Before I start this, let me state that it is not intended as a debate between barefoot/minimalist running and trainer shod running. Whilst I am a fan of BF/MR, I don’t practice it solely, and once my broken ankle is cured I aim to return to my practice of BF/MR once or twice a week and my main runs with my dogged trainers.

This post is rather about my amazement that trainer manufacturers are allowed to get away with what they do get away with, regardless of whether or not trainers are bad for you.

I came across a leaflet in my gym last night. I’d just sat on a spin bike for 50 minutes and then had a swim, so I was quite tired. Being tired leads to me generally being cranky, so perhaps I shouldn’t have read this leaflet, but read it I did. The amount of faux-science was staggering, and it worries me that people genuinely are taken in by this kind of language.

The leaflet was for a pair of what I think are supposed to be trainers. The tagline of the advert reads:

The Energy Drink for your feet.

The shoes are fronted by Lewis Hamilton, that well known distance runner, who I’m sure was paid a rather large sum of money to hold them up looking smug. And why shouldn’t he? The shoes he’s wearing are obviously engineered to the highest degree. The diagram inside shows how the sole provides “More Energy”, with the zig zag shaped sole absorbing the impact of your heel strike, sending a wave of energy along the length of the shoe. Right.

And strangely (according to the diagram anyway), the laces apparently provide an “Energy Boost”, designed to help your legs feel fresher.

What is Zigtech?
Feel the shoe with the energy boost, its unique sole propels you forward, while reducing wear and tear by upto 20% on key leg muscles.

I can’t even begin to say how stupid this statement is. How have they measured this 20%?

In addition to this “How does it work?” section..

Absorbs the impact of heel strike

Transforms each step into a wave of energy

Helps to propel the athlete forward with each step

..contains a worrying statement (perhaps only worrying to someone who has read a lot about the debate between Barefoot/Trainer running, and the science involved). “Absorbs the impact of heel strike” sends warning signals to anyone that knows a modicum about modern running injuries, how the foot is designed, and heel striking is not ideal for running at all. Next “Transforms each step into a wave of energy”, er, I don’t know what to say to that. It’s bullshit. Finally “Helps to propel the athlete forward with each step”, funny. The human foot is perfectly designed to do just that, without all this “fantastic” technology.

Finally, they’re made with Celliant™ fibres. These are a relatively new technology which are designed to take energy emitted from the body and recycle it through the skin, a claim Reebok say with “increase oxygen levels by an average of 7%”. Celliant fibres is a relatively new technology, and like many new scientific products is yet to be fully proved. I’m not saying this is nonsense, but there is very little scientific evidence to support these claims, other than surprisingly the company that developed this technology. To me, it looks like some psuedo-science nonsense that is being used to help sell more expensive running kit, but I’m happy to be proven incorrect on this.

Finally? Whats possibly worse than all this “science”? Just look at them:

I can’t imagine any serious runner ever considering these as being worth while. Which is probably why, in this country at least, they’re fronted by a Formula 1 driver who lives for sponsorship. Tsk.

I’ve asked Reebok for evidence of these claims, but given that they’ve ignored far more noteworthy people than me in the past, I’m not waiting for a reply.

It comes to something when I can’t even partake in the great big Olympic monopoly that is the ticket purchase, sponsored by Lord Seb Coe’s mates at Visa. Registering on the site in February I set up my account as instructed in order to get tickets for the 27th round of the shooting qualification elimination knockouts, or whatever events I probably wouldn’t want. I was unlucky in that I didn’t get any tickets for any of the events I’d selected (cycling, athletics, badminton, swimming).

Now, given that the people that were unsuccessful first time round were supposed to get priority this time round I was somewhat dismayed to find out that at 8am (the website opened at 6am) absolutely nothing was available.

So the “greatest” show on earth will be coming to London, 45 minutes away, and I can’t even purchase tickets, through the official sponsor Visa’s gateway, to a less popular sports qualification round. Great work LOCOG.

The following article highlights just how ridiculous the situation is: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/jun/24/london-olympics-visa-card-tickets

Astonishingly the site then goes on to tell customers how to apply for a Visa card, saying “the easiest way to obtain a Visa card is to contact your existing bank which will be able to help you to select and apply for a Visa card that most suits your needs. Alternatively anyone can purchase a Visa prepaid card from a Visa card issuer which can be used immediately. Please visit the Visa website for details.”

I wonder how much Seb Coe got for that pretty little deal.

One of the most incredible feats of engineering has been axed as part of the Strategic Defence Strategy review, and what a travesty it is. A testament to British engineering ingenuity and skill, one of the greatest war planes ever to have flown, and just a down right beautiful craft. I can’t recall the amount of times, both as a child and an adult, that the Harrier took my breath away.

Goodbye.

I’ll post the answers sometime next week.

1. Carl had no song.

2. You’ll have heard of this name for Christmas.

3. Light part of music and learning.

4. Precious metal or —-.

5. Miser ordered “Go score”.

6. Sinatra at home. Unusual scene for kingly gift.

7. Reindeer sold out to the high street.

8. Spirited Cheek!

9. No soap with the trees.

10. Sounds like the Queen’s job, darling.

11. Thieves scram at this time of year.

12. what did it cost king to hang this up?

13. Stole item intended for Christmas decoration.

14. Saint Laura upset at Roman winter festival .

15. Bladed footwear found in desk at entrance.

16. Initially found rime on several trees.

17.S
N
O
W

18. Another Wise Man scrambled up elm next to a confused choir.

19. Christmas, otherwise, without the 12th letter.

20. Yuletide newborn’s bed is a garbled German trough.

21. In satin seldom found on a tree.

22. Beneficent monarch sews clean when confused.

23. Yuletide mother is in army disarrayed.

24. Excellent playwright provides happiness (not to women).

Call the Bible what you will, but some of it is a fascinating read; Revelations, chapter 20 especially. It just so happens that, in my opinion, the King James Version is best.

Whilst there is scant choice within the British political system, a few notes of Labour’s reign will hopefully convince people not to vote for them.

Here is a few of Labour’s achievements from their last few terms in government:

• University Top-up Fees, huge student loans, debt and low job prospects
• Gap between rich and poor biggest since the war
• Lies on the EU constitution/treaty and refusal to offer a referendum
• Immigration uncontrolled intentionally for political purposes
• Bailing out the banks whilst they stick two fingers up with their continued bonuses
• PFI finance schemes
• Private pensions wrecked
• Selling our gold when it was at the lowest price for 20 years costing £2bn, it has since trebled
• Out of control burgeoning public sector and public pensions
• Over officious local councils and council tax rises over the rate inflation, doubling since 1997
• Scrapping of the 10p Tax band hitting the poor, claiming it to be a good thing before changing it back
• DNA database
• ID cards
• Selling of DVLA data to anyone who will pay
• Peter Mandelson back after being booted out twice for wrong doing and given the title ‘Lord’
• Impending energy crisis by dithering on new power stations
• Failure to build more prisons, deciding to release prisoners early instead
• Poverty at a nine year high
• Quangos
• NHS superbugs and dirty hospitals
• Carelessness over vital personal data being lost on numerous occasions, HMRC, housing benefit, criminals and so on
• Over use of CCTV and speed cameras used as cash generators rather than safety tools
• Billions wasted on NHS computer system
• Record numbers of young people not in employment, education or training
• Nations credit rating downgraded, making our massive debts even more expensive
• “Positive” Discrimination
• FTSE returns down as they have for every single Labour government since the war
• Longest and deepest recession since the 1930s
• 9 out of 10 cars bought under the car scrappage made abroad
• An Illegal war and insufficient equipment for our soldiers
• National road pricing scheme plans and “pay as you drive”, on top of existing fuel duties.
• Unaffordable housing, and failure to meet house building targets leaving those under 30 struggling to find a home of their own

Not to forget the countless sound bites driven by a corrupted media team, a few choice ones being:

“No more boom and bust”
The biggest bust since the war, needs no further explanation.

“British jobs for British workers”
A hollow sound bite. Uncontrolled immigration taking up low paid unskilled work whilst the welfare system encourages people to stay on benefits.

“Education, Education, Education”
Record numbers of young not employed, in education or training. Spiralling student debt, top-up fees and low job prospects.

“Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”
Prisoners sentences cut short due to a lack of prison places. PCSO plastic police and police investigation little more than handing out a crime reference number for insurance purposes. The re-offending rate among young prisoners is close to 90%.

“Best placed internationally to weather the economic storm”
One of the first in and last out of the deepest recession since the war whilst increasing our debt significantly in the process.

We don’t have any great alternatives, but none of the parties in opposition can be worse then this travesty of a government.