🏃♂️ Your Buttock Size Matters
Good morning!
Winter is coming. So for the next few weeks, we will be sharing tips and information to make the most out of your winter runs. Stay tuned.
This week: Running for 85 hours, the size of your buttocks, and hypothermia.
Happy running, 🥶
ULTRARUNNING
85 Hours of Running
The Big Backyard Ultra is a race with fewer than 50 spots each year. But the race became mainstream last year with the Quarantine’s Backyard Ultra, where thousands of runners from all over the world ran virtually in this unique race format.
It’s a race with only one absolute winner, the last runner that can complete 6.7km (4.16mi) every hour of the hour. Everyone else gets a DNF.
This last weekend, Harvey Lewis shattered the previous record (79 hours) to get the 2021 crown running the 6.7km loops 85 times. That’s a mind-boggling 354.17 miles or 570.2 km.
Officially, there is no runner-up; Chris Roberts’s 84 loops also exceeded the previous world record, but he gets a DNF according to the rules of backyard racing.
Terumichi Morishita of Japan was “third place” after completing 80 loops.
How does it work?
The race itself has a unique format. Every hour you line up at the start line and run 6.7 km. Whatever time you have left of the hour, you can do whatever you want. On the top of the hour, you need to be lined up at the start line, and before the end of the hour, you need to finish your lap; otherwise, you get a DNF. This goes on until just one man or woman is standing.
WINTER RUNNING
Signs of Hypothermia
Meteorologists expect one of the coldest winters in North America, and during long runs, the risk of hypothermia becomes very real.
Researchers suggest that, when exercising, people are less able to perceive drops in their core body temperature compared to when they’re just sitting outdoors.
Signs of Hypothermia
If you can’t feel getting colder when you are running, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), says to watch out for these symptoms:
- Shivering
- Confusion
- Fumbling hands
- Exhaustion or feeling very tired
- Memory loss
- Slurred speech
- Drowsiness
If any of these occur, it’s crucial to get into a warm room, remove any wet clothing, and warm the center of your body if possible.
Slipping, falling, and getting dehydrated are also risks associated with winter running, so getting a running buddy is a great way to stay safe during winter.
IMPROVING
Your Buttock Size Matters
Sometimes bigger is not better, but if you want to run faster, it looks like the size of your buttock matters.
Researcher Rob Miller, a Ph.D. and colleagues at Loughborough University, analyzed 23 body muscles of 42 participants. Five elite sprinters, 26 sub-elite sprinters, and 11 untrained control participants.
The team found that though the top sprinters were generally more muscular, they had a particular pattern to their muscularity.
There was a 32% size difference in hip extensor muscles (bum and hamstrings) between the elite and sub-elite runners.
- Three hip muscles were consistently larger: TFL, sartorius, and gluteus maximus.
- The gluteus maximus alone had between 34-44% of the size variance.
Conclusion. “Increasing the size of the gluteus maximus, in particular, would be expected to improve your running speed,” said Professor Miller.
Squats, here we go!!! Check these 4 exercises.
OTHER FAST NEWS
According to their Twitter, registration for the Western States 100 will open on November 1st (don’t mind the typo in the Tweet).
The best hiking Apps for trail runners.
Book of the Week: The Lost Art of Running. A Journey to Rediscover the Forgotten Essence of Human Movement
Happy running, and see you next week.
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