I met Craig Mottram when he had just turned pro. At that time, he was a very good runner. Six years later, he became a very, very, VERY good runner (12:55 for 5,000m, bronze medalist at the World Championships). In watching his development over the years and getting to know his coach, Nic Bideau, it’s…
It’s a new year. If you’re stuck in a rut with your training, you may want to use this year as a time to shake things up. You may find that a departure from your normal routine is just what you need to take your running to the next level this year and beyond. 1….
As winter weather arrives for us in the Northern Hemisphere, I see lots of neighbors getting ready. Snowblowers are reawakened. Shovels are readied, and winter gear moves front and center in closets. For the runner, training changes as well. As the days get shorter, some of us run in the growing darkness of the early…
Bad workouts and races–we all have them and we always will. So why fight them? Why not learn from them? As I work with beginners, Boston qualifiers and Olympic hopefuls, I no longer fret about the occasional bad workout or race. I see them as learning opportunities. Most of the time, they’re harbingers of better…
Over the last few years, I think I’ve finally figured this peaking thing out. It took a while because, like many coaches, I fell into the standard “tapering” model we’ve all been taught. Problem was, tapering didn’t work consistently. The results were just as hit-or-miss as not tapering at all. So, I threw “tapering” out…
An elite runner asked me for help. He experienced a nice progression to the elite level after leaving college, but his performances had reached a plateau over the last three years. He trained hard, but the race results were not what he wanted or what his training predicted. As we talked and reviewed his training,…
Dr. David Martin is one of my favorite people in our sport. While he could just sit in his lab and do his own thing, that’s not his style. Instead, he takes an active role in helping athletes succeed. He’s credited with helping U.S. marathoners optimally prepare for the unusually hot and humid conditions at…
In analyzing the splits of hundreds of competitive distance runners, it’s clear that personal records and breakthrough performances at distances from 800 meters to the 10K come only by getting out of your comfort zone and into your “Go Zone.” Go Zone racing involves serious mental toughness and some risk-taking, as well as a heavy…
In this article, I’ll present the two workouts that I find are the best during race week — the seven days leading into your 5K. These workouts take the guesswork out of what to do during race week. I use them with the Olympians I coach as well as competitive runners of all levels to…
How many times has this happened to you? You perform incredible workouts but your racing performances are disappointments. You train harder only to race even poorer. You begin to ride the highs and lows of an emotional roller coaster. You’re confused and frustrated and begin to search for the latest and greatest training method that will…