Thursday, February 15, 2024

Blood test after 5 years

During the Covid-19 pandemic I met obvious obstacles which prevented me from checking my health on a regular base. However, I was impressed when I realised that my last blood test dated back to 2019...so with normality restored, I took the chance to do a comprehensive test. I expected some bed news regarding my triglycerides' level balanced by a comforting change in HDL value. And indeed the results show exactly this trend. The unregular diet regime I underwent over more than 100 days abroad (and during which I had almost zero power to control what I ate) affected the tryg level, which is now almost twice as much as the figures in 2019. Resolution: to cut sugar, sweet things, alcoholic beverages, diary products, red meat. On the other hand, 2 years of continuing physical activities paid off, as my HDL value increased by 8 points. As a result of this, the risk of cardiovascular deficits keeps within a low / medium range. Of course, everything should be taken with a grain of salt, as the values indicating a risk differ slightly or even considerably: I found a website that claims that the tryg level should be within 50 and 170, and that the LDL value should be lower than 160. On other websites, I found that the risky levels are respectively 150 (this value is confirmed also by my medical report) and 130. As we live in a capitalistic (crazy) world, it is quite clear that these guidelines are heavily influenced by the pharmaceutic industry.


Anyway, I have developed a medium-term strategy: in the next 6 month I will not resort to drugs, but I will cut junk and industrial food, sugar & alcohol, giving priority to vegetables, fresh products, fruit, white meat and fish. I expect to eat less, too. Concerning the physical activity, I will include at least 2 long, slow-paced runs per week, which are expected to reduce both tryg and LDL cholesterol levels. In August / September I will repeat the blood test and compare the results. If the strategy shows no effects, I will turn to "bio-statins" like fermented red rice, which has already proved effective in the past. 

Sunday, December 31, 2023

2023 Report

 2023 was a professionally intense year that led me in 5 different continents and deprived me for quality running time. Nevertheless, I am glad and proud to have run 1066 km (around 20 km weekly on average, but I suffered from some long breaks), plus 21 hours physical activity, more than 11 km swimming and almost 80 km cycling. Concerning the running sessions, I ran 447 km keeping a <5m/km pace. In 2023, I set only 1 new record: 44'18" in the 10 Km distance, at a 4'26" m/km pace. 

last 5 years running trend


Saturday, March 18, 2023

Yearly "Birthday Run" and 5K season best

Since I can't remember when, I have started tested my health and fitness through the "birthday run", a simple test consisting of a 10 km stroll in 50 minutes or below on the date of my birthday (or close to that date, that is end of March). I have to say, not without a touch of pride, that also this year I've passed the test, although I am one year older. And the performance was not that bad: 47'25",  (unofficial time due to a quick stop to tie my shoes after around 5 km). 

Regarding the 5 km distance, last week I set my season best: 21'30" (4'18" m/km), not that distant to my PB. This year my extensive intercontinental and European traveling schedule will not allow me to focus on constant improvement, therefore I'll have to keep a "conservative" approach. But I would not exclude surprises, and, why not, new PBs, especially in summer, when I will enjoy around 45 free days. 

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

New year, new record

Climate change is worrying for sure, but it has its silver linings: the great and unexpected mild weather of the last 2 months has been ideal for running, with temperatures that reached 20° Celsius and a gentle wind blowing mainly from the south. Today I made the most of these favorable conditions, setting a new record on the 10 km distance and improving my personal best by 14 seconds (October 2020, 44'32"). I didn't push that much, focusing on a progressive pace which started with 4'29" m/km and ended with 4'24" m/km (and a final 4'19" m/km sprint): the new best performance is 44'18" (average pace: 4'26" km). Considering that I ran comfortably without any major effort, I assume that this year I will be able to break the 44 minutes wall. 

Saturday, December 31, 2022

End-of-the-year overview

According to the statistics provided by my Garmin Vivoactive 4s, in 2022 I ran 1467 km (666 km below the 5 minutes / km threshold). This corresponds to a 28 km weekly and a 122 km monthly mileage. My season bests in 2022 are: 1 km - 3'36", 5 km - 20'50", 10 km - 45'46".

Here is the all-time recap, since 2011 (the year when I started running):



Sunday, December 18, 2022

10 km distance performances in 2022

Here is the list of my performances on the 10 Km distance in 2022:

18 December: 45'46" (4'35"/km)

26 July: 46'14" (4'37"/km)

3 July: 47'34" (4'45"/km)

1 December: 47'59" (4'48"/km)

21 October: 48'11" (4'49"/km)

24 March: 48'31" (4'51"/km)

22 July: 48'36" (4'52"/km)

29 April: 48'37 (4'52"/km)

11 August: 48'52" (4'53"/km)

23 November: 48'53" (4'53"/km)

26 February: 50'00" (5'00"/km)

16 January: 50'00" (5'00"/km)




 

Thursday, November 24, 2022

Adidas Supernova M: decent budget shoes

 I have to admit it: I am sick and tired of spending hundreds of bucks (even if I've never spent more than 80 € for a pair of "technical" shoes) for the "big brands". We all know very well that a large part of that money covers marketing, shipping, insurance, distribution, design costs. At the end of the day, the "real" cost of a pair of Nike or Adidas shoes is around 15 €. Furthermore, I am not keen at encouraging the production strategy of these companies, which force their employees to work under stressful conditions over long and low-paid shifts. I'm not a marketing expert, but I would much prefer to give my money to a company based in my region (or at least in Europe), which ensures human working conditions for its employees and reduces shipping costs (and thus: prices) by distributing its products regionally. Ok, I guess that the head of this company would never become a millionaire...

Back to the topic of this post, today I've received a pair of Adidas Supernova M shoes, which I ordered from "Sportamore" website (don't let the name deceive you: the seat is not in Neaples, it's in Sweden!). In spite of the distance, the shoes have been delivered in less than 3 days. I had tried a similar version (Supernova Unite) at the Decathlon local shop, to be sure that they were true to size (I ordered a US 9,5 size, which corresponds to 43 1/3, at least according to Adidas size chart). The site offered a white model at a cost of 30 € plus 5 € shipping costs, whereas Decathlon currently sells an "upgraded" model (meaning: with a wider "boost" element on the midsole) at 65 € with a 50% [fake] Black Friday discount (the full prize should be 130 € - crazy!). 

This afternoon I tested them with a 12 km easy run (4'50" / km) and here are my first impressions:

- compared to the Peg34, they feel a little bit "stiffer", most of all in the forefoot. This is probably due to the shape of the sole, which is larger and flat, whereas the Nike one is shaped according to the foot. Anyway, this Adidas doesn't have the 2 Zoom units, and I could clearly perceive that; instead, the ammortisation & reactivity should be ensured by a combination of a Boost element under the heel and the Bounce segment on the forefoot. My impression: I run twenty 500m-rings, the first 250 meters with forefoot running and the last 250 meter leaning the whole foot on the ground, and I can say that the Boost is satisfactory and the Bounce is decent. Test passed successfully!

- In spite of these differences, the shoe is comfortable, thanks to the padding around the ankle and a soft insole (made with recycled material). The minimalistic tongue and mesh (similar to the Streak 6, but not that light) don't reduce comfort and stability. Adidas official website says they weight 320 g, but they feel somehow lighter than the Peg34 (295 g), which are for sure bulkier inside (due to more padding). 

- Due to the uneven sole consumption (I am a pronator), during the last runs I had with the Peg34 I started suffering from backache while running. With these brand new Adidas my running experience was a real pleasure. On the other hand, I already can perceive signs of deterioration on the rubber sole. Hopefully it won't wear out so quickly (on a post written by a customer, I read that their life expectancy is around 700 km). 

- I confirm the reviews I read and heard on the pace you can hold with these shoes: pretty stable and reactive when I kept a 4'45" - 5'00" pace, less performing when I pushed them beyond the 4'30" limit. But I still have 3 Nike Streak pairs for that :)

All in all, I can say I am satisfied, most of all considering the price-quality ratio: I would have never spent 100 and more bucks for the new model of the Nike Pegasus this round. Of course, my evaluation of the Supernova M will be updated regularly. Only time will tell...

*** UPDATES: 100 KM TEST ***

This is my verdict after 100 km covered with the Adidas Supernova M: 

The "Adis" are quite comfortable and "soft"; however, as perceived by other runners who shared their comments online, I can feel a certain "stiffness" on the instep, more precisely on the spot where the tongue is fixed to the upper. This sensation tends to fade away after a few steps, though. 

Another drawback is caused by the collar: even if it's quite padded, for reasons which still I have to understand, it scratched my left ankle (probably because I run clockwise when I do my interval training and running sessions around a square - this means that my left foot bend leftwards at every curve, and this could explain the contact between ankle and collar). 

Yesterday, due to a rainy day which could have spoiled my brand-new white Supernova, I decided to brush up my old Pegasus and this gave me the chance to compare the two models. Surprisingly, I felt the Peg much more reactive, more comfortable and lighter than the Supernova. And I could feel again the difference when it comes to the Zoom units. However, I confirm the opinion I had when I first wear those shoes: the Peg are less ideal for speedy sessions, but they are more protective during long sessions or when the wheather is nasty. 

Conclusions: in terms of quality, shape and comfort The Nike Pegasus 34 are superior than the Adidas Supernova, which I consider still a good pair of shoes for distances from 5K to 15K at a medium pace under good wheather conditions.