Q.
Dear Experts,
I’m 39 years old (40 in November) and have been running for five years after a long stretch of inactivity during my 20s and early 30s. I have run off and on since I was about 10, so I consider myself an experienced runner. I am competing in duathlons and have toyed with the idea of putting that on hold for a year or two to see how much more I could develop my running before the age slowdown starts occurring. However, I’d like to know if this is reasonable.
I had a breakthrough half marathon this year and ran a 1:21:49, which was a PR by almost two minutes. I know that’s not blazing fast, but I’d like to see what I have left in me and see if I can improve upon that. I’m currently running five or six times a week totaling 40-45 MPW on average. I think that if I want to get much faster I may need to focus more on running and try and get my mileage around the 50-60 MPW range. Obviously, this would probably cut into my bike time and may limit my duathlon racing.
I’m finishing up Matt’s book, RUN: The Mid-Body Method of Running by Feel, and think that my running style/approach is that which the book focuses on. I’m just looking for more information on what my next steps are to continue to develop my running further.
Thanks,
John M.
Read Full Story »
Week 8: By hitting the restart button, T.J. hopes to detoxify his body and accelerate the loss of excess fat.
Written by: T.J. Murphy
In making the leap to adopting a vegan lifestyle, I had my eyes opened as to the deep power of food. As I mentioned at the outset of this series, I wish to use this time to explore ideas and approaches to food and fuel to lose excess weight, attain a high level of health and maximize athletic performance, training and recovery.
Read Full Story »
T.J. drops another half pound on the way to his goal weight of 167.
Read Full Story »
Q.
I’m upping my mileage for a half marathon. I’ve done several in the past, including two marathons. Is an increase of a mile per week for my long run excessive? I haven’t run more than a 10K distance since March but do run between 12-15 miles a week plus cardio at the gym.
- Chuck M.
Read Full Story »
Are you eating these foods and drinking these drinks?
Written by: Matt Fitzgerald
Runners need a lot of carbohydrate. Why? Because your muscles are fueled primarily on carbohydrate when you run hard. Thus, sports nutrition experts generally recommend that runners get approximately 60 percent of their daily calories from carbohydrate.
Read Full Story »
“It’s the long run that puts the tiger in the cat.” – Coach Bill Squires
Written by: Mario Fraioli
At the 1979 Boston Marathon, four runners from the Greater Boston Track Club placed amongst the top 10 finishers in the race, led of course by Bill Rodgers, who broke the tape in 2:09:27.
Read Full Story »
High volume doesn’t always have to mean high mileage.
Written by: Courtney Baird
There are no real secrets when it comes to improving your running. To get faster, you run. A lot.
Read Full Story »
In the second installment of our new Recovery video series, Sage Rountree explains why it’s important to track your recovery in addition to logging your training. Click here to watch the video.
Read Full Story »
Q.
Dear Experts,
Last year I weighed in at 274 lbs, was on beta blockers, and had numerous issues with my knees and shoulders. Since September of last year, I have been training regularly, and have made some great strides, including finishing the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago ½ Marathon in 2 hours, 45 minutes and 45 seconds. In addition, I now weigh 193 lbs, and I no longer need to take the beta blockers.
Anyway, a majority of my running is on a treadmill. I am not, and I do not ever expect to be, a fast runner. But I think that I can keep a respectable pace on the treadmill. I am able to do my workouts (all but my long runs) with an average pace of 5.7 [mph] on the treadmill, and I hit sustained speeds of 6.2 [mph] for 5 minutes. What I am having a hard time doing is transitioning to running outside. My outside running times are significantly slower, and as a result, I seem to tire out much more quickly. I can run for an hour and a half straight on the treadmill (and longer), but there are times when I run outside that I can’t run for 40 minutes straight.
So how is it that I can make that transition? And how should I pace myself? Should I find a pace on the treadmill, and get used to that pace, and then attempt to do that outside? I will be running the Rock ‘n’ Roll ½ Marathon in Vegas in December, and I really want to be able to break the 2 hour and 30 minute time.
Greg
Read Full Story »
This week, Tim Crowley and friends demonstrate the Side T Reverse Fly, a strength-training exercise for runners that combines the side bridge with the reverse fly. This exercise will build core strength and get your glute medius firing, lessening the likelihood of injury. Click here to watch the video.
Read Full Story »
