Category: Training

Earlier this week, someone told me to have a good run as I was heading out. The roads were a bit of a snowy, slushy mess but my response was what I often say. Every run is a good run!

These days, we’re bombarded with marketing for the “best” recovery product or method. You can’t get away from it. Buy this product, watch that video, and you’ll know the secret to rapid recovery.

It all sounds great but does it work? Probably not. There are some that offer modest benefits and a lot that do virtually nothing. But there is one great recovery method that does work.

What is it? What’s this secret method to maximize your recovery?

One of the reasons I write this blog and share so freely of myself in other ways is because I want you to learn from my experience.

I had the great fortune early in my running life to learn from some very smart and very experienced runners and coaches. I know not everyone has been that lucky, which is why I feel a responsibility to share so freely of myself. Others have shared a wealth of knowledge with me, I feel the need to pass on that knowledge, as well as the lessons I’ve learned myself along the way.

Over the past few years, I’ve been focusing more on the little things that I thought would help me maintain a level of performance I’m happy with. Over this time, I was seeing my performances slide and last year, when I pulled my calf, I realized something needed to change.

So I went back to the basics. After taking some time to return to health, I broke everything down and went back to the fundamentals. While I built up more quickly than any beginner would, I went toward treating my training like a beginner’s. Nothing fancy, just lay a good base with a bunch of easy miles, occasionally running faster than on other days and about once a week going longer.

How should I run an easy run? It seems so basic, it almost seems ridiculous to ask. Maybe that’s why people don’t ask. Even when they should.

Yes, the easy run is basic in principle but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ask the question. Because people seem to be afraid to ask, I’m going to ask and answer myself. So here it goes…

I was planning to write a different, far more in depth post for this week but I came down with a cold and didn’t have the time and energy to finish it. So I’m writing this quick reminder instead.

It’s that time of the year. Racing season is over for most of us. We may have a few winter races on the schedule but, generally, we’re looking at least a few months out before our next important races.

So what do we do with this time?

We build our base. Why? How?

Continue reading “The bigger the base, the higher the peak”

You CAN run through the winter!

Winter is here! At least it is here in Wisconsin, where we got weather more like January than November in this past week.

That means it’s time for your annual reminder: winter running can be safe and, dare I say, even enjoyable with a few precautions. Continue reading “Winter running”

Many of us have recently finished our racing for the year. Whether an October marathon or fall season of shorter races, you’ve probably had ups and downs, good points and bad points.

How do you go over everything that has happened and glean out information that you can use for next year?

I recently discussed how to handle a bad race and how to get useful information out of that race but what about a good race? What about your training? There’s a lot more to think about and, surely, some of it went well while some didn’t.
Continue reading “How to review your racing season”

“Second is the first loser.”

It’s a common saying in sports. You hear it during playoff time in the major sports a lot. You sometimes hear it at races. Essentially, it’s all over the place.

The problem? It’s not true. If it were, we’d all be losers far more often than not.
Continue reading “Second is NOT the first loser”