In June of 2013, I accomplished my life-long goal of breaking 2:40 for a full marathon by running 2:39:08 at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. In the interest of helping others to further their goals, I have decided to share my training in the weeks preceding this race. The reason is two-fold. One, it might give one of you some ideas on how to structure your marathon training plan, and two, it shows that even Read more…
I’ve been following the exploits of the Northern Arizona Elite group for a while, ever since runner/writer Matt Fitzgerald joined them as a “celebrity” member in his quest to break 2:40 at the Chicago Marathon. One of the things I really respect about the group, and coach Ben Rosario, is that they share everything. There are no secrets within their group (at least about their training). You can see every run that a NAZ Elite Read more…
Winter has officially arrived in Western New York, and ’tis the season for black ice, slippery sidewalks, and an increased potential for injury. While many runners opt for the treadmill when the footing outside is treacherous, some of us don’t have that luxury. Here are a few tips to avoid getting injured during the winter. Wear shoes with good tread, or opt for add-on traction like YakTrax, Stabilicers, or machine screws for your shoes. I Read more…
As a follow-up to my last post, I have also been thinking about how to distill my training philosophy into a simple, enumerated list. Obviously, something as amorphous and malleable as a methodology does not lend itself to bullet items very easily, but here’s my best shot: 1) Every mile counts. I have heard lots of people say “you need to run for at least x amount of minutes to reap any benefits.” Sometimes x Read more…
As a coach and a runner, I am constantly trying to refine my personal coaching style and philosophy. The more I read, and the more I realize what is truly important in training, the more I am convinced that my philosophy is one of minimalism. Not in the sense of wearing ridiculous barefoot shoes, but in the sense of eschewing technology and gear in favor of relying on your own senses. I have written about Read more…
Many things have happened since the Utica Boilermaker in July, most of them not related to running. Most importantly, Ashlie and I had our second daughter, Hadley, who was born on September 11th. We were supposed to run the first Pete Glavin XC race in Clay on Sunday the 10th, but Ashlie’s OB prohibited us from making the trek, and with good reason. Hadley was born the very next day! She and Ashlie are doing Read more…
I ran my first Boilermaker 15K in 2001, at the tender age of 17. It took me an hour and a half, and over the next five years, I would only improve to about 1:10. Finally, in 2006, after realizing that training year-round has huge benefits, I ran a huge PR to break 60 minutes for the first time with a 57:27. Every year since then, I have been lucky enough to finish the Boilermaker Read more…
Looking back on my training over the past ten years, I have tried a lot of different things. I’ve done high mileage, low mileage, strength training, cross training, and yoga. I have found what works for me and what doesn’t. I don’t consider the cycles where I learned that something doesn’t work to be a failure though, because it taught me what not to do in the future. For example, I typically do not run Read more…
It seems like I can’t catch a break these days. After a 9-year injury-free streak, the past three years have been very troublesome for me. In the beginning of 2015, I strained my hamstring which turned into a two-year ordeal with proximal hamstring tendinopathy. Then, after a good training cycle leading up to the Rehoboth Beach Marathon, I pulled my hip flexor on one of my first runs back, and spent the next few months Read more…
It is impossible to stay current with training trends nowadays without hearing about the latest technology, gear, and how to use and interpret your data in order to get the most out of your running. Elites and even non-elites get their VO2max tested, their lactate threshold tested, know their resting heart rate, their maximum heart rate, and their hemoglobin levels. They utilize the latest technology, such as GPS watches, heart rate monitors, compression apparel, and Read more…