What the different types of running equipment are and where they are made

It seems to me that there are even more types of running gear and equipment available each time I pay a visit to my local sports shop. Running brands are just constantly looking for ways to improve a person's athletic performance by trying and testing out new types of fabric and material and high tech equipment that will help give them the boost that they need. Every time I go to sports shops I immediately feel the sense of excitement build up inside me as if I'm about to start running a race! They literally have everything running wise nowadays and sometimes I feel like I could easily buy the whole shop! These are a few of my favourite running equipment and gear that I find really beneficial to my running.

http://homegymheaven.com/best-treadmills-for-running/

Treadmills:
I personally find that a treadmill is a fantastic piece of running equipment. It is ideal for when it's lashing rain or stormy outside. I also use it for when I want to run at a certain pace or incline as I'm able to easily adjust it by pressing the buttons on the screen. It also helps me work on my running form as I can focus on my running technique in the mirror and make sure that I'm running upright and correctly. I also find that it helps improve my leg speed and mental toughness especially when you just have yourself in the mirror to stare at! I do a treadmill running session once every week. Although treadmills were originally invented in 1818 to be used as a form of punishment in prisons, the first consumer treadmill was invented by a man named William Staub from Philadelphia in the late 1960s.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/p/164366

Garmin Watches:
Another one of my must have running equipment. There are so many different types of Garmin watches but the one that I have is called the Garmin Forerunner 25. I find it so useful as it allows me to keep record of my total distance, my pace per kilometre, my total calories burned, and my time. It also beeps to inform me whether I'm ahead of my target pace, behind it, or on target. The Garmin company is based in Switzerland and was originally founded by Min Kao and Gary Burrell in  the year 1989. It is now an American multinational technology company.

https://www.sportsshoes.com/products/running/spikes/

Spikes:
I love running on a track in spikes! They are so nice and light that you feel like you're just bouncing along the track effortlessly! They are also so handy during cross country races as they help prevent you from slipping in the mud and give you a better grip when running on tough and hilly terrain. I have a pair of New Balance Cross Country Spikes and also a pair of Saucony Middle Distance Track spikes for the 800m and 1500m. They are much better for running races than normal running shoes as they allow to run faster and lighter and up on your toes. Joseph William Foster invented the first original pair of running spikes in the year 1890. He was from the United Kingdom.

How the sport of running has changed over the years

Running, in my opinion, has changed massively over the past few years. What once started off as a simple form of exercise has now developed into a very popular sporting discipline that is a huge part in major sporting competitions such as the Olympics.

In the earlier years, running or jogging as it used to be mainly known as, was just a way to keep fit and all it involved was putting on a pair of running shoes and then going for a quick jog around the block.

Thanks to big developments in science and technology, the sport of running has improved massively in the past few years and there are constantly new training techniques and tips being uploaded on the internet in order to make you able to run faster and longer with less effort.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/fitbit-279-commercial.html

Examples of developments in science and technology include the invention of high tech running watches such as the Garmin Running Watches and Fit Bit Watches. There are also a large number of health and running apps available to be downloaded on phones or iPods. All of these inventions mean that runners are now able to track all their runs and calculate their total distance, heart-rate, calories burned, and pace per mile/kilometre.

As well as that, there are also new ways of scientifically training for running including what is known as the VO2 Max Test. This test figures out the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can consume and how efficient your muscles are able to work. It involves recording  your CO2 production, and oxygen consumption. The results from this will then give you your VO2 Max, approximate lactate threshold, and your heart rate max.

https://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/products/garmin-forerunner-235-running-watch?variant=9348477891

Running shoes and clothes have also changed hugely over the years. The sports brands such as Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and Reebok have introduced excellent new running clothes to the market. The fabric is now much lighter and suitable for running and lycra fabric is very popular amongst many runners. There are new types of gear such as compression socks and sleeves that help the blood flow and stop your legs from swelling.

http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2015/05/shoes-gear/whats-the-lowdown-on-compression-gear_40322#YyM7XDw1DUrhBui4.97

http://running.competitor.com/2014/04/photos/photos-meb-keflezighi-career-highlights_101053

 

Due to the discovery of the fact that there are 3 different running shoe types, trainers have now been created to suit all running types. The 3 running types are neutral pronation, over pronation and supination. I over pronate which means that I always go for motion control running shoes as they help to support the inner sides of my feet. People who have a supination tend to choose cushioning running shoes whereas neutral pronators are most likely to for running shoes that have plenty of stability.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Forerunner-Running-Activity-Tracker/dp/B00JRXDCDS

The country that develops the best sprinters in the world compared to the country that is most famous for producing the most elite endurance athletes.

While watching the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics I was fascinated by the fact that Jamaica completely dominated the sprinting events, whereas, Kenya on the other hand was the best country by far in the long distance races.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/rio-2016-usain-bolt-triple-triple-olympic-jamaica-4x100m-relay-a7200686.html

Jamaican athletes such as Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce and Usain Bolt put on truly spectacular performances, with Shelly Ann winning the gold medal in the 100m in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and Bolt winning the ''triple triple'' which meant that he won the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay in all 3 Olympic Games.
As well as those two sprinting victories, other Jamaican sprinters also have incredible titles and achievements to boast about. Asafa Powell held the 100m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, until it was beaten by Usain Bolt who set the new world record of 9.58seconds in 2009.

Both the Jamaican women's and men's 4x100m relay teams are forces to be reckoned with as the women's team won gold in the 4x100m relay at the 2015 World Championships and the men's 4x100m relay team have won numerous gold medals including the Beijing Olympics 2008, London Olympics 2012, and Rio Olympics 2016.

I have always wondered how and why an African country like Jamaica is able to produce such amazing sprinters and come out on top in events such as the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m?
I decided to research a bit about the country of Jamaica itself in order to find out a bit more about the conditions that elite sprinters like Usain Bolt train in, in the hope that I could come to a conclusion as to why this country is most dominant in the sprinting field.
After reading about the area of Jamaica and about elite Jamaican athletes, I came up with some theories as to why they excel in sprinting much more than any other country in the world.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-3215245/Usain-Bolt-wins-World-Championships-gold-Jamaica-win-4x100m-relay-Great-Britain-USA-botch-final-handovers.html

I feel that it is to do with a number of reasons. Firstly, I think that due to Jamaica having quite a hilly landscape and region, runners there are able to push their bodies to their limits by running on the tough terrain, while at the same time strengthening their hamstrings which are very important when it comes to sprinting.
I also found out that the Jamaican diet consists mainly of really healthy plant based foods such as a wide variety of fruits and vegetables which fill their bodies with energy and fuel to perform at their best. There are also hardly any processed foods available to people in Jamaica which means that they are not filling their bodies with sugar and fatty, unhealthy foods.
Another  huge reason why Jamaican's are such good sprinters is due to the fact that they have a genetic predisposition towards fast twitch muscle fibres which are vital in order to run at a high speed. I found this out while watching the ''I Am Bolt'' movie and was quite intrigued by this fact.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-08/06/c_131764445_4.htm

After finding out about Jamaica and its huge sprinting success, I then wanted to look into distance running and about how Kenya and produce such excellent long distance runners.
A few ideas as to why Kenyans are so strong in endurance events sprung to mind, however, I needed to research in further depth in order to see if these were possible theories.

http://wunc.org/post/kenyas-kipchoge-wins-marathon-american-galen-rupp-third#stream/0

The first thing that immediately came to my mind was the physical shape of their bodies in comparison to other athletes. If you look at their body shape, you will instantly notice something quite similar about all of the Kenyan runners. Generally, they all tend to have very long legs, a short upper body and less mass for their height. Most, also seem to have very narrow calves and ankles, and studies have proven that this makes it easier for them to run faster for longer as they are carrying less excess weight from their lower body.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/sports/olympics/marathon-women-live-results-mare-dibaba.html?_r=0

Another reason why I think Kenyans may have an advantage in long distance events is because of where they live and train. There is a very high elevation in Kenya and it has been recorded to be of about 7,000 feet. This would allow runners there to be able to train in much thinner air and at the same time train their lungs to be able to work harder with much less air. This high altitude training can benefit Kenyan runners massively as it enables them to run much more easily in big competitions like the Olympics or the World Championships.

Famous elite athletes in lots of different running events and what sort of training they do in order to hit their peak performance.

There are an enormous amount of successful, elite athletes from around the world in many different running events, however, I decided to choose a few of my favourite runners to show you their typical weekly training sessions and how much effort they put in to perform at their best.

http://www.eurosport.com/athletics/world-championships/2015/mo-farah-s-mobot-is-magical-britain-s-greatest-athlete-could-yet-get-greater_sto4873432/story.shtml

Mo Farah

Mo Farah is both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic champion in the 5000m and 10000m.


His total weekly mileage ranges from 126 to 135 miles each week.
I recently watched the new Mo Farah movie called ''No Easy Mile'' and featured in it was Mo Farah's typical training session for each week. I was shocked when I found out that he trains 2 times a day, 7 days a week!


Monday's usually consist of a 10 mile recovery run in the morning followed by a 6 mile recovery run in the evening.

Tuesday's include a 3-4mile warm-up, followed by a 8-12mile threshold run, and then a 3mile cool-down run. After this he usually has a 60minute strength and conditioning session, and finishes off his day with a 6mile run in the evening.


Wednesday's start off with a 12mile easy recovery run and then consists of a 5mile easy run in the evening.


Thursday's are usually the same as Wednesday's but with a 11mile run in the morning instead of 12.


A Friday session for Mo Farah starts off with a track session consisting of a 4mile warm-up run, 10x200m sprint intervals, 10x200m hill sprints, and a 4mile cool-down. He would then have another 60minute strength and conditioning session and later would have an easy 4mile run.


On Saturday's Mo runs an easy 11miles in the morning and then 6miles recovery in the evening.


Sunday is Mo's long run day so he usually runs anything from 22-27miles!




Thomas Barr
Thomas Barr is another elite athlete that I admire. He competed in his first ever Olympics in Rio in 2016 and came 4th in the final, missing out on a bronze medal by just 0.05 seconds. He set a new national record of 47.97seconds for Ireland and shows bright hopes for the future as he is only 24 and it is just the beginning of his career as an elite athlete.
He trains 6 days a week with Saturday as his rest day.
From reading my latest ''Irish Runner Magazine'' I learnt a lot about how Thomas trains in order to compete at his optimum level of performance.

https://www.balls.ie/olympics/irish-in-action-on-day-13-343226

On Mondays he has a strength and conditioning session in the morning and a speed running session on the track in the evening.
For Tuesdays his morning session is a plyometric session and in the evening he does a circuit session
On Wednesdays Thomas has a medicine ball session in the morning and finishes with a technical running session on the track in the evening
Thursdays consist of another medicine ball session in the morning and then a speed running session in the evening
On Friday morning he has either a strength and conditioning session or a rehab session and then in the evening has a plyometric session
Saturday is the only day a week that Thomas has to rest and recover.
Thomas' racing season is during the summer months so throughout this period he focuses on technical speed work on Sundays whereas in the winter months his Sunday sessions are hill sessions.


Tirunesh Dibaba
Tirunesh Dibaba is not only the first woman to win double gold in the 5000m and 10000m events in the Olympics, but is also the youngest female to become a world champion in athletics. She is from Ethiopia. In an interview with ''Running Times'' in 2012, Dibaba went through her training regime. In my opinion her training seems to be very varied and consists of lots of track work, trail runs, and gym work.

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/kFPg3v6-Aze/Olympics+Day+7+Athletics/fTJ0CTtZAly/Tirunesh+Dibaba

During a typical week of training Tirunesh would usually do two track sessions which focus on speed work, two gym sessions to focus on strength and conditioning, one long run which would normally last for 90minutes, and then she would have a couple of other easy runs in the woods, trails, and paths. Her morning sessions are for 60minutes whereas her evening sessions are 40/50minutes.

Motivational Running Video- Why You Should Start Running

What running is like as a sport and the different type of running distances and events that take place around the world.

http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/omnisport/fd/52/rio-2016-olympics-medals_1hko0oaxehu981n9pd27g1h4z9.jpg?t=1344886861

Running is, in my opinion, one of the best sports in the world. Not only is there a never-ending list of health benefits that go along with it, but it is also offers great versatility as it has so many different distances and events that take place throughout the world.

There is such a broad range of health benefits from taking part in regular running sessions, including an improvement in your cardiovascular fitness, it helps strengthen both your muscles and bones, and also helps you to maintain a healthy weight while at the same time it manages to release feel good endorphins which leaves you feeling fresh and full of energy for the day ahead.

As well as being an excellent source of exercise, running is also a competitive sport that makes up a huge amount of big worldwide sporting events such as the Olympics. The great thing about running is that there are so many different races and distances for athletes to compete in so it never gets boring for spectators or the public to watch.

http://coresites-cdn.factorymedia.com/mpora_new/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Mo-Farah--680x454.jpg

There are sprinting races, middle distance races,long distance races, and even ultra-distance events. The sprint events include the 100m,200m, and 400m sprint, while both the 800m and 1500m make up the middle distance events. Sprint relays such as the 4x100m,4x200m, and 4x400m have also proven to be hugely popular amongst athletes.

There are quite a large amount of long distance races including the 5000m and 10000m on the track, the marathon on the road, and also cross country. An event called the steeplechase is also a very popular long distance event, especially in the Olympics. It requires athletes to be able to run 3000m on the track while also managing to clear a total of 28 normal hurdle barriers and 7 water barriers along the way.

Ultra-distance events have become very popular in the recent years as it gives athletes a huge endurance challenge while also allowing them to take in all the beautiful surroundings that they pass by on the run. Races that are classified as ultra-distance events include any race that is longer than a marathon which is 26.2 miles. The most common ultra-distance races are the 50km,50mile,100mile, and 100km.

The Olympics,the IAAF World Championships,the European Athletics Championships, and the IAAF World Indoor Championships are the biggest athletic events for elite runners. The Olympics are held every 4 years, while the other 3 events are held every 2 years. The last Olympics took place in Rio, Brazil in 2016, and the next one will be in Tokyo, Japan in 2020. The World Championships are set to take place in London this year from the 4th to the 13th of August and I am literally bursting with excitement!

http://runnersfeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Bolt.jpg

http://angryjogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Running-Quotes-7.jpg

Throughout my blog on the geography of running I will be covering a number of topics. The following topics that will be discussed in my blog include:

1. What running is like as a sport and the different type of running distances and events that take place around the world.

2. Famous elite athletes in lots of different running events and what sort of training they do in order hit their peak performance.


3. The countries  that develop the best sprinters in the world compared to the countries that are most famous for producing the most elite endurance athletes.


4.  How the sport of running has changed over the years.


5. What the different types of running equipment are and where they are made.

http://dromo.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Running-Track-_-Med11.jpg