Ale Santuz

This blog has moved

2017-04-12T14:07:00.003+02:00

This blog has moved to www.alesantuz.com.

November 2015 - Training recap

2015-12-01T16:09:00.003+01:00

It is finally XC season! The first colds, the first snow and, as usual, the first cross-country races. November started with the long-waited Berlin and Brandenburg XC Champs, where I managed to get a 7th place in the long-distance (2nd in the age-group 30-35). Then a very intense measurements plan lead me to Kassel for one week, where I could enjoy a couple of track sessions in the beautiful main stadium. After the commitments related to the university, the "classical" marathon relay (now renamed to Airfield Run) allowed to run a pretty quick 5k for the Leidig24 Triathlon Team. Even if I faced a strong headwind for around 2 km, I still managed to run a 16'45" that, given the part of the season and the weather conditions, left me with quite a good feeling. Next, just a couple of days ago and always with the same team, I ran for the first time the Berliner Ruder-Club XC relay. A beautiful event indeed, with the interesting format of 4x6 km in the woods. Also, we won and that made the whole thing even sweeter!

A lot of handshakes before the start (Berlin and Brandenburg XC Champs).

Crowded start at the Berlin and Brandenburg XC Champs.

Enjoying a hot tea right after the victorious Berliner Ruder-Club XC relay.

Holger Leidig (full left) and part of the Leidig24 team, right after the Berliner Ruder-Club XC relay.

As usual, you can see all my training sessions details on the SportTracks mobi service.

Here the diary entries for the past November:

Su 01-11-15 Easy 20', 2 strides, 3 x uphill reps circuit (downhill jog rest), CD.
Mo 02-11-15 Easy 35', legs and core strength.
Tu 03-11-15 Off.
We 04-11-15 Slow 20'. Easy 15', 2 strides, 4x500 m @ 3k race pace (200 m jog rest), CD.
Th 05-11-15 Slow 30'.
Fr 06-11-15 Off.
Sa 07-11-15 RACE: 9.6 km (BBM Cross - Luckenwalde).
Su 08-11-15 Slow 45'.
Mo 09-11-15 Measurements @ Kassel Uni.
Tu 10-11-15 Easy 20', 2 strides, 1x600 m (1'41"), 3' walk rest, 3x300 m (54"-49"-47", 100 m jog rest), 5' walk rest, easy 4x200 m, CD.
We 11-11-15 Off.
Th 12-11-15 Easy 30', 2 strides, 1x800 m (fast straights, medium corners), 3' walk rest, 3x200 m (200 m jog rest), CD.
Fr 13-11-15 Off.
Sa 14-11-15 45' with some XC.
Su 15-11-15 Arms, legs and core strength. Easy 40'.
Mo 16-11-15 40' with some fartlek.
Tu 17-11-15 40' ice speed skating.
We 18-11-15 Easy 40' with some XC sections.
Th 19-11-15 Easy 20' with some strides.
Fr 20-11-15 Off.
Sa 21-11-15 35' jog, Adidas RUNBASE Berlin pre-opening, arms, legs and core strength.
Su 22-11-15 RACE: 5 km (TÜV Rheinland Airfield Run - Berlin).
Mo 23-11-15 40' ice speed skating.
Tu 24-11-15 Easy 55'.
We 25-11-15 Easy 15', 2 strides, 1x600 m, 200 m jog rest, 1x300 m, 3' walk rest, 4x200 m on grass (200 m jog rest), 15'.
Th 26-11-15 Easy 20'.
Fr 27-11-15 Easy 55'.
Sa 28-11-15 Easy 30'.
Su 29-11-15 RACE: 6.2 km (32. Berliner Ruder-Club Cross-Staffellauf - Berlin). Arms and core strength.
Mo 30-11-15 Slow 30'.

October 2015 - Training recap

2015-11-01T21:50:00.000+01:00

October is usually an easy month for running. Not for my PhD though. The annual Autumn School we organise and a recent publication of ours on foot strike patterns really filled every free spot in my schedule. A little cold around half month took me down for around 10 days, but was nothing serious fortunately. In preparation for another full month, I did only a few kilometres and started to get into the XC mood!

As usual, you can see all my training sessions details on the SportTracks mobi service.

Here the diary entries for the past October:

Th 01/10/2015 Off.
Fr 02/10/2015 Measurements @ HU Berlin, easy 30'.
Sa 03/10/2015 RACE: 11.9 km XC (Sägerserie 2015 - 1. Lauf).
Su 04/10/2015 Slow 30'. 40' aggressive inline (skate park).
Mo 05/10/2015 Easy 35'.
Tu 06/10/2015 Off.
We 07/10/2015 Off.
Th 08/10/2015 Off.
Fr 09/10/2015 Off.
Sa 10/10/2015 Slow 30'.
Su 11/10/2015 Off.
Mo 12/10/2015 Easy 50' with some hills. 30' ice skating.
Tu 13/10/2015 15', 15' fartlek, 15'.
We 14/10/2015 Slow 40'.
Th 15/10/2015 Ill. Core strength.
Fr 16/10/2015 Off. Ill.
Sa 17/10/2015 40' XC roller ski.
Su 18/10/2015 Slow 25', arms, legs and core strength.
Mo 19/10/2015 Easy 45'.
Tu 20/10/2015 Easy 40'.
We 21/10/2015 45' with some XC.
Th 22/10/2015 Slow 30'.
Fr 23/10/2015 Off.
Sa 24/10/2015 40' ice speed skating. 10', running drills, 2 strides, 5x200 m (200 m jog rest), CD. Arms, legs and core strength.
Su 25/10/2015 Legs and core strength. Easy 55'.
Mo 26/10/2015 Easy 30'.
Tu 27/10/2015 Core strength.
We 28/10/2015 45' XC.
Th 29/10/2015 15', 15' fartlek, 15'.
Fr 30/10/2015 Off.

Sa 31/10/2015 Easy 60'.

Do you know how you run? A study on foot strike patterns.

2015-10-17T11:30:00.002+02:00

In the past three years, for my PhD, I had the chance to evaluate the running technique of around 250 people. I dealt with a wide spectrum of experience levels an running styles. The most common feedback I received, though, is that people don't know how they run. Even semi-pros.

An article about foot strike patterns, of which I am the first author, was published two days ago on the Annals of Biomedical Engineering. This study was mainly aimed to validate an automatic foot strike patterns assessment method. But what is the foot strike pattern (FSP)? Nothing more than the way our feet come in contact with the ground. If you simply divide the foot into three equal parts, you can call them fore- mid- and rearfoot (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 Foot division and nomenclature.

By looking at which of the three parts comes first in contact with the ground, one can determine the FSP and classify it as forefoot, midfoot or rearfoot strike (FS, MS and RS, respectively). It would be possible to use a videocamera to analyze this kind of events, but we went a step further by using a pressure plate integrated in a treadmill. With an algorithm we developed, we are now able to recognise the FSP automatically, without the need of looking at the data. In Figure 2 you can see what happens on the pressure plate at impact and the relative video frame captured by a slow motion camera.

Figure 2 Video and pressure plate data for different FSPs.

Funny thing is that, if you ask the people how they think they run, very often they cannot predict their FSP. Interestingly enough, though, it is very likely that they will show a RS pattern while running shod. Across the 145 people measured (85 male, 60 female) almost 9 every 10 were striking with the heel first when wearing shoes. On the contrary, only 5 out of 10 were keeping this kind of pattern when running barefoot (see Figure 3). Apparently, the fear of getting hurt prevails on the well-established coordination patterns.

Figure 3 FSP distribution across two running conditions at preferred speed.

The reasons why people choose one or the other FSP are far from being completely understood. And this is what makes my job awesome.

The full text of the afore-mentioned article is available here.

September 2015 - Training recap

2015-10-01T10:55:00.000+02:00

With September the preparation for the winter season continued in the name of volume with just a bit of quality. I kept on running some 10k race pace and started retrieving a bit of speed.

As usual, you can see all my training sessions details on the SportTracks mobi service.

Here the diary entries for the past September:

Tu 01/09/2015 Off.
We 02/09/2015 Easy 40'.
Th 03/09/2015 Easy 45' with some intervals (15'+10x30"+15').
Fr 04/09/2015 105' sailing (Uni-Jolle, Friday Regatta).
Sa 05/09/2015 Legs and core strength. Off.
Su 06/09/2015 Arms, legs and core strength. Easy 60', 5x100 m strides (100 m jog rest).
Mo 07/09/2015 Easy 40'.
Tu 08/09/2015 Easy 15', 4 km tempo run (10 km race pace), easy 15'.
We 09/09/2015 15', 2 strides on grass, 8x60 m sprints on grass (60 m jog rest), CD.
Th 10/09/2015 Arms, legs and core strength.
Fr 11/09/2015 Easy 60'.
Sa 12/09/2015 Slow 40'. 90' sailing (Laser Bahia).
Su 13/09/2015 55' slow inline skating.
Mo 14/09/2015 Hilly 20'. 25' progression.
Tu 15/09/2015 Easy 45'.
We 16/09/2015 20', 2 strides, 5x200 m uphill reps, CD.
Th 17/09/2015 20', 2 strides on grass, 2x(200, 300 m on grass, 100, 200 m jog rest), 5x60 m sprints, CD.
Fr 18/09/2015 Slow 40', arms legs and core strength.
Sa 19/09/2015 45' aggressive inline (skate park).
Su 20/09/2015 Easy 60'.
Mo 21/09/2015 Easy 30', 10x100 m uphill sprints (100 m downhill jog rest), CD.
Tu 22/09/2015 Slow 40'.
We 23/09/2015 60' MTB.
Th 24/09/2015 Easy 45'.
Fr 25/09/2015 Arms, legs and core strength. Easy 45'.
Sa 26/09/2015 Slow 20', 2 strides, 4x300 m strides (150 m jog rest), slow 15'. 60' aggressive inline (skate park).
Su 27/09/2015 Slow 25', 1x1000 m, short CD, 90' MTB. Easy 30'.
Mo 28/09/2015 20', 4 strides, 2x4 laps relay (8x250 m, 100 m jog rest), CD.
Tu 29/09/2015 Off.
We 30/09/2015 Easy 40' with some speed.

August 2015 - Training recap

2015-09-01T10:24:00.000+02:00

After some wonderful weeks spent at congresses and on holiday, it's again time to think about the winter season. August has been quite relaxed even if the mileage increased considerably. When possible, I tried to jump on a bike or start back sailing, in order to cross train a bit. Some days in Italy allowed me to enjoy some beautiful hill and mountain sessions. Just one race during this month: a 5x4.2195 m relay I used to test my 10k race pace.

#Running and getting peacefully lost on the #trails. This is #home! #RunHappy #prealpi @brooksrunningit @brooksrunningde #runnerspace #BrooksRunning

Una foto pubblicata da Ale Santuz (@alesantuz) in data: 3 Ago 2015 alle ore 00:14 PDT

The relay team after the 4. BARMER GEK Halbmarathon-Staffel 2015. © LEIDIG24 Triathlon Team.

As usual, you can see all my training sessions details on the SportTracks mobi service.

Here the diary entries for the past August:

Sa 01/08/2015 Easy, hilly, 35'.
Su 02/08/2015 65' technical trail.
Mo 03/08/2015 Easy, hilly 25', slow 15', running drills, 4 strides on grass.
Tu 04/08/2015 Arms and core strength.
We 05/08/2015 Easy 20'. Easy, hilly 20', hurdles and running drills, 2 laps on grass (long side fast, short side slow), 1+2 laps progression on grass, 4 strides on grass.
Th 06/08/2015 Core strength.
Fr 07/08/2015 120' MTB.
Sa 08/08/2015 Off. Trip.
Su 09/08/2015 Easy 50'. 40 km road bike.
Mo 10/08/2015 Slow 30'.
Tu 11/08/2015 Easy 20', running drills, 2 strides, 5x200 m (200 m jog rest), CD. Off.
We 12/08/2015 50'.
Th 13/08/2015 Arms and core strength.
Fr 14/08/2015 50'. 30' jog.
Sa 15/08/2015 Easy 30'.
Su 16/08/2015 Easy 35', 2 strides, 1x200 m uphill (200 m jog rest), 3x950 m XC laps (float uphills, easy downhills), CD.
Mo 17/08/2015 40' with some progression.
Tu 18/08/2015 Easy 20', 2 strides on grass, 6x300 m on grass (200 m jog rest), CD.
We 19/08/2015 Slow 40'.
Th 20/08/2015 Easy 15', float 8', slow 15'.
Fr 21/08/2015 Easy 30'.
Sa 22/08/2015 15', hilly 10' (float uphills), 10'. Easy 25'.
Su 23/08/2015 Easy 30'.
Mo 24/08/2015 60'.
Tu 25/08/2015 Slow 15', 5x100 m strides on grass (100 m jog rest), slow 15'.
We 26/08/2015 RACE: 4.2 km (4. BARMER GEK Halbmarathon-Staffel).
Th 27/08/2015 45'.
Fr 28/08/2015 Easy 45' with some fartlek (15'+15' fartlek+15').
Sa 29/08/2015 Arms, legs and core strength. 25'.
Su 30/08/2015 140' sailing (Laser Bahia). 25'.
Mo 31/08/2015 Off.

July 2015 - Training recap

2015-08-01T15:39:00.000+02:00

Holidays time! July has been quite easy. "Only" a tough, hilly race: the terrible Nordberliner Zugspitzlauf, a wonderful mix of up- and downhills in a lovely park (GPS here and a couple of pictures below). I managed to lower again my PB (49:10 in 2013, 46:00 in 2014 and 44:55 in 2015) and to receive back a solid hill session. After that it has been all about congresses (International Society of Biomechanics in Glasgow) and holidays. In August I'll start again with some mileage and very few sessions on the track.

As usual, you can see all my training sessions details on the SportTracks mobi service.

Here the diary entries for the past July:

We 01/07/2015 Slow 30'.
Th 02/07/2015 Easy 15', 20' jog, 35' XC, CD.
Fr 03/07/2015 Arms, legs and core strength.
Sa 04/07/2015 Easy 10', 10' XC, CD. Easy, hilly, 25'. Core strength.
Su 05/07/2015 30' XC.
Mo 06/07/2015 Easy 30' with some progression, CD.
Tu 07/07/2015 Easy 20', 2 strides, 8x100 m steep trail uphill reps (downhill jog rest), CD.
We 08/07/2015 Off. Trip.
Th 09/07/2015 Off.
Fr 10/07/2015 RACE: 12 km (Nordberliner Zugspitzlauf - Berlin).
Sa 11/07/2015 Easy 40' with 1x800 m float.
Su 12/07/2015 Easy 20'. 15'.
Mo 13/07/2015 Easy, hilly, 55'.
Tu 14/07/2015 Easy, hilly, 20'.
We 15/07/2015 Off.
Th 16/07/2015 Slow 35'.
Fr 17/07/2015 Off.
Sa 18/07/2015 Hilly 35' with some XC sections. Hiking in Unst, Shetland.
Su 19/07/2015 Hilly 60'. Hiking in Unst, Shetland.
Mo 20/07/2015 Hiking in Fetlar, Shetland. Hiking in Fetlar, Shetland.
Tu 21/07/2015 Hiking in Whalshay, Shetland. Hiking in Whalshay, Shetland.
We 22/07/2015 Hiking in Walls, Shetland. Hiking in Walls, Shetland.
Th 23/07/2015 Hiking in Sumburgh, Shetland.
Fr 24/07/2015 Hiking in Sumburgh, Shetland. Hiking in Sumburgh, Shetland.
Sa 25/07/2015 Hiking in Sumburgh, Shetland.
Su 26/07/2015 Off. Trip.
Mo 27/07/2015 Off. Trip.
Tu 28/07/2015 Easy 50'.
We 29/07/2015 Easy 45'.
Th 30/07/2015 Easy 25', 2 strides, 3x200 m uphill strides, CD.
Fr 31/07/2015 Off. Trip.

June 2015 - Training recap

2015-07-01T15:44:00.000+02:00

Finally I did it! The amazing Sparkassen Gala meeting gifted me with my first sub-10, 9:58.22 to be accurate. Given the high level of the field I had to run most of the race alone (finishing last, even if a slower competitor dropped out). But the crazy support of the LG Nord Berlin team, and particularly of the chairman Klaus Brill, injected me with a fair amount of motivation. Keeping the pace appeared incredibly easy and I have been confident almost all the race that I could do it. The splits revealed a solid sequence with 3:15/3:22/3:21, with a quite relaxed second km.
Perspectives now clearly changed. Translating a difficult target into reality gives you the chance of looking at things differently. Now I'll slow down a bit, aiming to increase the mileage from the second half of August focusing on preparing some longer stuff before the exciting winter season.

A crowded start in Regensburg.

Towards PB...and beyond!

As usual, you can see all my training sessions details on the SportTracks mobi service.

Here the diary entries for the past June:

Mo 01/06/2015 25' progression, 4x100 m strides (100 m jog rest).

Tu 02/06/2015 Easy 30'.
We 03/06/2015 Off.
Th 04/06/2015 Slow 25' with some hurdles and strides, stretching.
Fr 05/06/2015 RACE: 3000 m SC (Sparkassen Gala Laufnacht - Regensburg).
Sa 06/06/2015 Off.
Su 07/06/2015 Arms and core strength. 50' with 30' XC.
Mo 08/06/2015 Easy 50' with some progression.
Tu 09/06/2015 Off.
We 10/06/2015 15', 3x(30-60-90-60", same time jog rest), CD.
Th 11/06/2015 Slow 40'.
Fr 12/06/2015 Easy 30'.
Sa 13/06/2015 170' sailing (Flying Cruiser).
Su 14/06/2015 110' sailing (Laser Bahia).
Mo 15/06/2015 Easy 50'.
Tu 16/06/2015 Easy 25', 2 strides on grass, 2x150 m strides, 1x1000 m in 2'58", 4' walk rest, 1x2000 m in 6'27", 4' walk rest, 3x400 m in 70" (200 m jog rest), CD.
We 17/06/2015 Slow 30', legs, arms and core strength.
Th 18/06/2015 Easy 40'.
Fr 19/06/2015 Slow 20' with some random strides.
Sa 20/06/2015 RACE: 5000 m (NDM Göttingen).
Su 21/06/2015 Easy 20', 2 strides, 5x200 m uphill strides (downhill jog rest), CD. 50' jog.
Mo 22/06/2015 Slow 30'.
Tu 23/06/2015 30' progression, 5x100 m strides (100 m jog rest), CD.
We 24/06/2015 RACE: 5 km road (16. Berliner Wasserbetriebe 5 x 5 km TEAM-Staffel, Day 1).
Th 25/06/2015 RACE: 5 km road (16. Berliner Wasserbetriebe 5 x 5 km TEAM-Staffel, Day 2).
Fr 26/06/2015 Off.
Sa 27/06/2015 60' easy MTB.
Su 28/06/2015 Easy 20', 2 strides on grass, 3x300 m (48"3-46"6-45"3, 100 m jog rest), easy 3x200 m (200 m jog rest), CD. Easy 40'.
Mo 29/06/2015 50'.
Tu 30/06/2015 Easy 25', 3 diagonal strides on grass, 1x400 m (57"8), 6' walk rest, 300-200-100 m (43"5-31"0-13"8, 200 m jog rest), 6' walk rest, 6 diagonal stride on grass, CD.

May 2015 - Training recap

2015-06-01T08:30:00.000+02:00

Well, it seems that the hard work starts paying off! After a couple of races without any particular target (a 3000 m SC, a 3000 m flat and a 1500 m), I traveled to Zeven with a high dose of motivation. The 34th Pfingstsportfest was promising a very variegated field, potentially giving a lot of athletes the opportunity to find their pace. I planned 3:20/3:25/all-out for the three km splits in order to attack the 10-minutes wall. I ran 3:18/3:26/3:20, finishing in 10:04.82 (PB of over 10 seconds). Now I can't wait to write a "nine" in front of my PB!

The beautiful track in Zeven during the 34th Pfingstsportfest 2015.

Results of the 3000 m SC race.

As usual, you can see all my training sessions details on the SportTracks mobi service.

Here the diary entries for the past May:

Fr 01/05/2015 65' sailing. Easy 20' with random hurdles.
Sa 02/05/2015 80' sailing. 90' sailing.
Su 03/05/2015 110' sailing. 90' sailing.
Mo 04/05/2015 Legs and core strength.
Tu 05/05/2015 Easy 25', running drills, 2 strides on grass, easy 2x150 m, 2x1000 m with 5 hurdles/lap (3'22"-3'25", 200 m jog rest), 6' walk rest, 2x400 m with 5 hurdles (73"-76", 200 m jog rest), 6' walk rest, 2x200 m with 4 hurdles (34"-35", 200 m jog rest), 4 diagonal strides on grass, CD.
We 06/05/2015 Easy 30'.
Th 07/05/2015 Easy 20', 2 strides, 5x300 m on grass (100 m jog rest), 5x100 m strides (100 m jog rest), CD.
Fr 08/05/2015 Slow 30'.
Sa 09/05/2015 RACE: 3000 m SC (open Kreismeisterschaften - Hildesheim).
Su 10/05/2015 Easy 20', 2 strides, 3x300 m with 16 hurdles each (100 m jog rest), CD.
Mo 11/05/2015 25' progression, running drills, 2 strides on grass, 2x150 m strides, 1x400 m (57"5), 8' walk rest, 3x300 m (50"5-48"9-46"6, 100 m jog rest), 4-10-6 hurdles on grass (4 hurdles/lap, 1/2 lap jog rest), 4 diagonal strides on grass, CD.
Tu 12/05/2015 Easy 40'.
We 13/05/2015 Slow 30'.
Th 14/05/2015 RACE: 3000 m (8. Berliner Läufermeeting - Krumme-Strecken). 100' sailing.
Fr 15/05/2015 Easy 30'.
Sa 16/05/2015 RACE: 1500 m (3. Spandauer Läuferpokal in Berlin). 95' sailing.
Su 17/05/2015 95' sailing.
Mo 18/05/2015 Core, legs and arms strength. Easy 40'.
Tu 19/05/2015 Easy 20', running drills, 2 strides on grass, 2x150 m strides, 1x600 m (1'32"9), 8' walk rest, 3x300 m (48"1-46"8-46"5, 100 m jog rest), 8' walk rest, 2+2+1 laps on grass with 4 hurdles/lap, CD.
We 20/05/2015 Slow 30'.
Th 21/05/2015 Easy 20', 2 strides on grass, 5x200 m on grass (200 m jog rest), slow 15'.
Fr 22/05/2015 Off.
Sa 23/05/2015 Slow 30' with 3x300 m (16 hurdles each, 100 m jog rest).
Su 24/05/2015 RACE: 3000 m SC (34. Pfingstsportfest der LAV Zeven and NDM Hindernis - Zeven).
Mo 25/05/2015 115' sailing.
Tu 26/05/2015 Off.
We 27/05/2015 Arms and core strength. 25' (20' progression + easy 5'), 2 strides on grass, 2x150 m strides, 1x400 m (57"3), 6' walk rest, 6x200 m with 5 hurdles (200 m jog rest), 6 diagonal stride on grass, CD.
Th 28/05/2015 Easy 40' with some progression.
Fr 29/05/2015 Easy 20', 2 strides, 4x150 m uphill reps (downhill jog rest), 3' walk rest, 3x150 m strides, CD. 125' sailing.
Sa 30/05/2015 Easy 20', 2 strides, 6x200 m with 11 hurdles each (200 m jog rest), CD.
Su 31/05/2015 Arms and core strength. Long (63').

Skins A400 Men's Compression Power Shorts

2015-05-13T16:52:00.001+02:00

It is no mystery: even the most avid runner would give a leg (well, maybe an arm) to run the preferred distance with less effort. In the past, I already posted something about the training load and the relative rating of perceived exertion. One thing, though, should be clear without reading that article: good results are very likely to happen if the perceived exertion is low.

There is a company called SKINS that is taking this matter quite seriously since almost twenty years. Their philosophy is just simple: improve blood circulation and you'll work harder, longer and recover faster. That sounds like the Holy Grail of anyone doing sports, right? Actually, this idea seems to be more than a legend. The fundamental principle is to use compression clothes for increasing the blood velocity by reducing the blood vessels' cross sectional area. This should help reducing muscle soreness and speeding up recovery. To date, positive results are supported by a fair amount of peer-reviewed scientific literature. Moreover, I had the chance to test a pair of half tights. So here I am, a scientist in the role of Thomas the Apostle sentencing a poorly scientific "Except I shall see, I will not believe".

The A400 Men's Power Shorts.

The SKINS A400 Men's Power Shorts are half tights that should be specifically "designed to maximise explosive power and increase strength and speed". The compression technology they include is very well explained here, but the main message is the one I wrote a couple of sentences above. For sure, the first impression is mesmerising: the "JUST ADD SWEAT" printed inside a packaging worthy of containing a diamond necklace is simply a subliminal push to try them on immediately.

Pretty sweet packaging, right?

The first impression, I have to say, is kind of contradictory. These half tights are tight indeed! But come on, compression must exist somewhere in a pair of compression tights and after realising this key concept you basically forget to be wearing them. Mainly because they are freaking comfortable. No laces, no zippers, no rough elastic bands touching the skin and, yet, a very useful back pocket (you cannot close it since the lack of a zipper, but you are not going to lose anything, guaranteed).

During running, they feel great; the low waist is a right choice to help the freedom of movement. Until now, I have already put on a fair amount of hours in them and I did not have any problem with the fit. The size is very important; one should really take a look at the remarkably good sizing guide provided on the website. If you follow the guidelines, you will not place a wrong order.

About the improvement in performance, I do not have a lot to say, since it would not be fair to draw conclusions out of a one-subject, super-biased sample (tester, subject, writer and reviewer? Come on...). One thing is for sure: I am very happy with the half tights and I am so convinced that I would be very curious to try the recovery-specific products. To facilitate your work, I summarised hereunder all the important articles you can find on the SKINS science page. Have fun!

Jakeman, J.R., Byrne, C., and Eston, R.G. (2010).

European Journal of Applied Physiology, 109(6), 1137-1144.

[...] This study indicated that individuals who wore Skins [...] experienced up to 20% less functional muscle decrement and lower perceptions of muscle soreness [...].

Scanlan, A., Dascombe, B., Reaburn, P., and Osbourne, M. (2008).

International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 3(4).

[...] Results showed increases in muscle oxygenation economy and improvements in cycling economy, suggesting SKINS LBCG may delay the onset of fatigue and prolong optimal performance [...]

Higgins, T., Naughton, G.A., Burgess, D. (2009).

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 12, 223-226.

[...] greater distances were travelled at a faster velocity (3.5ms-1) when wearing SKINS gradient compression garments compared with wearing usual netball attire and a placebo garment. [...]

Trenell, M.I., Rooney, K.B., Sue, C.M., and Thompson, C.H. (2006).

Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 5, 106-114.

[...] The results of the study shows that wearing SKINS resulted in an increase in cell membrane turnover (PDE), which helps alter the inflammatory response to muscle damage and accelerates recovery processes.

Gill, N. D., Beaven, C. M., Cook, C. (2006).

British Journal of Sports Medicine, 40, 260–263.

[...] The authors concluded that [...] wearing gradient compression garments [...] promotes better physiological recovery than passive methods in young male athletes.

Duffield, R., and Portus, M. (2007).

British Journal of Sports Medicine, 41, 409–414.

[...] the authors indicate the potential benefits in utilising gradient compression garments as a thermal insulator in cool conditions, and as a recovery intervention tool after high-intensity exercise to reduce post exercise trauma.

Hagan, M., Lambert, S. (2008).

Medical Journal of Australia, 188(2), 81-84.

[...] results found that participants wearing gradient compression garments (SKINS) during air travel experienced [...] decrease in ankle swelling [...] improvement in leg pain [...] improvement in leg discomfort, demonstrated improvements in alertness, concentration, energy, fluid retention and improved post flight sleep.

Sear J, Hoare T, Scanlan A, Abt G, Dascombe B.

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2010) 24(7), 1901-1910.

[...] Results showed wearing SKINS WBCG increased total distance covered during the protocol suggesting that wearing the garments may increase physical performance during field based team-sports. This may be attributed to the increase in muscle oxygenation. [...]

Jakeman, J.R., Byrne, C., and Eston, R.G. (2010).

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(11), 3157-3165.

[...] It was concluded that if available, the combination of sports massage and Skins compressive clothing after exercise may be positive in terms of perceived soreness, but in terms of functional muscle recovery, it is no more beneficial than wearing Skins compressive clothing alone. [...]

Kieran M. de Glanville and Michael J. Hamlin (2012).

Journal of Strength Conditioning Research 26(2): 480–486.

[...] The authors concluded that the wearing of graduated compression garments during recovery is likely to be worthwhile.

--

Hurdles are no obstacles

2015-05-13T08:54:00.001+02:00

Got #hurdles? #TrackAndField #steeplechase #RunHappy @brooksrunningit @brooksrunningde @brooksrunning

Un video pubblicato da Ale Santuz (@alesantuz) in data: 17 Apr 2015 alle ore 03:35 PDT

April 2015 - Training recap

2015-05-01T08:30:00.000+02:00

Track season finally arrived. And with it, an incredible peak of tiredness through the second half of the month. Something very close to what the Germans call "Spring Tiredness" (wikipedia link) or, to be fair and formally correct, "Frühjahrsmüdigkeit". Non-German readers: please don't close the page now. It's three words in one, nothing more than that, don't be scared.

Anyway, despite this huge lack of forces that asked for more than one day off, I can definitely say I started with the right foot. First race over the 3000 m SC and personal best (10:15.75), simply controlling the splits and running as smoothly as possible. Nothing great, but another small brick in the wall before the intense month of May.

As usual, you can see all my training sessions details on the SportTracks mobi service.

Here the diary entries for the past April:

We 01/04/2015 - Hilly 35' (float uphills).

Th 02/04/2015 - 20' with 10 waterjumps, running drills, 2 easy strides on grass, easy 2x150 m strides, 1x400 m (57"5), 10' walk rest, 1x400 m (60"2), 200 m jog rest, 1x200 m stride, 10' walk rest, 6x200 m with 4 hurdles (200 m jog rest), 2 laps on grass (float long sides, medium short sides), CD.

Fr 03/04/2015 - Hilly 60'. 20' jog, running drills, 2 easy strides on grass, 6x100 m with 8 hurdles (W 100 m hs - 4 feet), 2 easy strides, CD.

Sa 04/04/2015 - Slow 20', 2 easy strides on grass, 1x1000 m (2'58"), 8' walk rest, 2x(200-300 m, 100-200 m jog rest), 8' walk rest, 1x1000 m (3'00"), 2 laps progression on grass, CD.

Su 05/04/2015 - Slow 30'.

Mo 06/04/2015 - RACE: 11.3 km (Marcia dell'Angelo - Vittorio Veneto). Off.

Tu 07/04/2015 - Off.

We 08/04/2015 - Easy 60'.

Th 09/04/2015 - 25' progression, 2 easy strides on grass, easy 2x150 m strides, 1x800 m (2'13"), 6' walk rest, 4x400 m (70", 200 m jog rest), 8' walk rest, easy 3x200 m (200 m jog rest), CD.

Fr 10/04/2015 - Easy 40'.

Sa 11/04/2015 - Arms and core strength. 15'.

Su 12/04/2015 - Easy 20', 2 easy strides, 6x300 m with 16 random hurdles (200 m jog rest, road), CD. Hilly 30' (easy 10', 10' with float uphills, easy 10').

Mo 13/04/2015 - Easy 50'.

Tu 14/04/2015 - Slow 30', 20' rowing machine, legs and core strength.

We 15/04/2015 - Easy 15', easy 15' XC, CD.

Th 16/04/2015 - 25' progression, 2 easy strides on grass, easy 2x150 m strides, 4x600 m with 5 random hurdles/lap (1'55"-2'00", 200 m jog rest), 6' walk rest, 3x300 m with 5 random hurdles (55", 100 m jog rest), 6' walk rest, 4 diagonal strides on grass (short side jog rest), CD.

Fr 17/04/2015 - Easy 30', legs and core strength.

Sa 18/04/2015 - 55' XC roller ski. Slow 30'.

Su 19/04/2015 - Easy 25', 2 easy strides, 4x300 m with 16 random hurdles (200 m jog rest), 5' walk rest, 3x200 m with 3 random hurdles (100 m jog rest), CD.

Mo 20/04/2015 - Off.

Tu 21/04/2015 - Easy 20' with random hurdles, arms and core strength.

We 22/04/2015 - Off.

Th 23/04/2015 - Off.

Fr 24/04/2015 - Off.

Sa 25/04/2015 - RACE: 3000 m SC (Verdener Bahneröffnung - Verden).

Su 26/04/2015 - Easy 45' with some random hurdles.

Mo 27/04/2015 - Legs and core strength.

Tu 28/04/2015 - Easy 20', 2 easy strides on grass, easy 2x150 m, 1x400 m (59", 200 m jog rest), 1x200 m (31"), 5' walk rest, 2x(3x300 m with 5 random hurdles, 100 m jog rest), 5' walk rest in-between, 5 diagonal strides on grass, CD.

We 29/04/2015 - 20', 2 easy strides, 10x300 m on grass (100 m jog rest), 15'.

Th 30/04/2015 - Arms, legs and core strength.

March 2015 - Training recap

2015-04-01T08:30:00.000+02:00

Constant commitment, a fair mileage and the first hurdles of the season: this was my March. During the last month I put together a lot of hills workouts and some speed on the road. In the last days, I started touching some Tartan: track season will start in the end of April.

As usual, you can see all my training sessions details on the SportTracks mobi service.

Here the diary entries for the past March:

Su 01/03/2015 - 45' XC skiing.
Mo 02/03/2015 - Easy long (60').
Tu 03/03/2015 - Arms, legs and core strength.
We 04/03/2015 - Easy 45' XC.
Th 05/03/2015 - 30' progression + short CD.
Fr 06/03/2015 - Easy 40'. Slow 30'.
Sa 07/03/2015 - Learning XC roller ski (40'). Easy 45'.
Su 08/03/2015 - Easy 20', 3 easy strides, 6x170 m hill reps (downhill jog rest), 5' walk rest, 3x200 m hill strides (downhill jog rest), CD.
Mo 09/03/2015 - Easy 50'.
Tu 10/03/2015 - Easy 20', 2 easy strides, 3x300 m (road, 100 m jog rest), 5' walk rest, 5x200 m (road, 200 m jog rest), CD.
We 11/03/2015 - Slow 20'.
Th 12/03/2015 - Arms and core strength. Easy 60'.
Fr 13/03/2015 - Legs and core strength.
Sa 14/03/2015 - Easy 40'. Easy 15', hilly 15' pushing the hills, CD.
Su 15/03/2015 - Easy 15', 35' XC, CD.
Mo 16/03/2015 - Slow 40'.
Tu 17/03/2015 - Easy 20', 2 easy strides, 12' tempo run (10k race pace), 6' walk rest, easy 3x200 m (200 m jog rest, road), CD.
We 18/03/2015 - Easy 20'.
Th 19/03/2015 - Long (55').
Fr 20/03/2015 - Easy 20', 2 easy strides on grass, 5x300 m (100 m jog rest, grass), 5' walk rest, 3x200 m (200 m jog rest, grass), CD.
Sa 21/03/2015 - Arms and core strength. Easy 30'.
Su 22/03/2015 - Hilly 45'.
Mo 23/03/2015 - Easy 30', legs and core strength.
Tu 24/03/2015 - Off.
We 25/03/2015 - Easy 20', 15' float XC, CD.
Th 26/03/2015 - Off.
Fr 27/03/2015 - Easy 40'.
Sa 28/03/2015 - Easy 15', easy 25' XC, CD.
Su 29/03/2015 - Hilly 50' (float downhills).
Mo 30/03/2015 - 3h30' hiking on Mt. Pizzoc. Easy 20'.
Tu 31/03/2015 - Slow 20', running drills, 2 easy strides on grass, easy 2x150 m strides, 1x1000 m (2'54"), 8' walk rest, 4x400 m with 5 hurdles (300 m jog rest), CD.

--

February 2015 - Training recap

2015-03-01T08:23:00.000+01:00

During last February I tried to cross train as much as I could, mainly by doing some XC ski. Moreover, I started to add some hills and 10k race-pace to my medium/long workouts. Not a huge running volume then, but quite a fair amount of aerobic hours.

As usual, you can see all my training sessions details on the SportTracks mobi service.

Here the diary entries for the past February:

Su 01/02/2015 - RACE: 3000 m (NDM Halle - Berlin).
Mo 02/02/2015 - Easy 45'.
Tu 03/02/2015 - 25' on snow and ice.
We 04/02/2015 - Easy, hilly 20' on snow and ice, 2 easy strides, 5x200 m uphill reps on snow and ice, CD. Legs and core strength.
Th 05/02/2015 - 68' XC skiing.
Fr 06/02/2015 - 50' trail circuit on snow. 1h40' XC skiing.
Sa 07/02/2015 - 55' XC skiing. 2h XC skiing.
Su 08/02/2015 - Off.
Mo 09/02/2015 - 11 km progression from 4'20" to 3'20"/km, CD.
Tu 10/02/2015 - Off.
We 11/02/2015 - 20', 2 easy strides, 5x200 m on grass (32", 200 m jog rest), 5' walk rest, 5x300 m on grass (52", 100 m jog rest), CD.
Th 12/02/2015 - Easy 25', 4'-3'-2'-1' intervals (1' jog rest), CD.
Fr 13/02/2015 - Slow 30'.
Sa 14/02/2015 - 40', 2 easy strides, 10x80 m uphill reps, CD.
Su 15/02/2015 - Easy 60'.
Mo 16/02/2015 - Slow 25'. Arms and core strength.
Tu 17/02/2015 - Easy 20', 2 easy strides, 2x750 m XC laps (2' jog rest) + 5x200 m uphill reps (downhill jog rest), CD. 45' ice speed skating.
We 18/02/2015 - Easy 50'. Core strength.
Th 19/02/2015 - Easy 20', 4'-3'-2'-1'-5x30" intervals (60" jog rest), CD.
Fr 20/02/2015 - Slow 40'.
Sa 21/02/2015 - Arms and core strength. Slow 40' XC.
Su 22/02/2015 - 35' progression.
Mo 23/02/2015 - Off.
Tu 24/02/2015 - Arms and core strength, easy 20'.
We 25/02/2015 - 50' XC, pushing through the second half.
Th 26/02/2015 - Easy 45'.
Fr 27/02/2015 - 30'.
Sa 28/02/2015 - 60' XC skiing. 45' XC skiing.

January 2015 - Training recap

2015-02-01T15:37:00.000+01:00

After quite a disappointing 2014, January 2015 has been the month of long-term plans. Around 30 km on indoor track trying to put together some speed and a 3k race to test the goal-pace for the outdoor season. In addition, I was curious to try a 1k and so I did. No big plans, thus, for the indoor season, but a lot of motivation to build up the basis for the upcoming steeplechase commitments.

As usual, you can see all my training sessions details on the SportTracks mobi service.

Here the diary entries for this January:

Th 01/01/2015 - 60' free ice skating.
Fr 02/01/2015 - Easy, hilly, 25', 2 easy strides, 5x200 m uphill reps (200 m downhill jog rest), CD.
Sa 03/01/2015 - Slow, hilly, 20', easy 5x100 m strides on grass (100 m jog rest), CD.
Su 04/01/2015 - RACE: 10 km (23. Lauf um den Caputher See - Caputh).
Mo 05/01/2015 - Easy 30', legs and core strength.
Tu 06/01/2015 - 20' WU, running drills, 2 easy strides, easy 1x200 m, 400-600-400 m (64"-1'37"-66", 200 m jog rest), 6' walk rest, 5x200 m (29"8, 200 m jog rest), 2 laps with faster straights, CD.
We 07/01/2015 - Slow 30'. Arms and core strength.
Th 08/01/2015 - Easy 10 km.
Fr 09/01/2015 - Easy 30'.
Sa 10/01/2015 - RACE: 1000 m (Gerhard-Schlegel-Gedenksportfest - Berlin).
Su 11/01/2015 - Easy, hilly, 35'. Arms and core strength.
Mo 12/01/2015 - Easy 30', legs and core strength.
Tu 13/01/2015 - 20' rowing machine, legs and core strength.
We 14/01/2015 - Off.
Th 15/01/2015 - 20' XC, easy 3x80 m, easy 1x200 m (29"4), 1x1000 m (2'48"), 6' walk rest, 3x300 m (44"-47"-50", 100 m jog rest), 6' walk rest, 1x1000 m @ 3k race pace (3'03"), easy 4x200 m (200 m jog rest), CD.
Fr 16/01/2015 - Easy 40'.
Sa 17/01/2015 - Legs and core strength. Easy, hilly, 30'.
Su 18/01/2015 - Hilly 20', 3 easy strides, 2x750 m XC lap (3' jog rest), 3x200 m uphill strides (200 m downhill jog rest), CD.
Mo 19/01/2015 - 10', 10x30" (30" jog rest), 10', legs and core strength.
Tu 20/01/2015 - 20', easy 2x80 m, easy 1x200 m, 1x1000 m @ 3k race pace (3'03"), 3' walk rest, 2x400 m (69", 200 m jog rest). Stop for mild contraction to left GL. Core strength, CD.
We 21/01/2015 - Slow 20'.
Th 22/01/2015 - Easy 50'.
Fr 23/01/2015 - Arms and core strength.
Sa 24/01/2015 - Easy 30'.
Su 25/01/2015 - RACE: 3000 m (BBM Halle - Berlin).
Mo 26/01/2015 - Easy 45'.
Tu 27/01/2015 - 20', easy 3x80 m strides, easy 1x200 m, 2x200 m (25"9-26"6, 200 m walk rest), 6' walk rest, 2x400 m (61"5-64"4, 200 m walk rest), 6' walk rest, 3x200 m (30"-30"-29", 100 m jog rest), CD.
We 28/01/2015 - 20', easy 2x80 m strides, easy 1x200 m, 1x1000 m (2'54"), 3' walk rest, 4x400 m (70"-69"-68"-67", 200 m jog rest), 2 laps with strides on straights, arms, legs and core strength, easy 2x200 m (100 m jog rest), CD.
Th 29/01/2015 - Slow 40'.
Fr 30/01/2015 - Off.
Sa 31/01/2015 - Easy 30' on snow.

How to publish your Garmin training data to other services with "tapiriik"

2014-01-03T12:05:00.002+01:00

There is a new way to publish your training data on multiple services with just one click. And you know what? It's completely free! The name of this great tool is "tapiriik". At the moment it supports synchronisation of SportTracks, Garmin Connect, Strava, RunKeeper, Dropbox and TrainingPeaks.

With just a few settings you will be able to backup your training data on different databases.

The home page as it appears at your first access.

The login to each service can be done just once at the beginning, with the normal User+Password method. Saving the credentials will limit this operation at just the first access. After that you will just need to access tapiriik and do the sync.

To connect a service, just enter your login data.

The options you can manage are explained in the picture hereunder. You can simply decide, for each service, from and to which other service synchronise your data. In this example I decided to sync the other services starting from SportTracks, because that's where I have my main log.

The "Options" window of each service will allow you to decide what synchronises what. Just click on the arrows under the "From" or "To" option to activate or deactivate the direction of sync.

If you suddenly decide that you don't want to use one of the services any more, you can just unlink it under the options menu. Nothing will be deleted, in case you do it accidentally.

To disconnect a service just click on the "unlink" button in the options window.

Nothing will be deleted after disconnecting a service.

Some websites like Dropbox will require an "app authorisation", like showed in the following figure. Also RunKeeper works with apps, so you will be asked for the same thing.

For some services, like Dropbox, the login comes as an external app authorisation.

Since Dropbox works directly with folders, you are allowed to choose where to save your files. Also the file extension (*.tcx or *.gpx) can be selected, like the naming system. Simply click on "Reconfigure" under the service icon to activate the options window.

In Dropbox options you can also decide the target folder, the file format and the file naming system.

After the general setup just click on "Synchronize now" to start the sync. If your database is large, the operation will require some minutes the first time. After that, if you will do it with a regular cadence (let's say once every one or two weeks), the sync time will be less than one minute.

Clicking on "Synchronize now" will start the synchronisation between the selected services. Closing the window after this operation won't affect the sync.

There is also the possibility, by paying just 2.00 $ a year (!), to have the synchronisation automatically done for you. Definitely a reasonable price, don't you think?

Pros and Cons:

+ A service like this coming for free is absolutely good news.

+ Having the chance of using Dropbox is a remarkable step towards data ownership freedom, since the users can migrate their own data as they prefer (that's also the philosophy of SportTracks' team).

+ Heart rate data, where available, are correctly transferred among services.

+ The website is very simple and usable.

+ The sync time has been improved a lot in the last months.

+ The following cons are not directly linked with tapiriik, but are the result of a great lack of standardisation between platform services.

- Strava doesn't import no-GPS files; this is a problem for people doing indoor training sessions.

- RunKeeper imports no-GPS files, but sometimes doesn't take into account the corrections made and you can often find activities with correct duration, but empty distance.

- Garmin Connect shows the same problems as RunKeeper does.

- In general, I'd like to see the corrections made on distance, since GPS devices often over-estimate distances.

Here you can find a list of my running-related posts. Now shut down the notebook and have a run!

Science and Training:

Races:

Heel-to-toe drop: meaning and measurement

2013-11-05T11:35:00.004+01:00

In a shoe, the heel-to-toe drop (HTTD), also called heel-drop, is nothing but the difference between the heel and the fore foot height. Some people measure these values without including the insole, but I like more the approach that includes it (there is always an insole, so why forget about it? Moreover, some insoles have differentiated thickness from heel to fore foot).

Figure 1 shows the location of the outsole (usually the only part in contact with the ground, provides grip), the midsole (usually located between outsole and insole, provides cushioning) and the insole (also called insert, provides a small amount of cushioning and sometimes supports the arch of the foot).

Figure 1 Outsole, midsole and insole in a running shoe.

Typical values of HTTD can be classified (here you can find a list of some shoes I measured) as follows:

0 to 4 mm - usually found in racing flats, "zero-drop" or minimalist shoes, generally low cushioned
4 to 8 mm - usually found in racing flats or "low-drop" shoes, generally low cushioned, sometimes mid cushioned
8 to 12 mm - current standard for fast training/long distance racing shoes, generally mid cushioned, sometimes highly cushioned
12 mm or more - a common value for normal jogging/running shoes, generally high cushioned.

Measuring the HTTD is quite a simple procedure and can be done in many different ways. Here I will show you my method, that I found being very accurate and reproducible. Only a caliper and a reference frame are needed to complete the measurement.
As showed in Figure 2, after building an L-shaped reference frame, the first operation is to set the caliper to zero.

Figure 2 Setting the caliper to zero.

The first measure to take is the heel pack height (outsole+midsole+insole), as shown in Figure 3. The measurement point is exactly in the lowest area where usually the heel is.

Figure 3 Measuring the heel pack height.

The second and last measure involves the fore foot zone. During this operation you want to be sure that the outsole is touching the reference plane (normally running shoes have a quite strong curvature in this zone). Normally the measurement point is under the metatarsal area, at the centre of the foot.

Figure 4 Measuring the fore foot pack height.

The difference between the first (heel pack) and the second (fore foot pack) measure is the HTTD. Typical results are listed here.

Here you can find a list of my running-related posts. Now shut down the notebook and have a run!

Science and Training:

Races:

Heel-to-toe drop values for different running shoes

2013-11-05T11:35:00.003+01:00

In Table 1 are shown some heel-to-toe drop (HTTD) values for different shoe models, with original insoles. The method used for the measurements is described here. Please note that the measured shoes are sometimes used, so different values can be expected for shoes of same model and size.

Shoes							Shoe size
Brand	Model	Sex	Weight [g]	Heel height [mm]	Forefoot height [mm]	HTTD [mm]	EU	US	UK	cm
Adidas	adiZero Ace	M	244	25.6	13.8	11.8	40.6	7.5	7.0	25.5
	adiZero Ace	M	267	26.0	15.2	10.8	44.0	10.0	9.5	27.5
	adiZero Adios	M	184	21.0	11.8	9.2	40.0	7.0	6.5	25.5
	adiZero Adios	W	170	23.2	14.2	9.0	38.0	6.5	5.0	24.0
	adiZero Adios 2	M	203	20.5	11.4	9.1	40.0	7.0	6.5	25.5
	adiZero Adios Boost	M	245	25.6	15.0	10.6	45.3	11.0	10.5	28.8
	adiZero Primeknit	M	172	19.5	15.5	4.0	44.0	10.0	9.5	27.5
	adiZero Primeknit 2.0	M	255	24.3	15.5	8.8	44.6	10.5	10.0	28.0
	adiZero Rocket	M	180	17.8	12.3	5.5	40.0	7.0	6.5	25.5
	adiZero Tempo 5	M	257	26.0	17.0	9.0	44.0	10.0	9.5	27.5
	adiZero Tempo 5	M	270	27.4	15.0	12.4	44.6	10.5	10.0	28.0
	Attune ClimaCool	W	227	27.2	15.6	11.6	38.6	7.0	5.5	24.5
	Boost 2009	M	329	31.6	17.5	14.1	44.0	10.0	9.5	27.5
	Climacool	W	202	23.2	13.2	10.0	38.0	6.5	5.0	24.0
	Coolmax	M	230	17.9	12.0	5.9	43.3	9.5	9.0	27.0
	Energy Boost	M	291	30.0	19.5	10.5	45.3	11.0	10.5	28.8
	Energy Boost	M	298	28.5	20.5	8.0	45.3	11.0	10.5	28.8
	Glide Boost	M	382	31.0	20.6	10.4	48.0	13.0	12.5	29.5
	Response Boost	W	256	28.2	18.6	9.6	38.0	6.5	5.0	24.0
	Response Cushion 20	M	358	33.5	17.8	15.7	45.3	11.0	10.5	28.8
	Supernova Glide 5	M	380	31.1	16.0	15.1	46.6	12.0	11.5	29.5
	Supernova Glide 6 Boost	M	329	28.5	19.8	8.7	45.3	11.0	10.5	28.8
	Supernova Sequence 5	W	302	28.7	16.2	12.5	40.0	8.0	6..5	25.5
	Supernova Sequence 6	W	296	28.5	19.5	9.0	40.0	8.0	6.5	25.0
Alpha Woolf	Alpha 1.0	M	249	19.4	9.3	10.1	44.0	-	-	-
Asics	Gel-1170	M	346	26.8	18.2	8.6	46.0	11.5	10.5	29.0
	Gel-Cumulus 13	W	350	34.8	21.5	13.3	42.0	10.0	8.0	26.5
	Gel-Cumulus 14	M	318	32.1	21.0	11.1	43.5	9.5	8.0	27.5
	Gel-Cumulus 14	M	346	30.0	19.0	11.0	44.5	10.5	9.5	28.5
	Gel-Cumulus 15	W	294	33.3	20.7	12.6	40.0	8.5	6.5	24.7
	Gel-DS Sky Speed 2	M	283	23.2	13.2	10.0	42.5	9.0	8.0	27.0
	Gel-DS Sky Speed 2	M	303	21.7	11.3	10.4	44.0	10.0	9.0	28.0
	Gel-DS Trainer 17	M	276	27.3	18.6	8.7	42.5	9.0	8.0	27.0
	Gel-DS Trainer 17	M	277	25.5	18.7	6.8	42.5	9.0	8.0	27.0
	Gel-DS Trainer 17	M	329	26.3	19.3	7.0	44.5	10.5	9.5	27.7
	Gel-Excel33 2	W	249	26.6	15.2	11.4	40.0	8.5	6.5	25.5
	Gel-Fortitude 5	M	359	30.0	18.8	11.2	44.0	10.0	9.0	28.0
	Gel-Fortitude 5	M	408	34.0	27.0	7.0	47.0	12.5	11.5	30.0
	Gel-Galaxy 4	W	265	20.2	9.8	10.4	38.0	7.0	5.0	24.0
	Gel-Hyper Speed	M	221	22.7	14.1	8.7	46.0	11.5	10.5	29.0
	Gel-Kayano 16	M	363	28.6	16.8	11.8	42.5	9.0	8.0	27.0
	Gel-Kayano 19	W	300	29.8	15.5	14.3	42.0	10.0	8.0	26.5
	Gel-Nimbus 14	M	344	27.0	18.7	8.3	46.0	11.5	10.5	29.0
	Gel-Noosa Tri 18	M	355	22.6	14.7	7.9	48.0	13.0	12.0	30.5
	Gel-Pulse 4	M	298	33.8	20.7	13.1	41.5	8.0	7.0	26.0
	Gel-Volt33 2	W	255	30.0	23.0	7.0	41.5	9.5	7.5	26.0
	GT-2000	W	273	27.0	15.0	12.0	40.0	8.5	6.5	25.5
	GT-2000	M	381	27.4	17.8	9.6	46.5	12.0	11.0	29.5
	GT-2160	W	293	27.9	17.6	10.3	39.5	8.0	6.0	25.0
	Patriot	M	310	35.0	24.0	11.0	45.0	11.0	10.0	28.5
Brooks	Adrenaline GTS	M	398	27.8	13.7	14.1	44.5	10.5	9.5	28.5
	Adrenaline GTS 12	M	426	32.7	17.3	15.4	48.5	14.0	13.0	32.0
	Adrenaline GTS 12	W	290	30.1	18.2	11.9	40.0	8.5	6.5	25.5
	Adrenaline GTS 6	W	326	30.0	17.3	12.7	42.0	10.0	8.0	27.0
	Ghost 6	M	327	28.8	18.3	10.5	44.5	10.5	9.5	28.5
	Glycerin 10	M	470	34.4	23.3	11.1	48.5	14.0	13.0	32.0
	PureConnect	M	185	19.2	12.2	7.0	40.0	7.0	6.0	25.0
	PureConnect	M	223	18.4	13.2	5.2	43.0	9.5	8.5	27.5
	PureFlow	M	263	25.3	18.4	6.9	44.0	10.0	9.0	28.0
	Racer ST5	M	248	28.4	14.4	14.0	43.0	9.5	8.5	27.5
	RAVENNA 2	M	283	28.5	16.8	11.7	40.0	7.0	6.0	25.0
	T7 RACER	M	165	22.8	12.4	10.4	40.5	7.5	6.5	25.5
La Sportiva	Q-Lite	M	297	24.1	19.3	4.8	43.0	9.0	8.5	27.0
Merrell	Barefoot train flux glove sport	M	184	5.8	5.1	0.7	43.0	9.0	8.5	27.0
Mizuno	Wave Aero 8	M	296	24.1	13.4	10.7	44.0	10.5	9.5	28.5
	Wave Elixir 6	W	249	28.0	14.5	13.5	40.0	9.0	6.5	-
	Wave Elixir 8	M	277	32.3	13.0	19.3	44.5	11.0	10.0	29.0
	Wave Inspire 9	M	289	27.3	16.2	11.1	42.5	9.5	8.5	27.5
	Wave Precision 13	M	303	32.3	17.1	15.2	44.0	10.5	9.5	28.5
	Wave Ultima 5	W	286	31.4	18.2	13.2	41.0	10.0	7.5	26.5
New Balance	601	M	280	29.9	14.7	15.2	40.0	7.0	6.5	25.5
	1080v2	M	296	26.2	17.7	8.5	42.5	9.0	8.5	27.0
	461 All Terrain	M	326	27.1	14.7	12.4	44.0	10.0	9.5	28.0
	780v2	M	290	28.7	16.4	12.3	42.5	9.0	8.5	27.0
	890v3	M	294	23.7	15.0	8.7	46.5	12.0	11.5	30.0
	890v3	W	252	28.1	18.7	9.4	41.0	9.5	7.5	26.5
	Minimus 10v2	M	183	10.6	7.0	3.6	42.5	9.0	8.5	27.0
	Minimus Zero	M	164	8.4	8.2	0.2	42.0	8.5	8.0	26.5
	RC 1400	M	233	25.5	13.7	11.8	47.0	12.5	12.0	30.5
	RC 1400	M	221	21.6	10.6	11.0	45.5	11.5	11.0	29.5
	RC 1600	M	186	21.7	13.0	8.7	46.5	12.0	11.5	30.0
	RC 1600	M	153	18.5	10.4	8.1	42.5	9.0	8.5	27.0
Nike	Air Max S2S	W	207	23.6	12.6	11.0	40.0	8.5	6.0	25.5
	Flex Trail	M	385	24.6	19.4	5.2	45.5	11.5	10.5	29.5
	Flyknit Lunar 2	M	279	30.8	18.0	12.8	45.0	11.0	10.0	29.0
	Flyknit One	W	207	25.2	12.5	12.7	40.5	9.0	6.5	26.0
	Flyknit Trainer+	M	280	27.8	17.7	10.1	46.0	12.0	11.0	30.0
	Free 3.0	W	166	21.8	14.2	7.6	38.5	7.5	5.0	24.5
	Free 3.0	M	226	17.6	12.1	5.5	44.5	10.5	9.5	28.5
	Free 4.0 v3	W	174	22.8	14.3	8.5	37.5	6.5	4.0	23.5
	Free 5.0	W	220	24.0	14.0	10.0	40.5	9.0	6.5	26.0
	Free 5.0	W	226	24.4	18.5	5.9	40.0	7.0	6.0	25.0
	Free Hyperfeel	M	182	15.5	9.7	5.8	43.0	9.5	8.5	27.5
	FreeRun 3	W	209	20.6	14.4	6.2	39.0	6.5	6.0	24.5
	Freerun 3 5.0	W	241	25.7	15.0	10.7	42.5	9.0	8.0	27.0
	Initiate	M	332	27.2	16.0	11.2	44.0	10.0	9.0	28.0
	LunarElite 2	M	345	28.2	18.4	9.8	47.5	13.0	12.0	31.0
	LunarElite+	W	239	26.4	17.3	9.1	38.5	7.5	5.0	24.5
	LunarGlide+ 4	M	298	27.8	17.5	10.3	43.0	9.5	8.5	27.5
	LunarGlide+ 4	W	267	27.0	15.8	11.2	42.0	10.0	7.5	27.0
	LunarGlide+ 4	M	263	27.6	17.9	9.7	42.0	8.5	7.5	26.5
	LunarGlide+ 4	M	313	28.0	15.0	13.0	45.0	11.0	10.0	29.0
	LunarGlide+ 5	W	245	28.7	18.7	10.0	40.5	7.5	6.5	25.5
	LunarGlide+ 5	W	237	29.6	15.9	13.7	40.0	8.5	6.0	25.5
	LunarGlide+ 5	W	233	28.8	17.1	11.7	40.0	8.5	6.0	25.5
	LunarGlide+ 5	W	248	27.6	15.6	12.0	40.5	9.0	6.5	26.0
	LunarSwift	M	350	28.2	17.9	10.3	45.5	11.5	10.5	29.5
	Pegasus	M	378	28.9	18.5	10.4	45.5	11.5	10.5	29.5
	Pegasus 29	M	311	34.3	20.3	14.0	45.0	11.0	10.0	29.0
	Pegasus 30	M	378	36.8	20.1	16.7	48.5	14.0	13.0	32.0
	Span 7	W	284	31.7	18.4	13.3	39.0	8.0	5.5	25.0
	Structure 16	W	303	26.1	17.3	8.8	43.0	11.0	8.5	28.0
	Structure Triax 11	M	356	28.9	17.0	11.9	44.0	10.0	9.0	28.0
	Zoom Structure+ 13	W	298	31.4	17.9	13.5	41.0	9.5	7.0	26.5
	Zoom Structure+ 17	W	258	28.7	18.5	10.2	39.0	8.0	5.5	25.0
	Zoom Structure+ 17	W	333	30.0	20.0	10.0	46.0	12.0	11.0	30.0
	Zoom Wildhorse	M	283	22.8	19.0	3.8	46.5	12.0	11.0	30.0
Pearl Izumi	EM TRI N 2	M	249	22.1	17.8	4.3	42.5	9.0	8.0	27.0
Puma	Faas 300	M	238	18.1	10.5	7.6	45.0	11.5	10.5	29.5
	Faas 300	M	242	19.0	12.0	7.0	46.0	12.0	11.0	30.0
Reebok	RB512	M	352	35.5	19.8	15.7	42.0	9.0	8.0	27.0
	Realflex Fusion TR	W	220	28.1	15.6	12.5	37.5	7.0	4.5	24.0
	Zignano	M	318	32.8	16.8	16.0	41.0	8.5	7.5	26.5
Salomon	Speedcross 2	M	270	32.6	16.2	16.4	36.9	6.5	6.0	25.0
	XA Pro 3D Ultra	M	340	24.0	16.0	8.0	40.0	7.0	6.5	25.5
Saucony	Fastwitch 5	W	212	18.9	12.0	6.9	40.0	8.5	6.5	25.0
	ProGrid Ride 2	W	356	34.5	16.1	18.4	42.5	10.5	8.5	27.0
	Triumph 7	M	399	32.3	19.8	12.5	45.0	11.0	10.0	26.0
	Type A3	M	207	21.3	8.9	12.4	46.0	11.5	10.5	26.5
The North Face	Hyper-Track Guide	M	311	21.9	14.1	7.8	45.0	11.5	10.5	29.5
Vibram	FiveFingers Bikila	W	162	7.0	7.0	0.0	40.0	-	-	25.0
	FiveFingers KSO	M	154	6.5	4.5	2.0	40.0	-	-	25.5
Zoot	Ultra Kane 2.0	M	375	29.9	18.5	11.4	46.0	11.5	10.5	29.5

Table 1 HTTD values for different running shoes.

Here you can find a list of my running-related posts. Now shut down the notebook and have a run!

Science and Training:

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2013 Track & Field season

2013-09-03T14:01:00.003+02:00

Chronicle of a Steeplechase year

As said in last year's end-of-season post, 2012 was my first season 10 years after quitting races. This year I kept on smashing my records (it's so easy, when you start again from scratch), even if an Achilles tendinopathy tried to stop me.

Taken from the athlete profile section, here's a review of my improvements:

Outdoor progression of main events.

Some targets were achieved, some others just approached. I really wanted to run sub 10:10.00 in the steeplechase event, but maybe I forced too much in the first part of the season. I am very proud, though, of my improvements in longer distances.

Definitely the most important point is that I finally found a great team here in Berlin and I can say I picked up the right pace to start the winter season in a proper way. Carsten, Sebbi, Micha, Merlin...they were all very kind in relieving my forced stop. Not to mention, then, the great support I always had from mum, dad, Katrina and all the friends in Conegliano (Pie, Mattia and Gbo in a special way).

Over the water pit in one of the last races.

Last, but not least, the irreplaceable help from my technical partners has been again crucial. Brooks Running Italy and "himaxx" (Center for Altitude Training, Berlin) continue to follow my journey strongly. Thank you!
As usual, I tried to condense all the emotions, motivations and regrets in a single, short video. Nothing is better than direct experience to understand what lies under a whirling Track and Field year. But the images and the music itself are quite appropriate for trying to understand.

So, again, welcome to my world. Enjoy and...keep on training!

What is training load?

2013-07-15T17:40:00.003+02:00

Using training load to plan and analyse your preparation is a powerful weapon. The risk of injuries can be significantly reduced and training efficiency increased.

But what is training load?

Long story short, training load is nothing more than this:

TRAINING LOAD = TRAINING VOLUME x TRAINING INTENSITY

Using a logging software such as SportTracks, makes it very easy to implement the previous expression. The only important thing is to chose correctly the two parameters. In the following lines a synthetic explanation of their meanings.

Training volume is usually calculated as training duration. Another approach is to define it using mileage (for example 120 km/week for a runner). There are no major differences in choosing one or another.

Training intensity indicates how hard your workout is. A common way to quantify this parameter is by using the so-called Borg RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) Scale. Originally conceived with numbers from 6 to 20, nowadays it is commonly accepted tu use values from 0 to 10 to quantify the perceived exertion. The great advantage of this method lies in its simplicity: the athlete judges every workout's intensity with a number according to his/her sensations. This is a good way for taking into account a wide pool of parameters that influence the workout like, for example, athlete's motivation, kind of shoes used or nutrition before and after the session.

0	Rest
1	Extremely light
2	Very light
3	Light
4	Somewhat hard
5	Hard
6
7	Very hard
8
9	Extremely hard
10	Maximal exertion

The modified Borg RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) Scale.

It is quite a little effort to obtain such a powerful analysis tool. And it is funny indeed, playing with all those numbers. Give it a try!

Here you can find a list of my running-related posts. Now shut down the notebook and have a run!

Science and Training:

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7th Airport Run Berlin: second place and PB

2013-04-30T11:54:00.002+02:00

Last Saturday, April 27th, me and other 3681 people had the chance to run (perhaps for the last time?) on the new landing strip of the "Berlin und Brandenburg" airport. The 7th Airport Run Berlin, this year started at 7:00 p.m., letting us to enjoy a beautiful sunset even if the clouds brought a little rain since the 5th km. The half-marathon participants went through two laps, while the 10 km course was made of a single lap. You can find the GPS track of my 10 km on the new cloud platform by SportTracks following this link.

A strong tailwind really speeded us up in the first 5 km, where I tried also to save some energies for the second part (what a headwind from 5th to 8th km!). After the good final time at the 24th Lauf in Britzer Garten, another PB has come almost unexpectedly, lowering my 10 km best time to 00:34:38.

It was an honour to join the podium of such a great race. The organisation (BERLIN LÄUFT) was, as usual, perfect and the staff very kind assisting runners immediately after the finish line.

Medal and trophy for the second place overall over the 10 km race.

Below there's an extract from the official results of the 10 km race.

1	Krannich, Christian	GER	00:33:26
2	Santuz, Alessandro	ITA	00:34:38
3	Foth, Carsten	GER	00:34:45
4	Eisenreich, Christian	GER	00:34:46
5	Dr. Teifke, Nils	GER	00:36:50
6	Wünsch, Gregor	GER	00:36:53
7	Spohn, Oliver	GER	00:37:00
8	Eidhof, Chris	NED	00:37:03
9	Plaumann, Mike	GER	00:37:08
10	Lepers, Thomas	FRA	00:37:44

The official results of the 7th Airport Run Berlin (10 km course).

32nd Pankower Frühlingslauf

2013-04-17T10:22:00.002+02:00

The 32nd Pankower Frühlingslauf (official website)was my eighth race this year. A beautiful cross-country course, 2.5 km to be repeated five times (12.5 km the total length), with a small uphill to increase the selection.

I classified second, with a time of 0:45:45, behind the (very!) fast Niels Bubel. Another good result after the 24th Lauf im Britzer Garten. The track season is ready to start and I can't wait to join the first steeplechase race.

Below a picture of the podium and the final classification. Here the GPS-track on the new Sport Tracks cloud service.

The final podium of the 32th Pankower Frühlingslauf (Photo Niels Bubel).

1	Bubel, Niels	1987	DE	Die Laufpartner	0:41:07
2	Santuz, Alessandro	1983	ITA	LG Nord Berlin	0:45:45
3	Leidig, Holger	1969	DE	LEIDIG24 Tri.	0:46:17
4	Wiessner, Enrico	1985	DE	Pro Sport 24	0:47:22
5	Wollny, Hans Peter	1961	DE	Berlin	0:47:30
6	Kaschewsky, Sascha	1970	DE	Sisu Berlin	0:47:55
7	Schneider, Matti	1984	DE	FH Runners Berlin	0:48:20
8	Samzun, Gildas	1979	DE	Berlin	0:48:21
9	Spohn, Oliver	1969	DE	SCC Berlin	0:49:33
10	Neugebauer, Stefan	1982	DE	LG Pegasos	0:49:36

The official results of the 31st Pankower Frühlingslauf.

Garmin, Polar and WTEK: heart rate sensors comparison

2013-04-10T12:25:00.000+02:00

Thanks again to Mark, head of the Centre of Altitude Training "himaxx Berlin" (www.himaxx.de), and to WTEK, I had the opportunity to make an interesting comparison between different heart rate monitor sensors.

Nowadays this kind of sensor is widely used in sports at every level, helping to track important parameters and to calculate some interesting stuff like training load. The leading actors of this post are the Garmin HRM2-SS, the Polar T31 and the WTEK, in its HS-2+ and HS-1C versions.

The three sensors tested: Garmin, Polar and WTEK (click to enlarge).

Apart from the well-known chest-belt technology (Garmin and Polar), I'd like to do a small introduction about WTEK sensor's working principles. This interesting transducer is a photoplethysmograph, a complicate word for a simple function: it illuminates the skin and subsequently measures the changes in light absorption due to the pulsatile component of the cardiac cycle. In other words, it can measure the differences in blood volume, identifying this way the heart rate of the subject. This is an interesting feature, since the sensor can be applied to the forearm or to the forehead, simply using a sweatband as a support.

How to fit the WTEK sensor (click to enlarge).

While the WTEK HS-2+ sensor is compatible with all the ANT+ devices, the HS-1C just supports a specific communication protocol with a WTEK C100 watch. And since the C100 doesn't have (yet) an internal memory, I needed to make a video recording of the HS-1C data in order to save them for analysis. However, I found easy to record HS-2+ data on my Garmin Forerunner 210 watch (even if the sensor must be fitted on the same arm of the watch, to avoid communication problems).

The altitude chamber, for the occasion set to sea level, before and during the test. I am wearing a wristband on my left forearm to support the WTEK sensor (click to enlarge).

The WTEK C100 watch, its charging station, a sensor and a wristband (click to enlarge).

The protocol was very simple: after a 4-minutes acquisition while sitting, I ran 36 minutes with some speed variations and some constant pace minutes. In the following graph the values are plotted (I registered WTEK data every 5 seconds).

Heart rate data (click to enlarge).

The main WTEK problems, compared to chest belt sensors, are the following:

an initial period of 10 to 15 minutes is necessary to stabilise data
every sudden change in heart frequency needs 10 to 15 seconds to be noticed by the sensor
an overshoot (both negative or positive) always occurs when heart rate changes quickly, for example during interval training or hill repetitions.

The good points, however, are that:

the errors, after the stabilisation period, are almost always included in a ±5% interval (taking as "real" values the average between Garmin and Polar data)
correlation coefficients (degree of similarity between two sets of variables) are quite similar, being 0.9998 between Garmin and Polar, 0.9891 between Garmin and WTEK and 0.9889 between Polar and WTEK
mean registered heart rate values are pretty close (152.8 bpm for Garmin, 152.7 bpm for Polar and 157.7 bpm for WTEK)
usually the error causes an overestimation of the HR values (a dangerous underestimation happens very rarely).

Absolute percentage error calculated between WTEK and the average of Garmin and Polar values (click to enlarge).

Concluding, if we assume that chest belts HR monitors give "true" values (which is obviously not true), WTEK sensor is a comfortable alternative for people that can't stand traditional sensors. The performances detected are sufficiently accurate for amateur sports people, especially for those who want to monitor constant-speed sessions.

The WTEK products tested (click to enlarge).

Try the useful calculator at the end of the article to have an idea about your workout heart rate zones.

(The calculator is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. A qualified health care provider should be consulted before making any fitness or health decisions)

Here you can find a list of my running-related posts. Now shut down the notebook and have a run!

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A nice gift from Brooks Running Italy

2013-03-12T12:27:00.002+01:00

Brooks Running Italy recently wrote a beautiful article about me. In the next lines a translation from the original piece. Thanks Brooks!

March 12th, 2013

THE GREAT BROOKS PASSION!

The large Brooks family is not only full of well-known athletes. A lot of young and passionate guys revitalise the "Run Happy" philosophy...

This is the case for Alessandro Santuz, born in Conegliano (TV - Italy), a great running enthusiast that have been training since he was 11.

After a short break to finish his studies in Aerospace Engineering at University of Padua, in 2011 he started again to run in the 3000 m steeplechase event. A discipline requiring a lot of willpower and hard workouts.

He currently lives in Germany and trains with a group of athletes led by the two-time Olympian in the 1500 m event Carsten Schlangen.

Alessandro grinds lots of kilometres, around 400 each month, and told us that Brooks shoes and apparel are his ideal companions: "Now I have cumulated about 1300 km with different models of shoes and clothing, and I was surprised by the excellent quality of materials and exceptional attention to detail...that said, I won't ever leave Brooks!". Those were his exact words.

Alessandro writes a very interesting blog about his activities and sports experiences!

VISIT HIS BLOG AND...RUN HAPPY!

24th Lauf im Britzer Garten: a good pre-season test.

2013-03-03T19:32:00.001+01:00

With the 24th Lauf im Britzer Garten (official website) the "summer" season has started. In the frame of the beautiful Britzer park in Berlin, 500 runners were at the start of the 10 km main competition.

With a time of 0:34:45 I classified 10th, running my 10 km PB (and my 5000 m PB too, as a split!). This is a very good news for the following races, all the training I'm doing with my wonderful group is definitely paying off!

Below a couple of pictures and the final classification. Here the GPS-track.

A quite crowded start!

For the first 3 km this was my group.

Feeling strong around 4th km.

A beautiful view of one of the bridges.

Final meters!

This is sport.

So happy!

1	Engler, Jonas	1985	DE	LG Süd Berlin	0:31:39
2	Bubel, Niels	1987	DE	Die Laufpartner	0:31:40
3	Krannich, Christian	1984	DE	LAC Berlin	0:32:23
4	Wienecke, Jonas	1992	DE	Tus Neukölln Tri.	0:32:30
5	Matysik, Nico	1995	DE	LAC Berlin	0:32:51
6	Landmann, Marc	1994	DE	LAC Berlin	0:33:24
7	Rodewohl, Christoph	1988	DE	LAC Berlin	0:33:48
8	Schwark, Ludwig	1986	DE	LAC Berlin	0:33:55
9	Dumann, Axel	1972	DE	OSC Berlin	0:33:55
10	Santuz, Alessandro	1983	ITA	LG Nord Berlin	0:34:45

The official results of the 24th Lauf im Britzer Garten.