Category: News

England Athletics #runandtalk campaign addresses mental health issues

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

I’ve often talked here about how the benefits of running extend far beyond the physical – running is good for our bodies, but it’s great for our minds as well. And a recent awareness campaign in October – a collaboration between England Athletics and the mental health charity Mind – struck me as a great way of using running as a way of encouraging positive mental health.

Run and talk

Running is, for many people, an escape – it can be a way to get away from the stresses and strains of daily life, but it can also be an important opportunity to spend quality time with other people. The campaign is called #runandtalk, and the big idea is to get people out and about, running with friends and family, and to use that time as an opportunity to talk together about mental health issues.

The organised events are over for this year, but the campaign is ongoing, and I’d encourage everyone to support this fantastic cause again next year if you didn’t get a chance to this time around. I think there’s a real opportunity for everyone to think about how they can use running to promote great mental health – either in themselves or in others. Just by getting out there – whether you’re starting running for the first time, or taking it back up again after a long break – you’re making a positive step forward and making a change for the better in your life.

A positive first step

Running makes us stronger, happier and healthier, in body and in mind. Running with other people is a healthy, positive step, looking outwards into the world, rather than inwards towards our own worries. It is chance for us to share our concerns with others, and to give ourselves the headspace we need to cope with whatever life throws at us.

So, find someone who might benefit from running and talking with you, and encourage them to hit the road. You’ll both never look back.

Until the next time,

Mohsin Salya.

Nike’s Attempt to Break the sub-2 hour Marathon

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

You may well have seen the YouTube video of ‘normal’, non-elite runners trying to run at the pace required to complete a marathon in under two hours (13.1 mph) – in the light of the recent challenge set by Nike. It’s a sobering sight. Some of them manage it – for all of a minute – before the strain becomes too much and they have to stop the treadmill. What the film shows is the incredible standards set by elite marathon runners – and underlines for the rest of us just how far off the pace we are.

Monza Lessons

So, is there anything that the average runner can learn from an attempt like Nike’s Breaking2? Well, despite the ultimate failure of the project to break the two-hour mark (Eliud Kipchoge ran the 26.2 miles around Monza racetrack in Italy in an incredible two hours 25 seconds – still a remarkable feat for any human being) – I believe that there are.

Unsurprisingly, one of the keys to improving performance appears to be diet. Andrew Jones, professor of applied physiology at the University of Exeter who was involved in the Nike project, explains.

“I’m responsible for the beetroot revolution,” he told the Guardian recently. “I do think it can be effective in a lot of people. It’s less effective the more highly trained you are, but at lower levels we find the nitrate in the beetroot juice causes people to be a bit more economical when they run. They use a bit less oxygen for the same speed and that should translate into better performances. There are plenty of studies to indicate that’s true. You should use some on race day, maybe a couple of hours before, and take it for a few days running up to the event.”

Jones also points to the way that many African runners use caffeine as a pick-me-up towards the end of races, as well as the importance of consuming plenty of carbohydrates as you run.

Rest Up

A final, and very interesting point he makes is around rest. I’ve already spoken on this blog about the importance of recovery time, and the key role it plays in not only allowing your body to repair itself, but also as away of embedding the training you’ve done on your active days.

Professor Jones’ work with the African athletes as part of Breaking2 showed that their lifestyle and approach to training is much more relaxed than that of western runners – they understand the importance of listening to their bodies and giving themselves a break when needed. It’s something we could all learn from in our own approach to training, whatever pace we run at.

Until the next time,

Mohsin Salya.

Distance Running Shown To Improve Cognitive Health

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi there, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

You can reap many benefits by running, especially if you build up your stamina and begin long-distance running. Today, I’m going to tell you more about a recent study in this area, which was conducted by researchers from the US-based University of Arizona. They discovered that there is a correlation between distance running and improved cognitive health, implying that it’s good for your brain.

Running benefits

If you’re new to running, as a beginner you should know that as long as you couple running with a good diet, it can provide various physical health benefits. If you run for just five to ten minutes a day, for example, you can improve your heart health, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Running can also be good for your joints and help you burn calories, as well as build up your leg muscles.

According to Shape Magazine, a fitness publication, there is also such a thing as a ‘running high.’ When you run, your brain releases “powerful feel-good chemicals, endorphins and endocannabinoids,” which can lift your mood. The University of Arizona’s recent study has shed more light on the link between running and mental health, by showing the positive impact of running for long distances.

Arizona study

Online wellness portal Club Industry wrote an article about the study. It reported that the University of Arizona’s researches employed MRI technology to compare the brain activity between 11 collegiate distance runners and 11 non-exercisers of the same age. Due to a lack of knowledge concerning how the menstrual cycle impacts brain activity, all the study’s participants were men.

In their scans, the researchers discovered that runners boasted greater brain activity in the regions of “planning, inhibition, monitoring, attentional switching and multi-tasking and motor control.” They also found that the runners’ brains exhibited greater “high level thought,” e.g. in decision making and held more effective concentration capabilities, than their non-running counterparts.

Complex activity

Commenting, study co-author Gene E Alexander said: “[Running is] not such a simple activity after all… It requires complex navigational skills, plus an ability to plan, monitor and respond to the environment, juggle memories of past runs and current conditions, and also continue with all of the sequential motor activities of running, which are, themselves, very complicated.” In their work, the researchers also linked positive decision-making to running. Explaining more, the research noted:

“[M]ovement, especially at high speeds, taxes not only motor control, but can also engage executive functions, spatial navigation, and memory abilities. Over time, these linked cognitive demands may have beneficial effects on brain structure and function. In fact, recent studies have shown that highly fit and competitive young adult athletes perform better on tests of executive function and processing speed in non-sport specific cognitive tasks, suggesting exercise-based improvements may be generalisable to cognitive demands during daily life.”

Brain workout

The University of Arizona’s study confirms what many runners may have already expected. Running, especially over long distances, gives both your body and your brain a workout. During running, you use your motor control functions to physically exercise, while you use brain features like spatial navigation to mentally map out and stay on your route, keeping yourself safe. You may, therefore, want to start running regularly if you’re looking to create some positive changes in your life.

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya

Nike Athletes to Attempt a Sub 2-hour Marathon

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

(Picture Credit: Nike)

Hi and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog, where I share tips, advice and news on all things running.

Earlier this week, sports giants Nike announced the launch of an ambitious project –Breaking2. This is, in simple terms, a plan to break one of running’s most difficult tasks – the two-hour marathon.

4 Minute mile

Way back in 1954, Sir Roger Bannister ran the first four-minute mile – redefining what athletes are capable of. Nike’s plan is to do this again with their new initiative. The current marathon world record for men, from The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) was set by Dennis Kimetto of Kenya at 2:02:57 in 2014. This breaks down to 4:41 seconds per mile. In order to run 1:59:59 or faster, a pace of 4:34 per mile will be required. This is a full seven seconds per mile, or 2.5 per cent, faster than the current record.

Nike now wants to reduce this record by three per cent, to “explore whether the impossible is within reach”. After more than two years of research, preparation and testing, three top distance runners have started their build up towards a sub two-hour attempt. Hoping to be able to accomplish this in Spring 2017, they are Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia and Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea. The exact timing and location have yet to be finalised, with the details expected to be released next year.

World-class expertise

In order to maximise the chances of success, Nike have brought together a team of passionate world-class experts across science and sports. This includes professionals from the world of biomechanics, coaching, design, engineering, materials development, nutrition, sports psychology and physiology.

Brad Wilkins, director of NXT Generation Research in the Nike Sports Research Lab, says: ‘We know that we need to break the two-hour marathon. That’s a defined outcome. So now let’s take a step back. What do we need to understand scientifically? What are the problems that we need to solve?’

As well as working on improving the Athletes themselves, Nike is also using this opportunity to work on a footwear solution that is specific to breaking the sub two-hour marathon. Nike has said that it began the full-commitment to the challenge in the summer of 2014, when the Breaking2 team was formed. Extensive research and development has been carried out over the past two years in order for Nike to reach the point now where it feels it can start delivering performance benefits.

I personally can’t wait to see if this will be a success or not.

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya