Feature Article #1

Resting heart rate for recovery

Monitoring your resting heart rate can be a valuable tool for evaluating your fitness and performance goals in running. The heart is a muscle that with training will be able to provide adequate blood to the body at rest with a lower number of beats per minute. Since the amount of blood the [...]

sean | August 14th, 2008 | Continued

Feature Article #2

Proper breathing techniques for runners

Like other aspects of our health, breathing is seldom considered…unless it is compromised. This is certainly the case while running.
Since breathing is the means we use to transfer oxygen to all of our body’s systems, saying it’s “important” is quite an understatement. Improving your breathing mechanics while running is a skill that should be valued [...]

sean | July 20th, 2008 | Continued

Feature Article #3

Considering a Running Coach? Why even elite runners need guidance.

Coaching can benefit runners of all abilities. Although many runners have never had direction or guidance in their running they are setting goals and interested in improving. If you are considering working with a coach to improve your running read the Road Runners Club of America’s ‘How to Find a Coach’.
Hal Higdon illustrates [...]

sean | May 29th, 2008 | Continued

About this Site

This blog has grown out of my interest in sharing my knowledge and experience as a professional coach with other runners of all of abilities.
In this blog I am offering my professional and personal opinions on running. It is intended to be a forum for sharing ideas on training, racing and the love of running. [...]

Other Recent Articles

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New Movie Profiles Performance Enhancing Drug Use

Less than a month to go until the start of the Olympics, yet in many fans’ minds the issue of doping is still front and center. Who takes steroids and other performance-enhancers? How do they work? How do athletes get away with using them? Should they be banned in the first place?
All these issues are [...]

10Jul2008 | sean | 0 comments | Continued
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Side stitches in running

We have all been there. Everything is humming along just fine on our run or perhaps, even race. Then it creeps in like a very unwelcome stranger. Denial is followed by alarm leading you to the conclusion that you are now the victim of a side stitch. Not me (!) you [...]

30Jun2008 | sean | 2 comments | Continued
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Hypnotism part of shot-putters training routine

With the Olympic Trials for United States track and field athletes beginning today, it’s interesting to see the lengths and strategies athletes have taken to make the team and win gold in Beijing. Although sports psychology in various forms has been used for decades by elite athletes, Adam Nelson’s use of hypnotism piques my [...]

27Jun2008 | sean | 0 comments | Continued
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Power hills

Power hills are very short, very steep hills that have a lot to offer runners of various disciplines and abilities.
The goal: Find a very steep hill. It need not be long, as you will only use 50m of it. A grade of 10% of greater is appropriate. You are striving to [...]

20Jun2008 | sean | 0 comments | Continued
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Youth running

Why youth running programs are so important to middle school students.
From Charlotte Richardson - Former head coach of Lincoln HS (Portland, OR)

Joseph Bittner - participant of a local youth running program

16Jun2008 | sean | 0 comments | Continued
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The 90 minute progressive long run

Having a good foundation of consistent mileage, strength training and running technique work is a must before incorporating this intermediate concept to your long runs.
The goal: To take a ’short’ long run (90 minutes) and enhance the benefit it has for transporting oxygen to tissues in your body.
Begin this run with the first 20 - [...]

16Jun2008 | sean | 0 comments | Continued
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Running shoes without heels promote proper biomechanics

Former world record holder in the 5,000m, Dave Moorcroft, tests a ‘heelless’ running shoes design by a Dutch PT.
It’s now common knowledge that running with a pronounced heel strike not only creates breaking forces that need to be overcome by the runner with each step, thus increasing the work involved in running, but these [...]

12Jun2008 | sean | 0 comments | Continued
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Lactate threshold training

Lactate Threshold Training - Training the body to manage lactate accumulation
No molecule in the human body gets as bad a wrap as lactate. Better known to athletes incorrectly as lactic acid, the molecule L-lactate is constantly produced from pyruvate in the body as it attempts to extract all the potential energy stored in glucose. [...]

6Jun2008 | sean | 2 comments | Continued
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