New Balance To Get Zero Drop

New Balance Minimus is adding their version of Zero Drop shoe.  From Jason's Robillard's Site 

New Balance joined the club by eliminating the heel drop on the 2012 Minimus line.    Finally!

I like to imagine there’s a faction within New Balance that is adamantly fighting to make their entire product line zero drop.  I can see the “new guard” quoting Lieberman, teaching good running form, and telling stories of seemingly amazing recoveries of oft-injured runners finding new life in zero drop shoes.  They’re constantly at odds with the “old guard” that puffs on their cigarettes and talks about the good ‘ole days when slapping 2” of cushioning in a heel was marketing gold.  Sure, it’s unlikely, but that’s how my mind works.

I managed to wrangle up some critical details about the new Minimus Zero Trails and Minimus Zero Roads.  Here are the juicy details:

• Both are zero drop
• Both are exceptionally light… perhaps less than 6 ounces
• The sole of both is somewhat similar to the soles of the original Minimus Trails (think pods)
• The location and size of the pods were developed based on data from wear testing- they put material where it was needed most
• For the Trails, other material was eliminated, which explains the feather-like weight
• The eliminated material should increase flexibility and ground feel (note- I have handled a pair… they are incredibly light and flexible)
• Both utilize Vibram soles, which has become the gold standard for minimalist shoe sole material.
• These shoes should be quite different from anything else on the market, which adds more potential tools to our toolbox.

More pics and detail on Barefoot Running University

Give a Dollar or More? (Fight Gone Bad)

My Fight Gone Bad is this Saturday.  Raising money for charity here.

To support two great charities ...

THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS WARRIOR FOUNDATION

The Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides full scholarship grants and educational 

and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in 

operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special 

operations personnel and their families.

THE CROSSFIT FOUNDATION

In 2010 the CrossFit Foundation was formed to serve as a resource for all of the CrossFit 

philanthropic activities. The foundation board works in an advisory capacity with the 

Sportsgrants Foundation on Fight Gone Bad, and in 2010 became one of the event beneficiaries 

insuring that funds raised by the community served the community.  This year the foundation’s 

primary focus is on the CrossFit Kids ISR Swim Program. The goal for ISR this year is to 

contribute $1 million through Fight Gone bad to train instructors which could save as many as 

300 children from accidental drownings in 2012 and beyond.  In addition to this primary 

objective, the foundation also maintains a fund for grants to causes supported by its affiliates, 

Operation Phoenix and community grants to members of our community in need of immediate 

assistance.

Running in the Movies

Here’s a list of the best running movies of all time as polled and ranked by runners via Lets.run.com.

Fire on the Track
Storyline: Documentary on Steve Prefontaine, America’s top distance runner in the 1970′s whose front running style, brashness and American records from 2,000m to 10,000m captivated the American track public like no other distance runner. He narrowly missed an Olympic medal in 1972 and then his life was tragically cut short in a car accident. Fire on the Track is excellently produced, has in-depth footage of the 1972 Olympic 5k final, with comments from Prefontaine’s competitors.

Without Limits
Incredible story of life of Steve Prefontaine who broke numerous American records, just missed an Olympic medal and revolutionized the idea of how some people race (from the front) before dying in a tragic car wreck in his prime. Prefontaine’s story is worth remembering. Tom Cruise producer. Get a little on foundation of Nike with Bill Bowerman (Pre’s coach) being behind this movie. Other movie on Prefontaine, Prefontaine, will steal votes. Some say stretches truth a bit more than Prefontaine. Pre’s romance is stressed more in this movie than in Prefontaine.

Chariots of Fire
Fascinating story of two Olympic sprinters from Great Britain, Erick Liddell (devout Protestant) and Harold Abrahams (Jew), of vastly different backgrounds who run for different reasons in the 1924 Olympics. This classic won four Oscars including best picture. Inspirational, especially it’s famous soundtrack by Vangelis.

Endurance
Tells the story of perhaps the greatest runner of all-time, Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie, leading up to his victory in the 1996 Olympic Games. Intersperses footage of Olympic 10k race throughout film. Footage of Gebrselassie running (in Ethiopian and Olympics) is truly incredible and worth seeing in its own right. Most of the actors are Gebrselassie’s real family members.

Jericho Mile
This is a made-for-TV movie about a man serving life sentence in prison who find hope in running. After running a sub-4 minute mile, he trains for the Munich Olympics from prison. The story is inspirational although fictional and sometimes unrealistic.

Loneliness of a Long-Distance Runner
Based on a book of the same title, it tells the story of rebellious youngster named Smith who finds comfort and security through his running skills while attending classes at a reformatory school after stealing from a local bakery. Running provides him with moments of quiet reflection to consider the choices he made—and the choices made for him. Runners can relate to the sense of peace and reflection provided by solitary runs, while non-runners can relate to the challenges we all face to our moral integrity on a daily basis.

(of course I highly recommend, Run Fat Boy Run, Running in the Sun, Running the Sahara,  and of course Thelma)

what's your fave running movie?

Breakfast?

http://wwprd.blogspot.com/2011/09/breakfast-what-should-i-eat.html

Evolutionary Psychiatry Low Carbs treament for Alzheimer's Patients

Eating smartly, looks like it's not just for prevention of diabetes, obesity, blood PH, etc etc.. . Ketgenic (low carb) diet showing promise in treating Alzheimer's patients.  The amount of insulin response by consuming foods that trigger such a glycemic response, our insulin production is jacked for life.  Yet another unintended consequence of food production whose ONLY dsired outcome is yield and NOT health.

From Dr Emily Deans's Evolutionary Psychology

......The second article I was excited to hear about is probably a watershed paper in the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia: Intranasal Insulin Therapy for Alzheimer Disease and Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. This paper discusses a pilot trial of 104 adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease vs controls with a couple of doses of intranasal insulin.

Why intranasal? None of the subjects had diabetes, and obviously systemic insulin could cause dangerous hypoglycemia. The intranasal dose goes pretty much straight to the central nervous system via the olfactory and trigeminal nerve perivascular channels, and none of the subjects had hypoglycemia during the trial.

Why insulin? Well, as I've discussed at great length (I really ought to repost some of those dementia articles up on Psychology Today…), there are very clear issues with the ability of a dementing brain to metabolize glucose (the example in that article is Parkinson's disease, but the principle is very similar for Alzheimer's). This problem results in inefficient use of energy, free radical generation, and neuronal toxicity and death. There are several ways to (theoretically) improve this issue - one of them is to use a therapeutic ketogenic diet. The other way is to jack up insulin in the central nervous system to improve the ability of the cells to pull in and utilize glucose, theoretically. In addition, insulin seems to have an effect on amyloid-beta peptides that may protect the neurons, and insulin and insulin activity are generally low in the CNS of folks with dementia (though hyperinsulinemia with insulin resistance seems to be a long-term risk factor for developing Alzheimer's dementia eventually).

My question is - and this is highly speculative - without improving the energetics, does jacking up the insulin help in the short term but hasten the problems in the long term? No long term studies have been done. In the absence of insulin resistance and with insulin in the CNS low already, perhaps not? I'll have to think a little more on that one.

Crossfit Is Just For Elite Athletes? Myth Busted!

CrossFit Isn’t Just For Hardcore Fitness Maniacs

Crossfit is for anyone who wants to improve their fitness and live a healthier lifestyle.

While CrossFit certainly is for hardcore fitness maniacs, it’s for everyone else too. You may have never worked out a day in your life, but I guarantee you if you walked into CrossFit Elysium and joined up, the first thing that would happen is that you’d be warmly welcomed by the coaches and the other box members, and the coaches would devise a routine for you to get started. Ultimately you’ll be training alongside CrossFitters representing a broad scale of ability and experience—but workouts will be scaled to your level. I have met several CrossFitters that live at the higher frequencies of the EM band—they remind me of wrestlers who lived on my dorm floor at the University of Iowa many years ago—they exist 24/7 in a vacuum of extreme discipline—severe diet protocols, eradication of distraction, living in compression wear, not really smiling much and transmitting an overall level of grimness. I have nothing but admiration for these folks. Although—just as it was for me living in the Hillcrest dorm near Dan Gable’s Hawkeye wrestlers—I like enjoying a cold beer more often than once a month. And from what I’ve seen a more moderate approach applies to most of the CrossFitters in the world. My point? CrossFit is for anyone interested. In a way the perception versus the reality reminds me of triathlon. Maybe people assume that being a triathlete means peeling off Ironmans. But most of the triathletes in the USA are doing short triathlons that take an hour or less and can be more inclusive than running events. Same with CrossFit: it’s for all.  Continued here

Better To Run Barefoot?

Q	Better to Run Barefoot? What do you think of running barefoot? I've read that you're less likely to get injured if you don't wear shoes.
A	Answer (Published 9/19/2011)
In the running world there appears to be quite a controversy developing about whether it's best to wear shoes or to train yourself to run barefoot. A number of champion runners have made their mark in bare feet, and obviously, before there were shoes, humans who ran did so barefoot. The main argument for barefoot running seems to be that it causes you to land on your forefoot rather than the heel, as you do when running in shoes. Landing on the forefoot is supposed to be less jarring and therefore less likely to lead to injuries Related Weil Products Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging for Fitness - It's never too late to get fit! Promote a healthy weight, increase your energy, encourage better rest and feel great with a regular exercise program designed for your needs and capabilities. The Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging online plan has all you need - sign up today and get 14 days free! The question of whether running barefoot leads to fewer injuries was heatedly debated at the American College of Sports Medicine's 2011 annual meeting. I doubt that those on either side of the argument were satisfied with the conclusions. Barefoot runners are convinced that they're less likely to hurt themselves. That may be true if you grew up not wearing shoes and always ran barefoot. But you can hurt yourself in the process of adjusting to barefoot running if you're used to shoes. A Harvard University website notes that there have been no studies of risk of injury with barefoot running, but it does list hypothetical advantages, including fewer repetitive stress injuries, especially stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, and runner's knee. Other advantages may be a strengthening of the foot muscles, and the use of less energy. And running barefoot makes some people feel good. Before you get that far, you've got to develop calluses on your feet; until you do, the Harvard site advocates wearing light, flexible shoes. (You can get so-called "barefoot running shoes.") In addition, switching from shoes to bare feet requires a change in running form that isn't automatic. It demands a shorter stride than most runners are accustomed to, for instance, and making the change may not be easy - the Harvard site recommends a slow transition to avoid injury Another issue is where you run and the likelihood of encountering glass, stones and other debris. If road surface safety is not an issue and barefoot running appeals to you, there's no reason not to try it. I wouldn't count on it to prevent injuries, though. Until we have studies to tell us whether or not barefoot running is actually safer, I would assume that you're just as likely to sustain an injury running barefoot as you would be wearing shoes. Andrew Weil, M.D.

Become A Better Runner Without Running (List of good list of exercises)

In case you're not already in a exercise plan outside of running, you should start with something like what's mentioned in this article.  Nothing helps running like running, but you must be concerned with your PaleoBody a.k.a. 'everything else' :).  The kettle bells post from Friday will cover all the bases, but in case you're allergic to Iron there's other effective movements that will contribute to your overall wellness.  This month's Competitor magazine suggests throwing a set of burpees at the end of a run- we guarantee you'll recover faster!  --we also learned Burpees is someone's name- Royal H Burpee.  So after a run, or after a day of NO activity, think did I include some mobility, some range of motion, some strength work today?  

Crossfit Lite: 

Become A Better Runner Without Running

Give this high-intensity cross-training workout a try!

Written by: Linzay Logan

The single best way to become a better runner is to, well, run. Adding distance, speed, and changing terrain are all great ways to test your limits as a runner and to become faster and more powerful. However, cross training can be just as beneficial when incorporated into your run training. Lifting weights can make you stronger and doing other varieties of cardio can work your muscles and lungs to become more powerful.

My favorite way to cross train is to incorporate short high-intensity bursts of cardio into weight lifting for a one-hour workout. I teach this format of group fitness twice a week and it has certainly has had a positive impact on my run. Add this cross training workout to your running schedule once a week and you will see a difference in your race times and maybe even your biceps, too.

Complete every cardio exercise for one minute and for every weighted exercise complete three sets of 12 to 20 reps. Use weights that are heavy enough that you feel very fatigued by the end of the three sets. If you can complete all three sets without fatiguing the muscles, increase your weight or complete more reps.

Warm up for five to 10 minutes with an easy run.

Squats

-Try pulsing on the last rep at the bottom of the squat for eight counts as well as taking the squats at a faster and slower pace. It works the muscles differently.

Bicep Curls

-Alternate sets of hammer and regular curl.

Jumping Jacks

-Make sure your arms are strong and straight and your heels are touching the ground at every jack.

Mountain Climbers

-Try and stay a plank position and avoid sticking your butt up in the air—it makes it easier.

Static Lunges

-Don’t lunge your front knee over your toes. Concentrate on going straight down and straight up.

Driving The Car

-Hold a five to 10 pound plate for the barbell or a hand weight with both hands straight out in front of you.  Then move your hands like you were driving left to right in a car. Keep driving for 20 to 30 seconds. This should make your shoulders burn.

Burpees

-Explode off the ground when you jump up.

Front Kicks

-Alternate left and right focusing on bringing up the knee first then extending the knee.

Plié Squat

-Your feet should be at least three or four feet apart and your toes should point out. Tuck your tailbone under and squat straight down and straight up.

Tricep Extensions

-Keep your elbows in close enough to feel your biceps grazing the sides of your head.

Squat Jumps

-Use your arms to power up your jump.

Jump Rope

-Jump side to side, front to back and straight up and down.

Push-Ups

-Your arms should be about as wide as a yoga mat. Set your knees down if you can’t complete a regular push-up.

Plank

-Make sure your body is aligned straight from the top of your head to your heels and engage your abs.

Stretch

That Paleo Guy: Fat Metabolism, Glycerol, and Improved Hydration

That Paleo Guy: Fat Metabolism, Glycerol, and Improved Hydration: A series of tweets in the last day or so reminded me of a conversation I had with Dr Emily Deans during our recent stay in Los Angeles for ...

Total Body Workout Using the Kettlebell.

Total body workout using the kettlebell.

As someone who does nothing but isolation exercises can atest, the muscles we target can grow and gain strength.  That's good right?  If you want big biceps, use a preacher seat and an EZ curl bar.  Want big chest, use cable butterlfy chest machine. Since there's 650-850 muscles in the human body it would just take 2-300 machines to hit the major ones.  Phew, that was easy... or... use an offset handled heavy mass that requires the employment of hundreds of muscles at once to control. Kettlebell training teaches you a special method called the leg and hip dive. In this method, one uses his or her lower body in order to create force which then transfers all throughout the core of the body and into the upper body.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6556834
The Russian kettlebell swing could be called the deadlift, hip-pop, shoulder raise, core controlling super exercise. It's not just the movement of mass (force x distance) it is also a balance and control task.
  Here's some of my fave for you for full body, lower body, core, etc...

• Turkish getup
• Russian Kettlebell Swing, although he's not pushing his head through at the top.
• Kettlebell Snatch
• Kettlebell Goblet Squat,  John Spezzano has many good kettlebell videos.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettlebell, http://ezinearticles.com/?Kettlebell:-Total-Body-Workout&id=6556834