That Man McDougall Again

[Sweder]

My good friend Jeff Hitchcock sent me this today.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/magazi....html?_r=1

[marathondan]

Great link Sweder, thanks for posting. This stuff is getting harder to ignore.

I'm currently grappling with injury for the first time in ten years of running, and statement likes "he constantly battled injuries; at age 34, severe degenerative arthritis led to foot surgery" only feed my paranoia.

Then again, as a 2:35 marathoner, this guy would be putting in some serious mileage, whereas 35 miles is a really big week for me.

I might give this 100-up drill a try though.

A couple of asides...

Interesting to see Hunter S. cited as taking the Nike dollar in the 80s.

Why the hell are those guys wearing hats? It's clearly warm enough for t-shirt and shorts. I'm completely bald, and even I have to take my hat off if the temperature is above about 5C when running. It's almost like they're obsessed with image... which always makes me a bit suspicious.

[Sweder]

Speaking of Raoul Duke I see The Rum Diaries has been made into a feature film by famous Hunterphile Johnny Depp, directed by the man responsible for Withnail and I (interview coming up this arvo on BBC R 5 Live's Wittertainment show after 2). I read the Rum Diaries against all advice (including that of the Good Doctor himself); it's been cited as one of Thompson's weaker works. A fair accusation if what you mean by 'strong' HST equates to frequent, over-the-top drugs references and wild abandon for the rules of our universe. I found the book to be an engaging, gently sozzled journey through a journo's early rites of passage. Hardly offensive but also far from dross.

I look forward to catching up with Mr Depp's latest homage. It promises to knock the crap out of all that piratical arse-fluff he's been churning out for Disney [/align]of late.

[marathondan]

A scientific approach to the subject here - with more links and a talk (which I haven't watched).

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

And here's a video about the Taramuhara Indians and the Copper Canyon ultramarathon...

[Sweder]

And here's a video about the Taramuhara Indians and the Copper Canyon ultramarathon...

Fascinating to see El Caballo Blanco, a semi-mythical character from Born to Run, on screen. I guess he is real after all.

Interesting article Dan, one which underlines the message that we're all that fabled experiment of one. Outcomes are different depending on attitude, technical ability and application of the correct barefoot running style. It's not a panacea but certainly worth exploring for those of us who continually damage our bodies running in the 'usual' way. In truth I don't run barefoot that often but I do use the techniques on longer runs to vary my gait and posture. This helps avoid injury and back pain (something I always used to suffer from on longer runs). But BF is certainly not for everyone. People go at it too hard - too much too soon. That can cause bruising to the feet and put you off for life. Others run barefoot but don't change their style, again a painful and short-lived experiement.

[marathondan]

I'm currently taking off my shoes and socks for the last third to half a mile of each run. It's a great sensation, and I can feel that it's affecting my gait when I'm running in shoes. I definitely know what forefoot running should feel like now - which I think is half the battle - even if I'm not consistently achieving it.

I'd like to be able to take the distance up to 1-2 miles this season, but I'm taking it very gradually and will watch carefully for overdoing it. Ankles are creaking like rusty hinges when I get up in the morning, but they're fine once I loosen up.