In a new study … male recreational athletes who drank a syrup-flavored ice slurry just before running on a treadmill in hot room could keep going for an average of 50 minutes before they had to stop. When they drank only syrup-flavored cold water, they could run for an average of 40 minutes.

Should still work without the syrup, right? For the calorie-conscious, I mean.

[via Lifehacker]

The big surprise for Henrik? An honest-to-goodness prize! Kelly and Ben were kind enough to donate some dailymile stickers, so those will be on their way sometime soon!

Congrats again to Henrik, and to everybody who took part! Thanks, and keep on running!

1. Chris R.
2. Steven R.
3. Paul S.
4. Andrew P.*
5. Ron W.*
6. Craig B.*
7. Matthew L.*
8. Kathy S.*
9. Christine B.*
10. James B.
11. Ward
12. Teri S.
13. Steve S.*
14. Timothy D.
15. Britt C.
16. Nik W.
17. Henrik W.
18. Rodney K.
19. Andy O.
20. Chad K.
21. Madelyn H.*
22. Christie E.
23. Matthew N.
24. Chris T.
25. Josh H.
26. Robin S.
27. Steven W.*
28. Iain
29. Adrian W.*
30. CoachEric
31. Brad B.*
32. Jeanne B.

An asterisk (*) indicates runners I profiled back on Selection Sunday. My “bracket” isn’t too busted at all, actually; 11 of 17 runners I picked are still in the hunt.

Again, thanks to everybody who has participated so far and good luck to the 32 runners remaining! I know those of us already out of the tournament will continue to cheer on those left in the rounds to come… that’s just how the dailymile crowd rolls.

Throughout January and February I was busy with rehearsals for a musical put on by the local community theater group. Singing, dancing, etc. was great fun, but once we started rehearsing with the orchestra I started feeling nostalgic for the days when I would have been one of their number instead of a member of the ensemble.

So I picked up my clarinet and started playing again. And I really think it’s a form of cross-training. It does nothing for my legs, of course, but the breath control needed can only improve my cardiovascular fitness. It’s a great, relaxing way to help improve my running without sacrificing my rest days.

We have a Pacific Outdoors Deluxe Boot and Glove Dryer. And it makes a difference. No longer are my shoes still damp from the melted snow accumulated during my last run. No longer are the insides of my gloves moist from, well, sweat. Like socks fresh from the dryer–another winter running essential–my shoes and gloves are fresh and ready for nature’s worst… which they often get.

My wife chose carefully. She went for a model with convection drying to circulate heat without blowing, preventing any damage from cracking or what have you (though that’s probably more a concern for leather items.) With four posts I can get the gloves and shoes done at the same time. It’s a luxury, sure, but I love it!

And hopefully I won’t be needing it much anymore until November or December.

Apparently 18-year-old Benjamin Harrison (no, not the 23rd President of the United States) was convicted a few weeks ago of repeatedly targeting a cyclist, trying to force him off the road and shouting death threats.

But Martin Melvin, the cyclist, was a “bit of an unfortunate choice of victim”: Melvin, it turns out, is a detective inspector with the local police.

Still, Harrison got off lightly. Nine months in jail suspended for two years, with 12 months supervision and 100 hours unpaid work. He was also banned from driving for two years and fined.

Lancashire Telegraph via treehugger

Wait, did I just say that?

Ok, I’m not going to miss the ice and sub-zero temperatures that make running so much more difficult, but I am sorry I can’t justify getting these goggles, especially so late in the season. (That being said, I love the cheapo ski goggles I have because they do a great job of keeping the wind and snow out of my eyes and my face warm when it hits -10F.)

What makes them so cool? They have a heads-up display (HUD) to show you speed, altitude, time, etc. Unfortunately, they aren’t cheap: $350-$450 sometime in the fall.

Wait, that’s just in time for next winter!

Via Gizmodo

Until I discovered the Running Barefoot site (or rather the Biomechanics of Foot Strikes & Applications to Running Barefoot or in Minimal Footwear site) put together by the Skeletal Biology Lab at Harvard. According to the experts:

What about surface hardness? Our ancestors didn’t run on pavement.
A common perception is that running on hard surfaces causes injuries, but runners typically adjust leg stiffness so they experience the similar impact forces on soft and hard surfaces. Further, forefoot and some midfoot strikers hit the ground in a way that generates almost no collision forces even on hard surfaces like steel. You can run barefoot and heel strike on a soft beach or lawn, but most natural surfaces are much harder and rougher. With proper forefoot or midfoot strike form, running on hard, rough surfaces can be comfortable and safe.

And:

What surfaces should I run on?
Choose a clean smooth paved surface. A common perception is that our feet were not meant to run on hard surfaces and that running on hard surfaces causes injuries. But our ancestors ran on surfaces of various hardness and forefoot striking when barefoot has less impact than even walking. Runners typically adjust leg stiffness so they experience the same impact forces on soft and hard surfaces (Dixon et al., 2000).

I also like the fact that the front page reminds readers that the study in question only deals with how barefoot runners can run on hard surfaces without discomfort or injury. It does not make claims about how people should run, whether shoes cause inujuries, etc.

Once the weather changes, I might have to give barefoot a try. Keeping a few of these tips in mind, of course.

“Rambler are a pair of sneakers that use the Twitter platform to literally microblg every step you take.” Apparently the folks behind the shoes figured the best way to critique the pointlessness of many Twitter posts was to contribute to the problem themselves.

Or maybe they’re on to something… throw in a GPS receiver and you could get some interesting data. Of course, it would probably be easier to just set up your eZ430-Chronos to automatically post to Twitter on your behalf.

Via gizmodo

Some used public transportation. Others had faster runners race in their place.

Did these dishonest runners hope to set a record, or claim a cash prize? No. They wanted to get an education.

If they run a marathon in good time, students can earn extra points for the “‘gaokao”, the entrance examination for China’s highly competitive universities that some children and their parents will go to huge lengths to shine in.

With 50,000 participants, the 200 race officials had a hard time keeping track of everybody. Only later review of photos and video from the race revealed the students’ tricks.

Other students have been caught cheating on the entrance exam itself.

(via RunNow)