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We often write about the extreme world of marathon running, reporting on events and notifying you of the world’s toughest marathons. Having run a number of half marathons we have nothing but respect for those individuals who pit their bodies and their minds over the distance of a full marathon – 26.2 miles – and those who challenge themselves over even greater distances and obstacles – be that ice, mountain, desert or jungle.

Understand that a very important element in preparation to challenge yourself over these huge distances is not just the training schedule but – and we suggest just as important – also the right nutrition. Your body needs to be properly energised and hydrated and so we found this excellent advice given by The Runners Guide whose website is www.therunnersguide.com

It is very sound advice.

It’s important for everyone to eat a healthy diet. The right food helps your body function at its optimum level. For runners, a specific diet is even more important. Without the right nutrition, a runner isn’t going to have enough energy to get through the day. That’s why it’s important to follow these simple diet guidelines.

Avoid processed foods. These contain chemicals and additives that just bog your system down and make it work less efficiently. Sticking to natural unprocessed foods will give you more energy and make you feel better.

Eat your vegetables. You should have a variety or fresh vegetables everyday. This gives you tons of vitamins and minerals, and is a better, natural alternative to taking tons of supplements.

Get lots of carbs. It’s a growing trend in this country to cut down to little or no carbs. Even if you’re trying to lose weight, runners should have more carbs in their diet than the average person, not fewer. You need carbs for energy to get through your run. Just be sure to eat whole grains and complex carbohydrates rather than relying only on sugars and other simple carbohydrates.

So there you have it and there is a busy schedule of marathons coming up in the summer – here is the list of North American marathons provided by www.marathonguide.com – if you want to check out the details just click on the link.

The marathons above will probably feel like a stroll in the park in comparison to The Polar Marathon – a video from the 2007 event can be seen below – thanks to polarmarathon

So whether its a more standard marathon, or a more extreme version, make sure you pay attention to your diet.

We are now ready for take off and again we have turned to expertvillage.com for their excellent instructional videos. As you will appreciate if you have been looking at our blog over the last couple of days these videos are posted mainly for daredevil actor Nicholas Cage who is threatening to strut his stuff in the air rather than on the stage so we hope they are appreciated.

Launching or take off is all about getting the nose of the hang glider at the right angle combined with speed of air over the wing so you are literally pulled into the air as expertvillage demonstrates.

And here expertvillage talk about launching in a light wind, stalling and diving.

Ok so we are now in the air and although we published the video below from expertvillage in our first blog about how to fly a hang glider a couple of days ago we have included it again – just in case you have forgotten about turning, stalling, increasing speed – its all about the centre of gravity and what your body position will mean to the centre of gravity and therefore how it will affect the flight of the hang glider.

Landing – oh yes an important element – speed, angle, approch – you’d better get it right but this expertvillage video should help.

And to finish off this series of blogs on hang gliding we have posted another video from expertvillage on what you might need to take with you – the hang glider, harness, helmet, warm clothing and of course to start with, your instructor.

Thats about it for the time being – we are very grateful to expertvillage for their videos and if you want to learn more can we suggest you visit their website – the link for which follows – www.expertvillage.com

We hope you have fun and Nick, if you are still there, we would love to hear how you get on in Switzerland.

OK so your hang glider is ready to fly – the next lesson from expertvillage demonstrates where the centre of gravity is and what this means when you shift your weight from right to left and therefore what it does to the angle or flight direction of the hang glider. We are still not in the air in this video but it is important to understand the theory.

Right now for control of the hang glider before take off – again from expertvillage – and don’t think you can skip out on this lesson – as we are told until you can demonstarte control of the hang glider which is supported on your shoulders whilst standing, walking, jogging and finally running, without looking at the ground and without tripping over, being blown over and losing you balance you ain’t going nowhere.

We think that is enough to absorb for one day Nick as we presume you have some lines to learn and dare we say it – you are not really Superman!!

With news that adrenaline junkie Nicolas Cage is planning to take a break from acting to become a hang gliding pilot we thought he might like a few tips. Cage who is currently in London whilst filming is desperate to get his wings and has discovered it takes just two weeks to get a licence in the Swiss Alps.

Nicholas Cage as Superman

Well we thought we would provide a helping hand with the video below from rbonvent which is the United States’ Hang Gliding Association production of how to fly a hang glider. Cage has apparently hit a snag – he can’t get insurance to cover the high-risk sport – but we suggest with the proper instruction this need not be the high risk sport that many would have you believe.

Watch the USHGA’s instructional video below – it will give you some confidence.

Cage is no stranger to adrenaline-fuelled activities in the air. He starred in airborne drama Con Air and then played a helicopter pilot in Fire Birds. The actor is also said to be obsessed with Superman, and even gave his son Kal-El the superhero’s birth name on Krypton. After the premiere of Superman Returns, he said: “Each night I have dreams that I’m flying. I’m a real good floater in my sleep.”

Thats OK Nick but this will be the real thing – you simply cannot afford to make a mistake – take lessons from properly qualified instructors and as we have said on numerous occasions about every different kind of extreme sport – you must take your time in learning the art of what you are doing – please don’t rush Nick and remember this is the real thing – you are no more than Clark Kent!

This may sound obvious to some of you but it is sound practical advice for those runners looking to buy a new pair of shoes to pound the pavements. A big shout of thanks goes out to www.therunnersguide.com for this great advice.

One of the most important pieces of equipment to a runner is their shoes. They support your body and keep it safe and healthy while you run. Even if you don’t run that much, you should invest in a good pair of running shoes. We all know that a shoe should feel comfortable, but there are other things you may not think of

• Here are a few tips on selecting the right pair.

  Get enough support. A good pair of running shoes should feel snug all around your foot. This means that your whole foot is being supported. If you can’t find a pair of shoes with the right support, buy some orthotic inserts.

  Examine the shoes. Besides trying on the shoes at the store, you should look and feel the shoes as well. Check to see if they feel strong and well made. Also check for padding and other shock absorption factors.

  Get the right size. Many people think about how their arches feel in shoes and totally ignore their toes. To avoid toe damage, get shoes that are half an inch longer than your farthest reaching toe. Also, since your feet spread out as you walk and stand during the day; try to shop for shoes at night when your feet are bigger.

  Don’t use worn out shoes. Shoes eventually lose their ability to absorb shock after about 250 miles. Keep track of your mileage and replace your shoes accordingly. You may need to replace them more often depending on your running style.

Ok – and the only thing we would add is that you should give you new shoes a bit of mileage before going out and attempting a PB in the local marathon – you need to know that they are comfortable and won’t give you a race stopping blister after a few miles.

We found this great video from mikesdebp with some more good advice to help you in your search for that right pair of shoes for you.

You may have picked up on blogs over the last week about some extreme marathons that happen around the world. So far we have talked about the Marathon des Sables in Morrocco, the North Pole Marathon – yes it is ON the North Polar icecap – and the Addo Elephant Trail runs in South Africa. Today we offer something slightly different – for a start this marathon is by invitation only and to qualify you must have competed in two of three other ultramarathons which take place every year in Chile, China and Egypt.

OK the Chile Marathon – known as the Atacama Crossing – is in the same format as the other three races – a 250km race run in six stages across the Atacama desert. Most stages are approximately 41 kms, the fifth stage is 73kms and the last stage is just 10kms. The Atacama desert is wedged between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains and it is the driest place on planet earth. The 2009 race will start on March 29th.

The Chinese Marathon – known as the Gobi March – again 250 kms run in six stages – is located in western China, the ancient silk route. The 2009 race is to be run in the Xinjiang Province starting from Kashgar, the six stages take on a similar pattern. The 2009 race will start on June 14th.

Egypt – not surprisingly known as the Sahara Race – the Sahara is the largest non polar desert in the world and is bordered by Libya to the west, the Sudan to the south and the Mediterranean Sea to the north, there are only fives oases in this vast area (don’t get lost). The 2009 race will start on October 25th.

The final leg of these desert ultramarathons – cumulatively know as the 4 Deserts – is the Last Desert and is run in Antarctica. The 2008 race started on November 24th and will finish on December 4th – this includes transport from southern Argentina and moving around the Antarctic to the various race stage locations. We will bring you news of the results when the race is completed later this week. This race is only open to those individuals who have completed two of either the Atacama, Gobi or Sahara races. Only 30 people have been invited to compete in the race this year. We will update you on the date of the 2009 race when it is announced – but it is likely to be the end of November/early December 2009.

For further information on these races and for registration go to www.4deserts.com

Below is a brief video from racingtheplanet showing a preview of the Last Desert marathon on Antarctica.