I've sure had my fair share of tooth issues in the past. I had my last mercury amalgam filling replaced by a modern filling early this year.
One of my goals for the new year is to prevent future cavities. That's why I got interested in 'Cure Tooth Decay' by Rami Nagel. His book is to a large degree based on the pioneering work by dentist Weston Price.
Mr. Nagel's videos below certainly provide a solid starting point, but I'd still recommend getting the book (now also available as an ebook). The second edition has a bonus chapter on how to remineralize and repair your child's tooth decay naturally.
'Cure Tooth Decay' gave me a lot of good ideas for 2011. The key points of the book are:
Tooth decay is caused by environmental forces such as food. Bacteria are not the cause of cavities.
Dentists are surgeons. Dentistry has never promised to prevent future cavities.
Our modern diet is deficient in fat-soluble vitamins and minerals. A diet that includes plenty of fat-soluble vitamins and vegetables usually resolves this imbalance.
For recipes along the same lines, 'Nourishing Traditions' by Sally Fallon is suggested.
This is not a big deal, but I noticed there is a dedicated website (with books, apps etc) for performing 100 pushups: hundredpushups.com and I did it today. Here's my badge to prove it!
I don't recall doing more than 60-70 ever, at least not in one set without any pauses.
Not surprisingly, the last 30 were pretty challenging. The final ten were pure agony. I guess the only reason to keep going after 90 was the fact that I was too close to 100 to quit.
I'm happy for the achievement. Upper body and core strength are important for runners, especially if you are aiming for ultra trail running in the Alps with a backpack like me.
"It's called the paleo-fitness movement, and it sounds like a blast. You eat protein by the slab, roar throught the woods on Flintstone feet, and work off steam the old-fashioned way by hitting something. Nick Heil goes deep to discover whether caveman calisthenics will be the next big thing for adventure athletes."
NBC broadcast coverage of Ford Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kailua-Kona (on Big Island of Hawaii) has become an annual treat to watch around Christmas for me.
It may seem like they are exaggerating the difficulty of finishing this event, but I can tell you they are not. It's a long hot racing day, no matter who you are. If you haven't experienced this, you are missing out a lot.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGHLINERS from Cedar Wright on Vimeo.
Walking a slackline high above the ground, or "Highlining" as we call it, is surely one of the most terrifying sports I have ever dabbled in.
This is the race I DNF'd in 2010, so I'll have to try again in 2011. Viewed in comfy armchair, it looks deceptively easy, but now I know better what to expect.
While surfing on the net, I came across these crazy thick-soled running shoes called Hoka OneOne. They certainly do not fit the current barefoot running boom or minimalist shoe trend. On the contrary, these oversized shoes seem to have been cushioned to the max.
Whatever your first impression of Hokas, some serious ultra trail runners actually seem to prefer them.
Also world class endurance runner Karl Meltzer relied on Hoka Mafates during his recent 2000 mile epic. This is what he blogged afterwards:
"Hoka One One: I’ve been raving about these shoes since I started running in them at the Zane Grey 50 mile on April 24. I really don’t think I would have completed this run on the Pony Express Trail without them. I had only one blister the entire run, which happened on day 2. The blister location was typical on my pinkie toe. It never caused any discomfort. I just had to give myself a little more room and I was set. The ultimate cushioning of the shoe provided so much protection, and along with shock absorbtion, it’s safe to say it had to save me AT LEAST 25% of total impact. That number is even what I consider a low estimate. The shoes rock! I’ll never change to something else, and the support they give me is mind boggling. If you haven’t tried them…..you are missing out."
Although I haven't seen any Hokas in real life yet, I might give them a try next year.
Miguel Heras and Anna Frost won the 50-mile race of The North Face Endurance Challenge Championship 2010 in San Francisco. These relatively unknown runners managed to beat Geoff Roes and Lizzy Hawker respectively.
Ultratrail: 101 km with 6054 meters of climbing, start 7:00 AM, time limit 26h, fee 100€,
Supertrail: 64 km with 3622 meters of climbing, start 8:00 AM, time limit 16h, fee 65€.
Both routes start and finish in the town of Grainau located close to the Austrian border, and go around Zugspitze (2,962 m), the highest mountain in Germany.
I've been there and can say that the Wetterstein range is a fabulous mountain region. Just watch the trailer below!
I don't think it will be an easy race by any means, as the Conditions of Participation state that:
Each participant must be aware of the distance of the course and the physical challenge it poses and enter the competition prepared for such a challenge
Each participant must provide a medical certificate attesting full physical fitness (this medical certificate must not be older than 3 months at the time of registration!)
Each participant has to have an appropriate level of alpine running experience
Each participant has to be sure-footed and have the ability to move safely on alpine mountain trails, across what would seem to be trail-less terrain and in steep terrain with exposure. This ability must not be compromised by any possible fear of heights
Each participant has to be experienced in hiking difficult alpine trails passages such as short cliffsides secured by ropes
Each participant has to possess a good sense of direction in mountain terrain, even when weather and visibility turn for the worse. This also means being able to follow a path by topographical maps or by maps and course information contained in the Trail Book
Each participant has to be familiar with emergency procedures in alpine mountain terrain
Each participant has to be able, physically as well as psychologically, to cope with extremely long runs in a high mountain area at altitudes of up to 2,600 meters above sea level
Each participant must have sufficient physical fitness to cope with a difference in altitude of 400 meters per hour and a distance of 6 kilometers per hour, even if the running environment is in high alpine territory and includes technically demanding portions (e.g. short portions secured by rope or exposed trails) and if conditions are difficult (due to e.g., rain, snow or ice)
Mandatory equipment includes:
Functional clothing as well as trail running shoes with tread suitable for high alpine territory (running shoes for the road with little or no tread are unsuitable)
Foul-weather gear for protection from the elements (as a minimum water-proof rain coat)
Warm clothing (long-sleeved shirt and running pants) as insulating layers underneath the rain gear (in case of bad weather conditions which may set in suddenly in high mountain territory)
Gloves and a warm hat
Functioning headlamp and replacement batteries
Water tank containing at least 1.5 liters
Emergency gear (i.e. first aid kit, rescue blanket)
Trail Book with outline and detail maps, and altitude profile of the whole course
Back pack
Mobile phone with rescue phone number saved in its address book to be able to make emergency calls (it must be made sure that the phone can make calls from within Austria as well)
Identification card and race pass
Also recommended: GPS device, trekking poles, sun screen, fatty cream against chafing, additional supply of food and beverages
There weren't any course maps or check point/aid station information available either at this point. Perhaps that's why these events are not yet listed among UTMB Qualifying Races, but they probably will be in due course.
