minimalist running

I’ve been wondering what an augmented reality HUD interface for runners would look like, so I went and tossed together this mock-up. Augmented Reality (AR) layers data on top of the existing world in real time. Science fiction authors have written extensively about it for decades and fighter pilots have been using HUD interfaces for years, so there’s nothing really unique about it. Also patents on this technology were made years ago in anticipation of it going mainstream in the near future. In the last couple of years this technology has been trickling down to the average consumer in the form of iPhone and Droid applications.

Being a tech nerd this would be another toy to play with. But there are some real benefits to this interface as well.

All the data from my runs, everything from heart rate to pace to cadence, is displayed and stored on my Garmin watch. I glance down at the watch roughly every quarter mile just to make sure I’m within certain training parameters. So about every 2 minutes I’m looking at the watch, and if I need to look at a different parameter, I have to push buttons as well. So out of convenience I want all the relevant data to be displayed at all times. When I get home, I load the data into a program that displays everything into graphs. This data can be manipulated and compared to other workout sessions. These features are great, but again, it would be nice to be able to do this in real time.

This is essentially Biofeedback. All functions deemed relevant to performance would be displayed in real time, allowing for a higher awareness and better control of these functions. This would increase performance levels much faster than when training without this real time input. For elite runners, this makes perfect sense. They have been using Biofeedback for years, but this AR version would bring it out of the lab/treadmills and out into the field.

I would suspect that Garmin and other tech companies are already working on this, so a product such as runners sun-glasses with embedded data is just a couple of years away. Shrinking it down into a pleasing form factor would be key. This would not be for everyone, but could be very useful for some.

Although there are a ton of sites that sell shirts with cool designs, I got tired of wearing them the last few years. Something bothered me about them, probably because I’m a graphic designer and should be able to just do my own. So, I thought as a fun exercise I would make a shirt design every month just for me. That’s right, unique designs catered to myself, one can’t get more self indulgent than that.

The only stipulation I’ve made is that they should be quick to make/order. I just don’t want to spend a whole day on something like this. I’ll mess with transfers or even more than one color if I get the urge and have the time, but if I spend a half hour on it and it looks decent, then that’s fine. Also I want to make them a bit personal, but without getting too cheesy or self promotional. I don’t want to be a walking advertisement for myself.

So the January shirt just came in the mail, and it looks pretty good. I ordered it from CustomInk. I spent about 40 minutes on the design, and another 10 minutes uploading. The price is a smidge over 25 dollars, which is kind of high, but kind of not considered it’s a one-off. I went with a Norwegian theme, since I have some background from there. I found the official seal of Norway and plopped the word above it, nothing fancy. Keep it simple. Presto, I now have my own shirt. Next month I may play around with some transfers.

So its a new year and I need to lay down some goals.

Stay injury free
After using barefoot running to help me get back on track, I’ve been without pains for about a year. I’ve been careful at listening to what my body is telling me in regards to effort and pain. The nagging chronic pains have been replaced with “growing pains.” My ankles have strengthened, and my calf muscles are always a little sore, but its the good kind of sore.

Increase mileage per week
The goal is up to 50 by the end of the year. This will be a slow gradual increase of an average 0.5 mile per week. Currently I am at 20 miles per week, mainly increasing my long runs. I’ve been a little conservative in the increase the last year, more aggressiveness is called for. This increase is dependent on potential injuries.

Increase training knowledge
Continue pursuing the track of reading about sports physiology and training trends. I’m not even close to being an elite runner, but I find this area interesting and fun to explore. A smarter runner is a better runner. Part of this is getting a better Garmin Watch. Being the geek I am, I enjoy crunching the numbers and graphs after workouts to track progress. I will also continue to “experiment” on myself by trying different techniques, seeing what works and what doesn’t.

Core workouts
I can put in the time for interval, tempo and long runs, but when it comes to working out the rest of the body that’s a whole other story. Being a cardio junkie I just can’t stand static exercises. But in order to improve my running I need to just suck it up. I enjoy Yoga a little so will start doing that again.

Racing
I’ll be “competing” in some local races this year, perhaps a half dozen. 5k, half marathon and marathon are on the agenda. Also the 50k stump jump in Chattanooga is high on my list of ultra’s in the fall. Its been years since I’ve raced, so this should be fun.

Race times
I’m not even sure I can get close to these race times, but I have to set the bar high. 2009 was a year of transition and caution. 2010 I start really pushing to see what the limits are.

sub 1:40 half marathon in March (Knoxville race)
sub 20 minute 5k by June
sub 1:30 half by Aug
sub 3:00 marathon by Nov

The sub 3 hour marathon by the end of the year is the toughest one. 3:15 is slightly more realistic, 3:30 is the lowest hanging fruit. I’ll see how this plan goes over the year. Hopefully it won’t go bust.

…I just finished this piece for work, a 50 second introduction movie for a global simulation game. Sometimes its nice to go ape crazy on the colors.

I usually donate my shoes to charity, but in the spirit of home brewed scientific inquiry and plain curiosity, I decided to cut up a couple of my old running shoes I’ve had jammed in the back of the closet. I was wondering how high the heels were and how high they were in relation to the toe area. We all take for granted that any type of activity shoe is going to have more padding in the heel area. For years I’ve been hearing how padding and stability are key in a shoe in order to prevent injuries. I used to take this at face value as well, but my thinking has changed over the last couple of years. Conventional wisdom and expert opinion are at times wrong, or at least mis-guided. I am no expert myself, but with the help of trial and error have come around to a few things that work for me. Namely running barefoot or in minimalist shoes. The two shoes below are from a past I will never return to, archeological relics that seem increasingly backwards and absurd as more time goes by.

So, on to the heels. It took me a couple of hours to exacto knife these puppies, and some of the materials were “rotting” away which was kind of gross. I probably don’t want to know what kinds of cancer causing materials are in there. The shoes above are the Nike Air Max and Nike Zoom air, I put a few hundred miles on each many many moons ago. At first glance the Air Max looks much bulkier in the heel area with the balloon bladders standing out in all their glory. The Zoom Air looks decidedly low profile in comparison. Both have an obvious wedge shape from the heel to the toe. Below are some traces and measurements that better illustrate the wedge.

The Air Max was 3.5cm in the heel and 2cm in the ball of the foot area. This shoe is an oldie, I think they’ve been in the closet for at least 6 years. When I look at this profile I can’t help but think back to all the Runner’s World shoe reviews and various manufacturing marketing materials with all their techno mumbo-jumbo about “space-age” materials and always improving “features”. Balloons, pumps, more and better padding. In other words marketing gimmicks.

The Zoom Air was 2.5cm in the heel area and 1.2cm in the ball of the foot area. As noted above this shoe looks more low profile, but the ratio of heel to toe is higher. One thing to note is that padding is only one variable. Different material’s have varying abilities to absorb as well. The thinner Zoom Air might have better padding even with its thinner profile.

I actually liked running in this shoe back in the day. It felt comfortable and snug, and there was a period where my injuries seemed to be dissipating. I usually had this feeling the first 50+ miles of a new shoe, but after breaking them in, the pain would return. This was usually another factor in me buying shoes at a higher rate than usual. It made me think that it was the padding that was helping me, and that a new shoe with fresh padding was the ticket.

So for some conclusions:

1) We have established the fact that there is a “wedge” in these shoes.

2) One can safely conclude that this wedge alters the way the foot behaves as compared to walking/running barefoot. A person striking the ground with their midfoot while in bare feet, would be “forced” to strike more on the heel area because of the way the shoe slopes.

But is running in padding better or worse?

From my personal experience padding in the heel and this wedge have been the main culprit for my heel striking, over striding, injury prone years of running. Does this mean that most running shoes are detrimental to all runners out there? It’s hard to say without actual data. My opinion is that it can be, but I am pretty biased in the matter. Luckily there are several studies coming out focused on barefoot running that should shed some light on the matter, also the growing barefooting trend seems to be picking up steam, so much so that it may not just be another fad. When the founder of Google Sergey Brin is wearing Vibram Five Fingers around town, it might just be a sign of a changing attitude and hence a change in the landscape of running footwear. I for one am glad to be rid of these dinosaurs of pain and am eagerly awaiting the real improvements in running footwear.

So I’m sitting here at work kind of bored on a sunny Saturday, when I realize that I’m creating a character who is sitting bored at his desk. I’m creating myself. Now if I could only animate a character sipping margaritas on the beach…while sipping margaritas on the beach. Yes, that would be nice.

It’s been refreshing to switch to non-digital tools as of late. There’s something about the feeling of using ink on paper that just cannot be recreated digitally. Also, using traditional tools should help later when trying to transfer that knowledge into digital tools. Its hard to digitally create a certain kind of brush stroke or nib work without actually trying it out on paper beforehand.