April 2012
124 posts
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How To Run With More Power
One very common mistake, or perhaps misconception, about how to run is exactly where the “power” in your stride comes from. Most people picture power being generated in the running stride when the foot pushes off the ground, which is correct. But in the mental image that most people carry with them, that “push” comes from the quads, much like a leg press.
While it’s true that a good deal of power...
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Workout Of The Week: Recovery Run
Recovery runs don’t actually accelerate muscle recovery, but they do have other important benefits.
If you asked a stadium-size crowd of other runners to name the most important type of running workout, some would say tempo runs, others would say long runs, and still others would say intervals of one kind or another. None would mention recovery runs. Unless I happened to be in that...
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Best Race Foods for Runners
When preparing for an endurance race, the word of the day is glycogen. Glycogen is to your body as gas is to a car, serving as your long-term energy source for extended exercise.
An ill-prepared endurance athlete can experience glycogen depletion, also called “hitting the wall” or “bonking”. Glycogen depletion occurs when all of the body’s glycogen (or energy) stores have been almost or...
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How to Finish Your 5K Strong
In competition, beware of races that include hills in the first mile. Research shows that running tough hills in the early stages of a race can greatly increase the amount of lactic acid that your working muscles produce. So save your “attack that hill” strategy for the later stages of your race.
Also, don’t forget that a 5K is actually 3.1 miles. So when you motor through...
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4 Ways to Build Speed Workouts Into Your Runs
1. Easy fartlek. Fartlek, or speed play, is variable-pace running that emphasizes creativity. During a 30-minute run, choose objects to run to telephone poles, trees, buildings, other runners, whatever. Make choices that mark off different distances so your pickups vary in length from 15 to 90 seconds, and modify your pace to match the distance. If...
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25 Ways to Run Faster Now
1. Nail good form. The key to running (at any speed) is to practice proper running technique. That means keeping the upper body tall yet relaxed, striking the ground with the mid-foot landing under the hip, and swinging the arms forward and back (not side to side!) at low 90-degree angles.
2. Count your steps. Get familiar withstride turnover, or the rate of steps taken while running, regardless...
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How Carbo-Loading Can Improve Your Running
Many are familiar with the massive pasta dinners the night before a big sporting event, but it may actually be a mystery as to what carbo-loading really is and whether or not it actually works.
Carbohydrate-loading or “Carbo-loading” refers to the process of increasing energy in endurance activities by maximizing the amount of glycogen reserves in the muscles. In Layman’s terms, it means storing...
A perfect run has nothing to do with distance....
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