About 15 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…
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…
Suzanne is a runner (though she says not a “real runner”). She started running three years ago to get back in shape after the birth of her second child. Over a few months, she progressed from a walk/run around the block to running 2-4 days per week, covering 3-5 miles each run and up to…
5 TIPS FOR GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR SPEED+DISTANCE MONITOR Speed and distance monitors have revolutionized our ability to track training. No more guesstimating. We can now know, in real time, how fast we’re running, how far we run, and myriad other training insights. As with any breakthroughs in running technology, we need a few…
WHY YOU SHOULD SOMETIMES GO ALL-OUT IN TRAINING My favorite running book is John L. Parker’s Once a Runner. In one scene, Cassidy’s coach prescribes a seemingly impossible workout of 60 × 400m, performed in three sets of 20 repeats. Parker does a marvelous job of taking the reader along for the mental and physical…
THE LOST ART OF RECOVERING BETWEEN TRAINING CYCLES I see a bad habit forming in many runners: the lack of a recovery cycle after their big races or racing seasons. Today, far too many are simply finishing one race (often a marathon) and immediately starting to train for the next one. You can get away…
THE MOST UNDERRATED ‘TALENT’ FOR DISTANCE RUNNING SUCCESS IS DURABILITY I always thought I was talented. I won my state championship in the mile. I ran 53 seconds for 400m and my VO2 max was tested at more than 76 ml/kg/min (quite high). I was also driven, loved training and was competitive. And even at…
COACHING TO MAXIMIZE INDIVIDUAL GAINS. As a former cross country runner, now a coach, I believe in the statement, “Cross country champions are made in the summer.” But what exactly does that mean? Is summer preparation just about the 500-, 750- or 1,000-mile club? I think not. In working with high school runners, I need…
WHILE DIFFERENT IN STYLE, THE BEST SHARE SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS Our sport has had several truly great coaches over the last few decades. Each has his or her own style — some militaristic, others more Zen, all caring deeply about their athletes. Their training programs, while all sound, are as varied as their personalities. I’ve been…
THE FUN CONTINUES WITH TWO GREAT WORKOUTS Last month, I wrote about two of my favorite “quarter” (one lap of the track) workouts: Stamina Quarters and Speed Quarters. Here I detail my other two favorite quarter workouts: Sprint Quarters and Combo Quarters. SPRINT QUARTERS The sprint zone is, well, your sprinting pace. For most runners,…
