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Putting One Foot in Front of the Other – Lessons Learned in 30 Years of Running

May 10, 2012
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Putting One Foot in Front of the Other – Lessons Learned in 30 Years of Running

                    Putting One Foot in Front of the Other – Lessons Learned in 30 Years of Running    My new book is finally ready for release. Woohoo!! Putting One Foot in Front of the Other – Lessons Learned in 30 Years of Running is a compilation of my thoughts on training, racing and finding ways to make your running better and more enjoyable. The book includes revised and expanded articles from this blog as well as some of my other writings on the subject of running over the past couple of years. When I put this book together, I decided to focus on what, in corporate-speak, might be called the “soft-skills” of running. Things like building your confidence, mental toughness, dealing with rivals, race tactics and the like. You’ll also find sections on interval and hill training, dealing with injuries, and how to be at your best when you need it most. The book is 78 pages and comes in both ebook and paperback versions. You can also click the link in the top right corner of the home page to download the ebook. Here are the Chapter Titles: Introduction 1. Consistency is the Key 2. Who

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The Top 5 Mistakes Runners Make …

May 9, 2012
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The Top 5 Mistakes Runners Make …

                  Over the years I’ve seen many runners fail to progress in their training or live up to the potential that one would expect they should. Others end up being “workout kings”, that is, runners who look great in training or early season races but always seem to fall short when it comes to the races that matter most. Often these runners get labelled as “head cases” or people who “just aren’t tough enough.” Usually, what I find is that these folks are making one or more of several common training mistakes that runners can be...

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Establishing a Daily Running Habit

May 4, 2012
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Establishing a Daily Running Habit

            Establishing a daily running habit is the first step in becoming a successful runner. People often ask me how to find and maintain the motivation to run every day, and I my response is that the key is to make it a matter of habit, rather than of motivation. Motivation comes and goes. Some days I’m really motivated to run, other days I’d rather do just about anything else, particularly when I’m tired, dealing with greater than usual life stresses, or when the weather is cold and rainy. If I had to rely on being psyched up to go for a...

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Marathon Pacing

April 27, 2012
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Marathon Pacing

            One of the most important (and most difficult) aspects of running your best marathon is learning to pace yourself correctly. The vast majority of marathoners start the race much too quickly and find themselves struggling in the final miles, sometimes even as early as half way or even by the 10km mark! For several reasons, it’s easy to get seduced into running too fast early in a marathon: Having tapered your training in the final days or weeks, you’re finally rested and ready to go after months of training, making the first part of the race...

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3 Ways to Break Out of a Rut and Take Your Running Fitness to New Levels

April 25, 2012
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3 Ways to Break Out of a Rut and Take Your Running Fitness to New Levels

            It happens to all runners sooner or later: Your training has been going great, you’re setting new PRs with regularity and then for some reason, the rate of improvement begins to slow down and then stops all together. You might even find your times getting slower despite the fact that you’re training just as hard (or even harder) than ever. You get discouraged, your motivation begins to wane, you start missing workouts and suddenly you’re in a vicious spiral that seems all but impossible to break. Obviously, we all have our physiological limits and it’s possible you...

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Interval Training Recovery – How Long to Rest Between Reps

April 12, 2012
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Interval Training Recovery – How Long to Rest Between Reps

            One of the key elements in getting the most out of your interval workouts is choosing the right amount of recovery between repetitions. Some people like to keep the recoveries short, reasoning that there is no resting at all during a race, so, as the saying goes, ”why practice resting?” Others feel that a longer recovery allows them to run faster and therefore get more “bang for your buck” during the time you spend on the track. And the correct answer is …. they’re both right. I’ll qualify this by saying it depends on the...

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Enjoying your Running

April 9, 2012
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Enjoying your Running

            Maybe this should have been my very first post on this blog. After all, there is nothing more fundamental to success as a runner than enjoying your training. Runners who truly enjoy their sport for its own sake are much more likely to stay with it for the long term, continue to persevere through difficulties and put more of themselves into each and every workout. Keep in mind, running, like everything else in life, won’t always be enjoyable. There will be times when you’re tired, sore,  or dealing with other life stresses and the last...

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Progression – How to Build your Workouts in a Logical Sequence

April 7, 2012
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Progression – How to Build your Workouts in a Logical Sequence

            One of the most important principles in building a training program is that of progression. It’s a simple concept that should be obvious to all, except for the fact that many runners tend to ignore it. The principle of progression simply states that your training should advance from basic to advanced in an orderly fashion. You don’t start out on day one of training and try to follow the program of an Olympic champion. Your fitness must be built slowly, patiently, and with an overall plan in mind. Many runners ignore this basic...

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Personalities – Kathrine Switzer

April 2, 2012
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Personalities – Kathrine Switzer

Today, we take for granted that women are well capable of competing in any athletic event, including marathons and ultra marathons. In fact, Paula Radcliffe’s world marathon record of 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds is faster than all but the most elite male runners. It’s hard to believe that 40 years ago women were not allowed to run marathons or even most road races. Prior to 1971, women weren’t allowed to run in sanctioned marathons by the AAU ( Amateur Athletic Union, the governing body of track and field in the United States at the time ). As recently as 1972, the longest...

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