Last updated: 19-Oct-18
By Elsa Trujillo
This week we bring you a selection of articles that focus on natural performance enhancement: limiting the negatives, testing yourself as you run, increasing consistency and making sure you know how to spot early signs of hyperthermia. And rabbits. But it’s not all hard work, there is also Ian Corless’ report and beautiful images of the Madeira Skymarathon or you can watch the trailer for a new documentary just out about running in Haiti.
Limiting the negatives when you run
Here’s a second article adapted from coach Jason Koop’s Training essentials for Ultrarunning, where he discusses how ultra runners succeed in their ultra races by limiting the negatives. He tells us how to limit the number of things that can go wrong when running. Read the article.
Six tests every runner should take
Six easy tests you can carry out on yourself whilst out running on the trails to find out how your body is doing and how to improve your running: have a conversation with a fellow runner, hop on one leg, check your morning heart rate, colour test your pee, find the right mood for you and get yourself a pair of new shoes. Here are all the details.
Performance= consistency + genetics
Coach David Roche expands on his formula and what you can and can’t do about improving your performance results. Read the article about consistency improvements and why you shouldn’t blame your parents. This article is no longer available.
Running in the heat?
If you live in a temperate region of the northern hemisphere, you know it, summer is upon us. But it doesn’t have to be incredibly hot for runners to be affected by hyperthermia. The body’s ability to regulate its own temperature can be affected by other factors such as lack of water, lack of a cooling breeze or exercising that is too intense. Read Corless’ recommendations on how to avoid it, here.
Running with rabbits
Or pacers, which is the technical term. Banned or allowed in road and trail races alike, the role of the pacer is to help runners reach a certain time goal and, generally speaking, when allowed, they do not complete the entire race. Find out all about human rabbits, here.
Run for Haiti
Running across Haiti is a mini documentary about how one man’s run across a poverty and earthquake-stricken Caribbean nation inspired Haiti’s first ultra marathon run. Tassy Fils-Aime’s 240km run inspired an ultra, Run Across Haiti, that raises money to help Haitians in their local communities. In 2016, 20 runners started but only seven reached the finish line. Watch the documentary here.
Ultra Skymarathon Madeira 2016
This is Ian Corless’ report and selection of images of the 2016 Ultra Skymarathon Madeira, part of the Skyrunner World Series, with 55km distance and 4000m of vertical gain. With its opening run in the Canary Islands (Spain), Portuguese Madeira is the second event of this World Series. In July, runners will come together in Val d’Isere (France), then head to Montana (USA) and then back to Spain for the last run of the series in the Spanish Pyrenees. Read the Madeira report here.
