I once coached a runner who ran a 19-minute 5K who told me she wanted to be trained like a 17:30 5K runner. So, I told her to run a 17:30 5K and then I’ll train her like a 17:30 5K runner. It seems logical that if you want to run a race faster, …
If you ever were taught how to play an instrument, did you learn how to play simple pieces before learning more complex pieces? Did your music teacher constantly change the piece and complexity of the music that you practiced, or did he or she have you practice the same piece of music until you …
Runners and coaches almost always plan training using a weekly structure, but that’s only because that’s the arbitrary format humans use to schedule their lives. Whether because of racing schedules, habits, or even the influence of other runners’ social media posts, runners and coaches often get caught up in patterns. Just because there …
What Workout Starts with T So I Can Post it on Tuesday? Read More »
Adapted from Lose It Forever: The 6 Habits of Successful Weight Losers from the National Weight Control Registry by Jason R. Karp, PhD In a national television interview with Barbara Walters in 2014, Oprah Winfrey confessed that not being able to maintain her weight loss was her biggest regret. In that interview, …
(Unsplash CC0) An important component of the training program is recovery, perhaps even more important than the training itself since all the adaptations that a runner is striving to accomplish occur during the recovery period between runs, not during the runs themselves. Positive physiological adaptations to training occur when there is a correctly timed …
pixabay Do you like to run in the rain? Here are 5 tips for running in wet weather: Get the right shoes When running in wet weather, wear waterproof shoes that will enhance your performance in the rain. Most popular brands release new waterproof versions of their shoes in preparation for the fall and …
Image Credit: Pexels CC0 License The fundamental determinant of body weight is caloric balance—the number of calories you consume through eating and drinking minus the number of calories you expend through physical activity, digestion of food, and all of your other daily activities. You use calories all the time. Every time you contract a …
How much should you run easy and how much hard? Scientific research, including my own on the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifiers, has shown that elite runners run 75-80% of volume at low intensity (below acidosis threshold) and 20-25% high intensity (at and above acidosis threshold). But, hold your monkeys! 🙉 When calculating intensity as …
Happy Olympic Day! Ever since I was a little kid, I have had a deep passion for the Olympics. I wish I could post a photo of me running in the Olympics like many of my social media friends are doing today, but I was not blessed with such Olympic talent. Instead, here’s …
RUNNING SPEED = STRIDE RATE X STRIDE LENGTH Is stride rate or stride length more important? When you increase your pace from a jog to a run to a fast run, stride length increases more than does stride rate by the plantar flexor muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) producing more force against the ground, until …