Science of Running

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After a breakthrough, you should back off, not press forward Jun 29, 2019

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20 x 400 meters. Working from 61 all the way down to 50.1. That’s 50.1 for his 20th 400m, and he went through the first 200m in 23 high. This mind-blowing workout comes from the log of Alan Webb. It was during his American Record (3:46-mile) season and occurred 2 weeks before he traveled…

Episode 95: Playing Hurt- Understanding the Nuance of Injury. Jun 21, 2019

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Injuries are the bane of any coach or athlete. They derail our seasons and sometimes our careers. In theory, injuries are relatively easy to deal with. Rest, recover, take time off. But in reality, coaches and athletes are met with much more uncertainty. Can we “train” through a bout of tendonitis? When do we pull…

The Real Struggle for Athletes: Moving on from their Sport Jun 10, 2019

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In June 2003, I ran the fastest mile by any high school runner in the country. Four minutes and one second. A hair shy of one of the most important barriers in sport. Awards and accolades soon followed. A proclamation by the Houston Chronicle as one of a handful of “Houston’s next generation of superstars”…

Episode 94: Is Peaking a Myth? May 28, 2019

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Peaking! Do we drop the volume and intensity a bit and hope that our performance skyrockets? Or do we perform an exacting sequence of workouts designed to get you ready for race day? There are a lot of misconceptions on what exactly peaking entails. At its most basic level, it’s simply about putting the athlete…

The Cool Down: What’s the point? May 28, 2019

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After grinding through those gut-wrenching 400-meter repeats or exhausting yourself in your most recent 10k race, there’s always that one thing left that we have to do before the workout is actually done: the cool down. Traditionally, we’ve looked at the cool down as a way to keep blood flow going after the workout…

Are you a Planner or Intuitive Type Coach? May 14, 2019

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Writers of fiction are often separated into two categories: planners and pantsers. Planners take the time to prepare a deep outline, mapping out each ebb and flow of the plot. On the other hand, pantsers, short for ‘flying by the seat of their pants’, have a rough idea of the story and where it…

All of Your Questions Answered on the Caster Semenya Controversy May 10, 2019

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Last week, a woman who is the poster athlete for perseverance and grit had her career and livelihood ripped away from her. She did nothing wrong. She did not use performance enhancing drugs like many of her competitors. Instead, she has had her private life blown open, with details about her inner organs discussed around…

Episode 93: The Biggest Mistakes Coaches Are Making Today May 08, 2019

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It’s time for a moment of reflection on the coaching profession. What are the things we are doing well? What can we improve on? What are some of the things we are doing now that we might look back upon in 30 years and wonder why we did that training? Coaching is a process of…

Overtraining: Three Strategies to Reset Your Body Apr 29, 2019

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Overtraining is one of those nebulous catch-all terms that coaches and athletes fear like the plague. After all, with highly competitive and slightly obsessive compulsive runners the issue is not in in prodding them to do more work, but instead in holding them back just enough to keep them from reaching into this unwanted zone…

Training Focus to Improve Performance Apr 15, 2019

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The Stress of Life Pain is the name of the game when it comes to performing. We’re all used to dealing with a large amount of effort during our workouts and races. Generally we attribute this to pain coming from the muscles themselves and the effort that it is taking to generate our speed. More…

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