How to Build Strong Calves 🦵, Medball Push Press for Explosive Triple Extension, World's Greatest Foot Race & More
#WhatsUpThisWeek?
This week’s #WoW Medball Push Press focuses on explosive power generation through triple extension
Calf strengthening helps building strong foot arch, controlling pronation, and improving balance and stability. Our latest post on @geeksonfeet is to improve calf strengthening for better running
India’s Avinash Sable finished 35th and Parul Chaudhary finished 20th senior race (10km) at 2023 World Cross Country Championships. Highlights from the World’s Greatest Foot race in #FromAroundTheWorldOfRunning
If you are looking for a value max-cushioned rocker shoe with a plate that is optimised for good bounce, Asics Glideride 3 is an excellent bargain. Know more about the shoes at @shoesgeeks
Happy reading!
#GeeksPoll
Running in an event is a great way to challenge ourselves physically and mentally. Crossing the finish line is immensely rewarding. When registering for events, travel, entry fees, hotel stays etc., can add up quickly.
What is your annual budget for races?
#WoW
Medball Push Press
Medball Push Press is a form of Plyometric exercise that focuses on explosive power generation (triple extension), and coordination of core and upper body movement.
How to do it?
This exercise requires a light medball (~3 kg)
Stand on both feet, hip width stance with medball on the ground in front of you
Pick up the medball from the ground, and hold it close to the chest with both hands, with thumbs pointing towards the chest.
Squat down (half-squat) by flexing ankle, knee and hip, while core engaged, back neutral as shown in the figure A
From here explosively extend hip and knees to powerfully throw the ball upwards & forward as shown in the figure B
Let the ball fall on the ground, while you get back to the start position, and pick it up from the ground.
This is 1 repetition, do 8 repetition as 1 set
When to do it?
Part of your strength training, with 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.
@GeeksOnFeet
Calf Strengthening for Better Running
The calf muscles play an essential role in running, controlling ankle movement, stabilizing the body, and generating force for take-off from the ground. Strengthening the calf muscles and their mobility is vital for runners as weak calf muscles lead to reduced ankle mobility and stability, which can cause injuries such as Achilles Tendonitis and Plantar Fasciitis. Calf strengthening helps building strong foot arch, controlling pronation, and improving balance and stability.
Read our latest post to understand the role of calf muscles in running and how you can strengthen them.
#FromAroundTheWorldOfRunning
World’s Greatest Foot Race - Chebet wins Womens’, while Gidey Collapses
The 2023 World Cross Country Championships took place in Bathurst, Australia. The event showed again why it is the world’s greatest foot race. Letesenbet Gidey (5K,10K, and half-marathon world record holder) the favorite to win the women's race, almost won the race with a strong move up the course's biggest hill, but collapsed just 30 meters from the finish line. Collapse is suspected to be due to the heat and her hard move on an unforgiving course. Beatrice Chebet of Kenya took the victory in 33:48 for the 10k course, with Ethiopia's Tsigie Gebreselama taking silver and Kenya's Agnes Jebet Ngetich taking bronze. Kenya won the team race with 16 points.
Kiplimo rules
Half-marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda won the men's race, finishing ahead of the fiercely competitive field that included his fellow countryman and reigning champ Joshua Cheptegei, two-time World XC champ Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya, and rising star Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia. Kiplimo made a move with 1400m to go and went on to win by a wide margin, with Aregawi finishing second and Cheptegei and Kamworor coming in third and fourth, respectively.
World’s Greatest Foot Race - India’s Parul Chaudhary finished 20th, and Avinash Sable finished 35th
Indian long-distance runner Avinash Sable finished 35th in the senior men's race (10km) at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships 2023 in Bathurst, Australia, with a timing of 31:43. He started slowly and was 76th at the end of the first lap, but gradually picked up the pace. Sable's timing was the best among all the Asian athletes competing. In the senior women's 10km cross country race, India's Parul Chaudhary finished 20th with a timing of 35:39, while Sanjivani Jadhav finished 47th in 37:30 and Chhavi Yadav finished 55th with a timing of 39:00. Team India didn’t figure in the final team standings. Long way to go for India in the Cross Country. Read more here.
41 year old world record on Track is broken by Femke Bol
Dutch athlete Femke Bol, the Olympic 400m hurdles bronze medallist, has broken a 41-year-old world record in the women’s indoor 400m in Dutch Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn on Sunday, 19th Feb. Bol is 22 years old, and ran 49.26 seconds, taking down Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova's world record of 49.59 seconds from March 1982. Bol is the third-fastest woman in history in her primary event, the 400m hurdles. She also has the fastest time in history in the 300m hurdles (36.86), which is not on the Olympic or world championships program. Read more here.
24 years old world indoor record is broken by Lamecha Girma
Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma broke Daniel Komen's 25-year-old world indoor 3,000m record by running 7:23.81 at the World Indoor Tour Meeting in Liévin, France. Spain's Mohamed Katir also beat Komen's record with a time of 7:24.68. Girma executed a perfectly negative split race, leading every step of the way after the final pacer dropped out at 1800m. Read more here.
@ShoeGeeks #ShoeOfTheWeek
Asics Glideride 3
Glideride 3 is the middle of the class in the “Ride” series of shoes from Asics just below Metaride. Like the previous edition Glideride 3 is also a rocker, but upgrades the foam from Flytefoam to FFBlast+. The rocker uses GuideSole technology similar to what we can find in Evoride. Like earlier edition, it has an Eva plate in the midsole to make the transition at push-off super fast. At about 266g for Men’s US 9, it is slightly heavier than the earlier edition of Glideride. Glideride 3 has stack height of 40mm, which is the legal limit for road racing shoes.
Currently Glideride 3 is on 40% sale at Asics India website. If you are looking for a value max-cushioned rocker shoe with a EVA plate that is optimised for good bounce, it is an excellent bargain.
#RaceCalendar
This Week:
New Delhi Marathon: Feb 26, 2023
Tata Ultra Marathon: Feb 26, 2023
In Next 1 months:
New Delhi Marathon: Feb 26, 2023
Tata Ultra Marathon: Feb 26, 2023
HRX Half Marathon: Mar 5, 2023
Navi Mumbai Half Marathon: Mar 12, 2023
In Next 6 months:
Ooty Ultra: Apr 2, 2023
Kalimpong Ultra Marathon: Apr 22, 2023
TCS World 10K: May 21, 2023
Bison Ultra: June 4, 2023
International Events:
Tokyo Marathon: Mar 5, 2023
Boston Marathon: Apr 17, 2023
London Marathon: Apr 23, 2023
Search and find races using our Race Finder geeksonfeet.com/races
#TipOfTheWeek
Race Ready for NDM
With the New Delhi Marathon just around the weekend, the focus should be on preparing yourself both mentally and physically. Physically, it's important to avoid overexerting yourself in the remaining days. Make sure you are getting enough rest, eating nutritious meals, and staying hydrated. This will help you ensure that your body is well-prepared for the demands of the race. Mentally, it's important to stay focused and positive. Do keep reminding yourself of all the hard work you have put in during your training. You can also use visualization techniques to mentally rehearse the race and picture yourself crossing the finish line. On race day, remember to stick to what you know and don't try anything new. This means avoiding trying new shoes, hydration methods, or energy gels on race day. Stick with what you have been using during your training to avoid any potential problems or discomfort. Remember to start slow and pace yourself, using the energy gels or sports drinks to maintain your energy levels throughout the race. With these tips in mind, you can feel confident and well-prepared for the New Delhi Marathon, and have a successful race.
If you like to share your running tips with fellow runners, please write to us on Twitter @GeeksonFeet.
#TriviaOfTheWeek
February 29, the extra day added to the calendar during leap years, is also known as "Leap Day." In the running community, some people celebrate this day with a unique running challenge known as the "Leap Day Marathon." The challenge involves running 26.2 miles on Leap Day, which occurs once every four years. The first recorded Leap Day Marathon took place in 2012 in Los Angeles, California, and since then, the event has grown in popularity with runners around the world.
If you like to share your running tips with fellow runners, please write to us on Twitter @GeeksonFeet.
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