McMillan Running - Training Programs, Running Pace Calculators, Personal Online Coaching, Nutritional Advice for Runners and more!

I've spent the better part of my life studying running - how to make myself better and how to help others get better. In my Running University, I present training articles, innovative tools and helpful charts to help you on your way to faster running. Below is a list of current articles. I'm adding new content weekly so check back frequently to read more.

McMillan's Six-Step Training System
by Greg McMillan, M.S.

In this article (the first of many offered on this website), I present a simple method to make the connection between science and reality and show you how to use this connection to improve your running. This way of looking at sports science gives you an idea of the underlying tenants of my philosophy of training. It would be presumptuous to say that this philosophy is a new, "magical" method. It's essentially just the simple process I've used to make sense of physiology and how it relates to the time-proven methods of great runners and coaches - who are our greatest teachers of how to train and race. The result is as close to a foolproof way to plan your training as I've found.
Read more>

The McMillan Running Calculator
by Greg McMillan, M.S.

Ever wonder what pace you should be running in workouts? How 'bout when you run a 5K and want to know what you could run for 10K? Well, wonder no more. Since the mid-1990's, I've been working on a method that estimates your equivalent race performances using a current race time at any distance as well as giving the appropriate pace range for all the different types of workouts that you perform.

While there are lots of other methods for estimating race performances (and I've tried most of them) I haven't found one that is specific enough, is laid out in an easy-to-read format or that is based on what runners in the real world are capable of doing. So, I created my own and I'll share it with you.
Read more>

NEW!
Developing Your Marathon Nutrition Plan -
Lessons from a Champion Marathoner
By Kelly Liljeblad Keane
2005 Houston Marathon Champion
McMillanRunning.com Coach

I learned the importance of proper marathon nutrition while racing my very first marathon in 1997. Like many new marathoners, I learned this lesson the hard way. I hit the wall at mile 20. I hadn’t ingested enough fluid or fuel to get me to the finish line. The incredible slow-down of my ‘bonk’ with a total lack of energy, legs feeling like lead, dizziness and nausea made me committed to avoiding this feeling in my next marathon.
Read more>

Confused as to just how to get fully prepared for a peak marathon performance? You’re not alone. In this article, coach Jonas Holdeman, himself a former marathon champion, tells you what he tells his athletes prior to their marathon.
Read more>

Calibrating Your Inner GPS
Learing to Run by Feel
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
As featured in the March 2006 issue of Running Times Magazine

When I started running way back in the 20th century, I wanted longer legs. Long, lean legs for a flowing stride that would simply eat up the ground. As a runner in the 21st century, I find that I need longer arms. I’m up to my elbows in watches, GPS units, heart-rate monitors, and iPods. And I’m not alone. Some runners look like they are straight out of a science fiction movie—water bottles in holsters circling the hips, gadgets running up and down the arms relaying detailed information on location, position, elevation, temperature, speed, heart rate, and distance from the target. A pre-dawn encounter with a 21st-century runner in full gear can be quite scary!

The problem is that we are at risk of becoming too dependent on the technology—so dependent that we forget the art of learning our bodies. And, learning our bodies is what this sport is about. After all, we can’t predict the conditions for race day, so we need some internal gauge to properly adjust our pace. How will you know how to adjust your pace if your marathon day turns out to be hot and muggy? What if it is windy? How can you adjust if you’ve only relied on external devices to guide your training? Too often, we’re slaves to the tools instead of using the tools to learn ourselves. We need to calibrate our inner GPS.
Read more>

Inner GPS Training Progaram
Six Weeks Program
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
As featured in the March 2006 issue of Running Times Magazine

Workout #1: Easy Run: On one of your easy runs this week, choose an out-and-back course. Hit your lap split when you reach the halfway/turnaround point. The challenge of this run is to see if you can judge your effort to return to the starting point in precisely the same amount of time it took you to go out. Its much harder than it sounds, since your natural tendency is to speed up throughout the run.
Read more>

Change Your Ways
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
As featured in the January 2006 issue of Runner's World Magazine

Take a close look at your training. You may be running too much, too little, too hard, or too easy, but chances are, you're making some common mistakes. Now picture yourself a fitter, faster, slimmer, smarter, and more stylish runner.

Running is about as simple as it gets: Just put one foot in front of the other, and keep repeating. Too bad training for peak fitness and performance isn't as easy.
Read more>

Runner's Ultimate Nutritional Recovery Routine (RUNRR)
by Greg McMillan, M.S.

About six years ago, I started drinking a Slim-Fast™ shake after my Sunday long runs. In my graduate classes in exercise physiology, we were studying the inner workings of the muscular and endocrine (hormonal) systems. I started drinking the Slim-Fast because researchers discovered that the enzyme, glycogen synthase, that turns carbohydrates from your food into glycogen for storage in your muscles is most active immediately after exercise. If you ingest carbohydrates soon after exercise, your muscles store two to three times as much glycogen than if you wait until you eat your post-workout meal, usually two to three hours later.
Read more>

The Marathon Long Run
How I Prescribe Long Runs for Maximum Success
by Greg McMillan, M.S.

Ahh, the marathon long run. What a worrisome thing for most runners. And for good reason, the long run is such a crucial part of marathon training. I don't think there's any other race distance where one single workout plays such a large part in the success or failure of the race. As a result, you're often left with many questions: How far should I run? Do I run for time or distance? What about pace? What to eat and drink? The list goes on and on.

In this article, I'll answer these questions for you as I describe my thoughts on the marathon long run and how I utilize long runs for the marathoners I coach. As I like to do, I'm not only going to give you the "how-to" but I'm going to provide you with the rationale for why I think this plan works. This way, you can take the information and incorporate it into your specific training plan.
Read more>

3 Great Marathon Predictor Workouts
How I Prescribe Long Runs for Maximum Success
by Greg McMillan, M.S.

As the race approaches, marathoners want to know which pace is the right pace - the one that achieves the fastest time possible and avoids the all too common fade in the final few miles. This article discusses the three workouts that I use to gauge the best race pace for the marathoners I coach. The predictions are not fool-proof, but I find them to work for the vast majority of marathoners. As you prepare for your next marathon, these workouts can be helpful in your race planning.
Read more>

Start Slow - Finish Fast:
How Three Types of Progression Runs Boost Your Fitness
by Greg McMillan, M.S.

Over the last few years, my athletes have benefited greatly from workouts called progression runs. In a progression run, you begin running at a slow, easy pace but finish at a fast pace. Not only will you find progression runs to be fun, but they are a great way to boost your fitness without any lasting fatigue. And, the benefits are the same no matter if you're a 2:15 or a 4:15 marathoner.
Read more>

Runner's Guide to Nutrition
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
Nutrition is rapidly becoming the next frontier that many scientists, coaches and athletes are exploring and manipulating for improved distance running performance.

This article will discuss the basic principles of good nutrition with a detailed examination of the primary nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water) as well as the recommendations made by exercise scientists and nutritionists as to the proper amounts of each nutrient that should be included in your diet. I note right up front that nutrition, like training, is very individual. You need to experiment and listen to your body to find the right mix of nutrients and the timing of your nutrient intake to see what best fuels your running.
Read more>

Runner's Nutritional Calculator
by Greg McMillan, M.S. and Jonas Holdeman
Simply input your information and our nutrition calculator will determine your total caloric needs, the amount of carbohydrate, fat and protein you need and how to adjust your diet to achieve your weight loss goals.
Read more>

Copyright (c) 2006 McMillan Running Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
Greg McMillan, McMillan Racing, MacMillan Running, Pace Chart, pace calculator, marathon calculator, running camp, running vacation, running coach, online coach, jonas holdeman, kelly keane, triathlon, marathon, track and field, middle distance, distance running, beginners program, run walk program, running calculator,