Friday Finds is a regular feature in which I collate and share interesting articles and posts on running/health/fitness which I’ve read recently. Some might be inspiring, some might be scientific, some might provoke debate. All are things I’ve found in some way thought-provoking.
Happy Friday everyone! This week I’m coming to you from the Sunshine State of Florida with a few articles to share.
Since I’m in the heat and the UK is still experiencing a heatwave, I’ll start with this rundown from Outside about how the warmer weather can affect our bodies, as well as some reminders about the most sensible things we can do to beat the heat. I’ll still run while I’m here in Florida but the distance will be less and I fully expect my pace to be slower, which is fine with me. The most important thing for me is to make sure I head out for my run early while it’s still comparatively cool and the humidity hasn’t built up to full strength. I’d love to know any other warm weather tips you have.
While I’m enjoying the downtime there’s a pretty high chance I’ll also enjoy a few naps as I recharge my batteries (regular readers of the blog might remember that my last couple of weeks of the school year were largely fuelled by naps!). I therefore read with interest Alex Hutchinson’s take on some recent studies into the impact of naps on athletic performance.
For those who have been watching the football (soccer) World Cup, it may have crossed your mind to wonder just how far those players are running during the course of a match. According to Runner’s World, a whopping 7 miles! Check out the article to see how some other sports compare.
I also enjoyed this Strava blog which, with its focus on consistency rather than focusing on the end result, really resonated with me as I have been focusing on process over outcome this year. It’s worth a read for anyone who has been finding themselves overly fixated on recent performances.
And finally, if your running nutrition relies on carefully measured sports drinks and a schedule of gels, remember it wasn’t always that way. If we go far enough back in time then athletes were often fuelled by alcohol! It perhaps sounds tempting, but I don’t think I fancy dealing with the dehydration!
Happy reading,
The Running Princess
The Running Princess 
Interesting tidbit about champagne as an energy drink. During last year’s NYC marathon (around mile 18), one of the spectators handed me a couple “shots” of beer. I have to admit that it did have a Popeye/spinach effect on me.
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That is interesting! I remember there being wine towards the end of the Paris marathon one year but I just couldn’t face it!
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It’s amazing how far footballers run during a match. No one they looked pooped at the end!
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I know! A colleague of mine once said there was no way he would go for a run but would happily run about after the ball on a football pitch for 90 minutes. Perhaps there was something in that!
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I always think it’s interesting to see how far footballers run- there’s often a big difference between players in the same team too.
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Yes. I would think the position they play in makes a difference.
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