The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Raphael drawing up for sale with £15 million estimate Posted: 04 Sep 2012 09:04 AM PDT  The 16th-century Raphael drawing titled "Head of a Young Apostle" that will go on sale this December, according to auction house Sotheby's. — Reuters pic The 16th-century "Head of an Apostle" is a study for the Raphael's last painting, "Transfiguration", which is on display at the Vatican Museum in Rome. Measuring roughly 15 inches by 11 inches, the picture was drawn in black chalk. Only two other Raphael drawings of the same calibre have been auctioned off in the last 50 years, Sotheby's said. In 2009, Raphael's black chalk "Head of a Muse" sold for £29.2 million at Christie's London. Currently part of the Devonshire Collection at Chatsworth, the "Head of an Apostle" is one of the greatest drawings by Raphael to remain in private hands, said Sotheby's. It is now on show at the Prado Museum in Madrid as part of an exhibit of late Raphael works. Also up for auction on December 5 in London are two decorated manuscripts from the late Middle Ages, also from the Devonshire Collection. One is estimated at 4-6 million pounds, the other at £3-5 million and both are well-preserved, Sotheby's said. Produced in the Flanders, the 15th-century illuminated manuscripts feature pictures of battles, castles and knights. — Reuters |
| New to running? Your body may be your best coach Posted: 04 Sep 2012 04:11 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, Sept 4 — For new runners, is it better to try to adhere to a specified running form, or just run in whatever way feels most natural to you? This question has been stirring up debate in the running community, and a new study hopes to shed light on what approach to take, at least in the beginning.  British researchers say that new runners "can self-optimise" to become better runners. — AFP/Relaxnews The method Researchers with the Bioenergetics and Human Performance Research Group at the University of Exeter in England used data from a group of healthy adult women in their 20s and 30s who had recently joined a running group and were new to running. The goal of the group was to complete a 10-week, self-paced running program culminating in a half marathon race. At the beginning of the programme, the women visited a running lab where scientists assessed their aerobic fitness, running form, and running economy, which is a measure of how much oxygen a person uses to run at a particular pace. Like most new runners, the women in the study were not economical runners at first, and could barely run at all. But during the first few weeks, they alternated between walking and running, building up to a consecutive 30-minute jog, while pacing themselves on their own during their training. Building yourself into a better runner Over the 10 weeks, the women did become better runners, building speed and endurance, as well as improving running economy, with the ability to use oxygen bumping to about 8.5 per cent. According to The New York Times, they managed this by changing how they ran in subtle, unconscious ways to make running easier. Their running form also improved in that they began bending their knees and flexing their ankles, so that their legs had a better kick off the ground. After 10 weeks, they also became more stable when their foot landed on the ground. Interestingly, most of the runners are rear-foot strikers, which means they land on the heels of their feet. While running experts often promote middle-foot landing, or barefoot style running, to improve performance and reduce risk of injury, none of the women altered their foot strike over the course of the program. None of the women became injured. Coach vs self-coaching The results "raise an interesting question in regards to teaching people to run," Isabel Moore, head researcher at the University of Exeter, told The New York Times. "If runners can self-optimise [then] maybe we should teach runners to learn to understand how the movement feels to them," she adds, rather than enforce a standardised running form. "You can optimise your gait naturally," she added, "by becoming more conscious of your running movement and how it feels." The takeaway: at least in early stages of running, your body may be your best coach. — AFP/Relaxnews |
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