Hip Range of Motion and Running Efficiency

Interesting study here that found you can increase hip range of motion with a targeted exercise routine, however that does not mean you automatically transfer to a greater stride length or improved efficiency as a runner. Improvements in hip flexibility do not transfer to mobility in functional movement patterns Authors suggest you may need additional focus on 'grooving' new motor patterns if new found movement range is to be utilized,in other exaggerated range of motion drills.

Running to the Limits Part II

You'll find Part III here:

Do You Have "The Goods" to Run a Sub 2:20 Marathon? Part I

To Stretch or Not?

Good summary by Dr Greg Wells.

Bananas Work as Well as Sports Drinks During Exercise

Aside from higher dopamine in BAN (banana trial), shifts in metabolites following BAN and CHO (6% carbohydrate drink) 75-km cycling time trials indicated a similar pattern of heightened production of glutathione and utilization of fuel substrates in several pathways.  -Bananas as an energy source during exercise: a metabolomics approach.

In this study,  trained cyclists consumed either a half a banana or a cup of sports drink, every 15 minutes, during a 75 km, simulated road race lasting between two-and-a-half and three hours. Blood samples were taken before and after exercise and analyzed.   Blood glucose levels and performance did not differ between the athletes consuming bananas and those consuming sports drinks.  ASU and Dole: Bananas As An Energy Source During Exercise

The bananas provided the cyclists with antioxidants not found in sports drinks as well as a greater nutritional boost, including fiber, potassium and Vitamin B6, the study showed. In addition, bananas have a healthier blend of sugars than sports drinks.  Bananas Are as Beneficial as Sports Drinks, Study Suggests

The researchers discovered that there was more interleukin-8 and interleukin-10 present in the athletes' blood when they had eaten bananas. Both of these interleukins activate the innate immune system. You can speculate that endurance athletes who get their carbs from bananas are less likely to catch a viral infection. -anabolicminds.com

When the researchers analysed the bananas they found out what had caused the rise in dopamine level. 100 g banana contains 0.42 mg dopamine. The cyclists had consumed 6-7 bananas, so had ingested about 3.33 mg dopamine.

The researchers exclude the possibility that the dopamine makes its way to the brain. It's possible that dopamine derived from food might enable the heart muscle to work harder. That didn't happen in this study; the rise in dopamine level wasn't high enough for that.

But, write the researchers, banana peel contains higher quantities of dopamine than the fruit itself. "Future studies with banana peel-based supplements will reveal if high oral dopamine intake is advantageous for endurance athletes using similar performance and physiological outcomes", the researchers announce.



MY COMMENT:   Who knew bananas, and especially banana peals, contained dopamine?  More dopamine, antioxidants, and interleukin? Sounds like grounds for further investigation, although you can bet the sports drink industry is scrambling to figure this out.  I'd like to see more details such as what fluids were allowed during the banana trial, and what effects dopamine has on endurance. I still can't get over the banana peels-dopamine connection.   

Hill Running Improves 5K

Regardless of which of the types of hill workouts they'd done during the preceding six weeks, their time on the second 5-K time trial was about 2% faster  -Study: All Hill Repeats Improve 5-K Performance

I wish they had gone into further detail on the number of sessions per week, etc.  Still, this is a good reminder not to overlook the importance of at least a weekly hill session, something I have not attempted in a long long time. 

Here is a post I did in 2011 on the importance of hills Powerful Hill Workouts by Owen Anderson.

Breathing and Running

I admit that I've never given belly breathing anything more than a passing thought, thinking it's more of a "yoga type thing" with no real application to running. Perhaps I've been wrong all these years. Check out this video by Budd Coates Running On Air: Breathing Technique.

If you are like me, always on the lookout for new ways to run faster, I think you'll take some time to experiment with belly beathing and the "in-2-3," "out-2," "in-2-3," "out-2" easy and the 3 count 2:1 hard running breathing rhythm.