Performance Advantage Coaching by Dr Will O'Connor

A study has been released (Feb 2020, pre-publication) that looks into the physics and physiology of carbon fiber plates in running shoes;  “Adding carbon fiber to shoe soles does not improve running economy: a muscle-level explanation.”  (Full study HERE ). The goal of any running shoe manufacture is to help an athlete reduce the energetic cost of running at a given speed. I.e improve running economy. Traditionally, shoe manufactures did this by making shoes ultra-light. However, over the last few years, we’ve seen the introduction of monster truck shoes with stacks of cushioning and carbon fiber plates. Carbon Fiber Plated Shoes Despite numerous world records being broken since the introduction of the Nike VaporFly in 2017 we’re yet to see conclusive evidence if the carbon fibre plate adds a performance boost, as opposed to the cushioning that surrounds it. Nike VaporFly 4% As at March 2020, there have been two studies showing an improvement in...

The run-walk method is nothing new to running, and a lot of its notoriety can be credited to legendary running coach Jeff Galloway. However, I struggled to find scientific reasoning behind the run-walk method as well as any data on runners going under 3 hours using this method. Personally, I have successfully used the run-walk method to run a 2:45 marathon and 8hr 38min 100km. What is Run-Walk? The method works as the name suggests, you run for a period then walk for a short period to recover and delay the onset of fatigue. The theory suggests that you’ll be able to run faster at the end of the race and thus have faster overall finishing time compared to if you had tried to run the whole time and were forced slow down at the end due to fatigue. The Science of Run-Walk The Brain Running requires the brain to send neurological impulses to the muscles that are needed to propel you forward in a running motion. Both these neurological signals and the muscles they activate can become...