Running technology report from the MIT Media Lab

Interior of the new MIT Media Lab building

 Today's run (street): 4.5 miles at 8:52 per mile

My recent visit to the MIT Media Lab was fascinating (as usual) and I was happy to see friends and faculty again after so many months away. I've written a couple of posts about my great runs along the Charles River this week but today I'm going to focus on noteworthy technologies that relate to athletics. Besides hearing from the architect of the beautifully designed new Media Lab building and from visionaries such as Stewart Brand and Nicholas Negroponte (who said the Media Lab's goal was to create solutions looking for problems) there was the usual "Open House" where students show off their latest research projects. It's essentially the coolest science fair in the world.

Bio-sensitive stretchable fabric

Above is a picture of a woven sensor that appears to be a piece of stretchable fabric but acts like a sensor that can pick up information such as core temperature, blood pressure/flow, heart rate, pH, etc. Imagine if your HRM or foot pod could be sewn into your running clothes? 

SportSemble performance capture system

Portable variable light illumination device

Another interesting project was the use of the SportSemble (above, top) system to capture the most minute details of movement by major league baseball players. In this project, players from the Boston Red Sox are wired with multiple sensors that capture metrics such as the speed of a pitcher's waist relative to the speed of the wrist of his throwing hand. The data is captured and correlated and the goal is to determine how certain sympathetic actions, however minute, can result in higher performing athletes. Go Sox!

In a more running related project I was given a demonstration of a lighting system that constantly reads conditions and enables lights based on the users needs. I often run with a headlamp at 4:00 AM and on dark days with no moon I really need the maximum amount of illumination. On other days, with clear skies and a full moon, I really don't need any extra light. This device can deliver, to the lumen, the exact amount of light needed at every moment. This conserves battery life and ensures that the light you need is delivered exactly where it's needed. The research assistant pictured above told me I could make this device myself with a simple microprocessor. I may need her help, especially since I've proven I can't change the battery in a Garmin 50 without destroying it.

Hugh Herr talks about devices to augment human running performance

During the Wednesday morning session Dr. Hugh Herr, who runs the Biomechatronics group at the Media Lab, talked about human augmentation. This group has developed the most advanced prosthetic legs in use today with capabilities that allow single and double amputees to walk and run with the same (or better) energy efficiency as able bodied people. Much of the research done in this lab is focused on augmenting athletes, especially runners. Imagine running a five minute mile while expending no more energy than a stroll in the park. I know my Saucony Kinvaras and Grid Tangent 4's give me a boost but that takes it to whole new level!

I thought about the science of human augmentation and the small differences in form and stride that can make a big difference in running pace. This morning I set out with my Kinvaras for a 4.5 mile run around the neighborhood and finished with an overall pace under nine minutes that just felt too easy. I definitely run faster in these lightweight trainers. Does running a little faster provide a greater training benefit than running slower? Hard to know. I loved the feeling of moving along in 50 degree temperatures on a cool, clear late May morning. Yes, the shoes are great but this morning's run was about much more than that.

Reasons for liking the elliptical machine

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

I was tempted to rest easy this morning and simply enjoy a long cup of coffee as I watched the news. After all I'd just been through a long day of meetings and travel, the temperature at 4:00 AM was 80 degrees and I was coming off two days of 4+ mile runs. I had gone to bed expecting to do an elliptical session in the morning and I worked the pluses and minuses of rest vs. exercise in my head as I poured a cup of coffee. The air was so humid I was already sweating so I decided that if I was going to sweat it should be for a reason.

I like my weekly elliptical sessions for a number of reasons. First, the machine is self powered so I don't feel the pressure to keep up with a pace defined by a motor. I can also close my eyes and move into an alpha state without fear that I'll slip and fall as I might on the treadmill. Third, no motor means quieter operation. I can watch the news and actually hear the sound of the speaker at a volume that doesn't wake other family members. Perhaps most importantly, the elliptical workout is ephemeral. Once I'm done there's no summary or update to Garmin Connect. This allows me to go as fast or slow as I wish without feeling like I'm keeping score. The machine gives you many metrics while it's in operation but once the power goes off the numbers are gone and forgotten, leaving nothing but sweat and a great feeling of accomplishment.

3,877 smoot run, 400 on the bridge

Today's run: (paths, river, bridges) 4.1 miles at 8:40 per mile

While I'm not a big fan of duplicating my route on consecutive days I think I could run along the Charles River every day of the week. I feel the same way about Central Park. That said, I didn't exactly duplicate yesterday's run this morning. Unlike the day before, I started my run outside my hotel and crossed directly over the Longfellow Bridge into Boston. It was a different experience for me because I usually run west on Memorial Drive and over the Mass Ave (AKA Harvard) bridge first. Crossing the Charles, I was pleased to see so much activity on the water with sailboats and rowing sculls of all sizes. Like yesterday, there were plenty of other runners, cyclists and walkers making their way around. I was prepared to run a shorter distance today because it felt much hotter than Tuesday and I basically kept to the circular route between the bridges. Along the way I covered the distance of the Harvard Bridge which has regular markings of "smoots" which is a (nonstandard) unit of measurement that represents the height of Oliver Smoot, a Lamda Chi Alpha pledge at MIT in 1958 who was used as a human ruler as a prank. According to the markings, the bridge is about 400 smoots, give or take an ear.

Upon returning close to the point where Main Street meets the Longfellow Bridge I shifted over to the feeder road and continued east until I reached my hotel. I covered 4.1 miles at a speedy 8:40 mile pace and was very happy with the run. This morning there was some discussion of technologies to increase the speed and efficiency of runners and I saw a demonstration of a leg device that allows a person to run with some speed while expending less energy than walking. Great when viewed as an alternative to city transportation but for recreational running I'd say "What's the point?" I was fortunate to get to see my brother for dinner on Monday night and do the same last night with some good friends. I'll report more on the performance and measurement technologies in the coming days.

Cambridge to Boston and back at 6:00 AM

Today's run (street/path/bridge): 4.4 miles at 8:40 per mile

I've anticipated this morning's run for a while and I wasn't disappointed when I went out at 6:00 AM under sunny skies and already warm temperatures. I headed to Memorial Drive, wending my way around the roads and paths until I got to the river. Alongside the paved path are narrow packed dirt paths. I crossed over to run on those paths to take advantage of the softer landing. I'd considered running past the Mass Ave bridge but that involved crossing a road with many cars turning to go over the bridge. I ran over the bridge on the pedestrian walkway and headed west once I got to the Boston side. I ran west until I passed the 1.5 mile mark and then followed the path along the Charles going east.

When I reached the farther bridge I thought about running Charles Street but foot traffic was too dense to make that practical. Instead, I headed back to Cambridge over the Longfellow and encountered a number of runners coming from the other direction, squeezing past on some of the narrower parts of the walk. When I reached the end of the bridge I just kept going up Main Street in Kendall Square until I reached my starting point. In all I covered 4.4 miles at a decent pace, due in part to my Saucony Grid Tangents. It was a great way to start the day and I'm planning to head out tomorrow to do it all over again.  

Business travel provides a different running experience

Today's workout: Rest day

This will be a busy week. I'll be out of the office four out of the five days and traveling for the first three. Today will start with an hour and a half presentation that I have to give before I head to Penn Station to hop on the Acela to Boston. It's not a bad trip and I'm planning to see some great people and do some interesting things. I'm also hoping to get some city running in while I'm there. I've mentioned the Memorial Drive run that I love and I wish I had time to extend that run on the Boston side to include a loop around Boston Common. There's something great about running where the city meets nature. Running in Central Park is always interesting to me because there's so much to see with things changing all the time. Due to business conditions I haven't traveled as much in the last year as in the past but I have another trip coming up soon. My schedule will be tight so I don't know if I'll get to run there but I'm hopeful that I can. I don't enjoy business travel or being away from my family but running in new or different places makes for a far better experience.