While the marathon is your own personal adventure to navigate, rest assured that thousands more have done the same. You can use their experience as your road map. As a coach who has helped countless athletes reach the finish line, I am going to let you in on one simple secret for your preparation: Take […]
While we exercise to get fit, and to burn calories, the right food is critical for an optimal workout. Answer: Your goal is to start the run feeling ready to run, not hungry and not bloated with food. Striking this balance takes a bit of work to learn your own personal needs, but once you […]
Despite the fact that I do so much of my training on my own, I really think running is a social enterprise. Sure, I try to say HI to everyone I run past (unless I have snot all over my face or the sight of me is apparently terrifying you!), but that’s not the same.
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One of the most challenging aspects of running long, especially in the hotter months of the year, is managing your fluid intake. It doesn’t matter how fit you are, or how smartly you pace yourself — your body simply can’t perform to it’s potential if it’s lacking fluids. Every long run in your training cycling […]
Once you get over the initial fear of running and running long, most beginner runners fall head over heels (yes, pun intended!) for the sport. But like anything else, too much running can be less than ideal. Here’s how you can channel your newfound passion for running into improved fitness and results without risking injury.
There comes a time in an runner’s life when they have to accept some common truths. Early morning workouts are hard. Running in the rain isn’t that bad. Long runs with a hangover are a really bad idea. My most recent epiphany was, according to those who know me, a long time coming: my shoes […]
I just ran my first full marathon at age 42. I’ve been running consistently for about 8+ years. I’ve trained religiously and done many half marathons and many 18-22 mile long runs in the past while training without ever cramping in my calves or quads, or anywhere for that matter.
This weekend marks the 2010 edition of the Chicago Marathon, the unofficial start of the fall marathon classics. Chicago is one of the more popular US events with close to 45,000 athletes participating each year. Whether you are looking to finish or have your hopes pinned on a qualifying time for Boston, getting the inside […]
With the New Year upon us, your peers and countless websites are undoubtedly urging you to make resolutions to be a newer and better you. While I think this annual exercise can be a useful one, the changes we pick almost never turn out to work the way we planned — sometimes this is good, […]
When we think of treadmill running, most of us instinctively look down on it as a second-class form of running. But there are times that even the strongest opponent to the treadmill will line up and start pushing the buttons for a workout — could be weather, could be travel, could be anything…and here you […]
If marathon training is hard, then training for a marathon though the winter is downright difficult. Instead of just worrying about mileage, you now have to take the weather, daylight, and countless other factors into account. If you are training for Disney or a similarly timed event, you have little choice but to get tough […]
photo credit: OiMax With the change in Daylight Savings complete, dedicated and newbie runners alike are having difficulty transitioning to running in the dark. Night running is a different animal for sure, but it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your running fitness or race goals. With the right preparation and focus, you can make […]
Getting ready for the big dance, the full 26.2 miles, is a huge undertaking. As the day approaches, the true significance of the event becomes readily apparent by virtue of just how panicked you become. Not all of the worry is necessarily bad, but it can lead you down the path to some poor deciscions […]
While we all run at different paces and in different places, many of us share a common goal — to get faster. It might be faster than your buddy, or faster in your next race, or even faster than yesterday…but the minute you hit “stop” on your watch it’s running human nature to start doing […]
One of the most challenging aspects of marathon training has to do with what makes it so effective: a repetitive weekly schedule. Here’s how to include some variety in your training program with unique workouts to keep things fun and fresh. Check out Run Roulette, our new iPhone app that will help you be a […]
