4 Times to Consider Running on a Treadmill
Ah, the poor, picked-on treadmill. Talk to most quote-unquote serious runners, and they’ll almost always scoff at the thought of regularly using treadmill for training. After all, “real” runners run outside, right? Well, you should be running the majority of your training outside, but there are several valuable uses for our much-maligned friend the treadmill. [...]
Yasso 800s Track Workout Reviewed
A little over a month ago I posted about how I would be adding track workouts to my training for the Chicago Marathon this year. After six weeks worth of running Yasso 800s, I’ve reached some conclusions about them as a workout. I love them! More important than anything else, the 800 repeats workout has [...]
What Are You Teaching Your Body With Each Run?
Sometimes it is easy to classify running as a purely physical sport. After all, unlike other sports, running doesn’t require watching game footage, learning plays or studying the opposition. But the truth is, running requires a large amount of mental strength. If runners aren’t careful, they can train their body to fall prey to negative [...]
Post-Race Base Maintenance Training
Earlier this week in parts 1 and 2, I wrote about the minutes and following 24 hours immediately after a race and how to deal with recovery and emotions in the week after a race. Today, I’m going to finish post-race week by discussing base maintenance. What is base maintenance training? Every training plan should [...]
Focus on Training for Distance over Speed
For beginning runners, I know it is tough to not feel incredibly slow compared to other runners. The desire to run faster in training and to start out fast in races is tough to overcome. I truly believe that new (and even veteran) runners can benefit from slowing down their pace and focus instead on [...]
Great Expectations – A Runner’s Enemy
I’ve said many times that I think races are something every runner should participate in and enjoy, no matter how they finish. Despite this, I think that one of the most dangerous traps a runner can fall into is setting their expectations for an event too high and not enjoying the outcome regardless of their [...]
Adding Track Workouts to Marathon Training
Today I got my confirmation that I will be in Corral C for the Chicago Marathon! This news has, of course, led me to obsess over my training schedule between now and October. I feel comfortable that the long runs will be much more manageable this year, so my main focus is going to be [...]
Tapering – Every Runner’s Best Friend and Worst Enemy
As I mentioned in my 1 Month Mini-Marathon Preparation Guide, when training for a big and/or important race runners should always incorporate one to two weeks of tapering prior to the race. Let’s discuss that a little further and see exactly how to implement tapering. What is tapering? Tapering is just the term for winding [...]
Planned and Unplanned Rest Days
I am a pretty firm believer in having one day a week that is designated as a complete rest day. Why to take rest days. As runners, we are rough on our poor bodies. Dozens of miles per week equals thousands and thousands steps worth of pounding on our feet, leg muscles and joints. Resting [...]
How to Use Your Local Golf Course for Your Training
Don’t have any trails to run near you? How about a golf course? Much to the chagrin of my family and friends, I have never been a golfer. And yet, ironically, I use the golf course near me quite often for my running training. Here’s how. 100m repeats. Gotten into the barefoot craze? Well, the [...]
Share your thoughts..