pomegranate oil has antimicrobial and antiviral compounds.

The major active compounds in pomegranates are antioxidative polyphenols. Similar to berries with the most efficacious antioxidative activities  performed by  hydrolyzable tannins, which are polyphenols (1). The tannin, punicalgin, accounts for more than 50% of the antioxidative strength alone(2) of pomegrenates.

Pomegranates may also have a major role to play in improving heart health due to their positive effect on the cardiovascular system(4,5). Studies have revealed that pomegranate juice may lower blood pressure and improve blood flow. Also, low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation and macrophage foam cell development may be reduced. Both processes are seen as a precursor for atherosclerosis.

Scientists in Israel have shown that drinking a daily glass of the fruit’s juice can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Read the rest of this entry »

Parkour is the art of moving through your environment using only your body and the surroundings to propel yourself. It can include running, jumping, climbing, even crawling, if that is the most suitable movement for the situation. Parkour could be grasped by imagining a race through an obstacle course, the goal is to overcome obstacles quickly and efficiently, without using extraneous movement. Apply this line of thought to an urban environment, or even a run through the woods, and you’re on the right path. Because individual movements could vary so greatly by the situation, it is better to consider Parkour as defined by the intention instead of the movements themselves. If the intention is to get somewhere
using the most effective movements with the least loss of momentum, then it could probably be considered Parkour.

( ref:American Parkour)

These activities which are one minute art, the next minute the latest in extreme sports depending upon who you are talking to and whether or not they have a vested commercial interest in the past time; are certainly an option for the thrill seeking element amongst adventure racers and multi-sport athletes. There is certainly cross training merit to be had if you judiciously inject some vaulting, balance work and rolls. For those of you with a solid martial arts background, many of the basic body positions and mental preparations are of use in parkour.

Now, this stuff is not for the faint of heart. Intrinsic to correct execution of core movement is strength, flexibility and agility. Most if not all drills focus heavily on these attributes. Cross training in indoor rock climbing, basic gymnastics, even trampolining can all help.

Certainly, conditioning requires a balance across endurance and resilience; any strength work should be focused on being able to shift your own weight. This routine from D.Edwardes of Urban Freeflow network fame gives you an indication of the rigour and concentration needed:

Read the rest of this entry »