Some Gold Medals Have Arrived

Australia has won some gold medals in the last few days, with possibly more to come.  It seems assured of a gold in one of the sailing classes, with maybe a second posible in another class.  That adds to the one in the Laser class won by Slingsby.

And both Sally Pearson [110m hurdles] and Anna Meares [ womens cycling sprint] have won gold medals over night.
There might be more medals to come.  But in mens pole vault.......not so sure as Steve Hooker is not at his best it seems.

But lets not forget that competition is VERY STRONG, with lots of countries now performing much better than a few years back.  Maybe what hurts most is that Australian coaches are plotting at the highest level for the opposition - yes, some of the best coaching talent is helping other countries'athletes to achieve at their best.  BUT.......wait......has not Australia used Chinese diving and gymnastic coaches, European rowing and cycling coaches - with the father of silver medallist Jessica Fox in kayaking from the UK.

It is a two way trade.

I think is that where it matters is that some of these coaches now operating overseas or coaching overseas athletes, at the highest levels and with outstanding success, were spurned by Australian authorities to coach Australians.

Media stories are likely to expand over coming days on this issue, methinks!

Get Exercising

Source:LiveScience

As the commentariat said recently.........not exercising when older might mean being able to live longer, because of medical advances, but if you do not exercise, well........you might not be able to get out of the chair!! So it improves QUALITY of life.

So .........get to it!

Long Live the Grey Legion in Lycra ...

[editorial from The Weekend Australian newspaper of April 10, 2010]

Guest Blog ... what the Monsoon Frog is reading while he is recuperating ...

"Which is what older men who take up exercise generally do

THEY were out this morning, swimming and cycling, lifting weights and running laps, the army of middle-age men who understand the way to stay sane and live long is to exercise like mad - which in Tony Abbott's case, as he rides from Melbourne to Sydney, looks like a literal description. These blokes of a certain age don't have to share the Opposition Leader's opinions on other matters to know he is on to something, that exercise is an investment in health and sanity, that they feel better, think smarter, are easier to live with and more reconciled to life's routine rejections when they are fit. And they know it is cheaper and safer than self-medicating on alcohol, which is what many men in their 50s watched their dads endure. So good for the legions in lycra - they may be sweating but it's not over the small stuff."

Comment from the Monsoon Frog
It is about time that the rest of the population came to the realisation that we are not mad, no......absolutely the opposite. And it is fun, develops camaderie and as has been said, it is good for you. But to get an editorial in the premier national newspaper.......that is something else!

As someone who has been considered a bit crazy over exercise, and been a regular exercise person since primary school, I liken it to the words of Zorba in the movie "Zorba the Greek" as Anthony Quinn intones ......"a man needs a little madness" except here it is exercise!

The madness is really among those who DO NOT exercise. Yes, Jim Fixx the runner's junkie died while running, but I bet he was still enjoying himself. Exercise IS good for you. Yes, we do not always do what is good for oneself, but with exercise, and all the benefits that come from it, one is a bit crazy not to indulge.

As the guest blogger says....."I know that the MF is a lot easier to live with when he has his swim every day, or at least regularly ..."

Are Sports Shoes Good for You? It is Fiction, not Fact!

Any sports person on two feet has their favorite sports shoe brand and even model. With the odd tear or three when a model changes and is no longer available, and a new type of shoe has to be examined. I have done it myself. Should you worry?

Some recent research in Australia shows that there is NO evidence that sport shoes work to improve performance or to prevent injury.

This is like a red rag to a bull................or is it?

The article below came from the ABC web site, and definitely makes interesting reading. What do you think?

Sports shoe claims still untested: scientists

Shoe sham? Scientists say more research is need into the benefits of hi-tech running shoes. (ABC news)

Scientists say there is no evidence to support the widespread belief that running shoes with sophisticated cushioning or heel supports prevent injury.

Researcher Craig Richards from the University of Newcastle says his team searched almost 60 years of articles relating to running, shoes and injury prevention, and found no published tests on whether hi-tech shoes have a real world benefit. "We searched all the articles we could identify in the major databases since 1950," Dr Richards told ABC Radio's PM program. "None of them have actually been control trials and most of them are just reiterating expert opinion or referring to studies which have been performed in a laboratory which don't actually have any real world meaning. "The bottom line is that these shoes have been experimental for the last 20 years and [are] still experimental."

Dr Richards admits some will argue with his findings.

"To health professionals, to runners to shoe retailers and to the sort of shoes that manufacturers have been producing this is absolutely heretical," he said. "This is why it is such an interesting finding and one which really needs to be pursued by some careful scientific research now, to establish whether these shoes are good for you, whether they do nothing for you or whether they are actually harmful for you."

President of the Australasian Podiatry Council Brenden Brown says that does not mean consumers should necessarily jump off the treadmill and throw away their shoes. "I think that it's quite easy to say to say that there are no studies out there suggesting that these shoes in fact work, but there are many products that we use in medicine, health and everyday life [and] there aren't studies to back up their use," he said.

Ben Ly, who manages a fitness centre in inner Sydney, says high quality performance footwear does make a difference to training. "If you look at the Olympics that were in you know, the 70s and the 60s when they were running in pure flat based shoes on tartan [sic], a lot of people were probably getting more stress fractures than ever before," he said. "There was no orthotics, there was no inbuilt arch. "Flat feet is a growing problem. A lot of people are getting pronation in the ankle which relates to knee pain which relates to knee injury, which relates to the hip to the back. It all relates to everything, it all starts at your feet."

Liz Brett, a sports and recreation manager and former Australian Olympic volleyballer, also recommends people spend money on shoes to reduce the risk of injury. "I do chat to people who come to the UTS fitness centre occasionally and particularly those who aren't wearing proper running shoes who are on the treadmill, I'll often go up and ask them if they've considered purchasing a pair of running shoes," she said. "You can hear it, you can hear the slapping when you're on the treadmills and you think, it's just an injury waiting to happen."

But she admits she hopes she has not fallen victim to a marketing con job. "Bloody hope not. I've spent too much money over the years on [shoes] to be conned," she said. "While there may not be enough information out there or enough research on this particular topic, I do think it's fair to say that there really are good shoes that improve not necessarily improve performance but certainly reduce the risk of injury."
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Do you think you have been conned?