Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Running Injury Free, Success, Secrets, Be Patient!

From Jason Fitzgerald is a 2:39 marathoner and USATF-certified running coach at Strength Running. Get his latest coaching advice and free injury prevention course here.
It isn't hard to get started running, but once you get into the swing of things, it's easy to injure yourself or ignore little things that make you a lot better. Running coach Jason Fitzgerald shares some of his secrets.

Hindsight is 20/20. As I look back on nearly 13 years of competitive racing, I want to change a lot of my past training. I made a lot of mistakes—small decisions that resulted in an injury, a poor race, or missing half a year of running.P

Many of my injuries can be attributed to impatience and a feeling of invincibility. I refused to reduce a training run by a few miles and I skipped the strength exercises. My carelessness showed with my constant battle with injuries. Achilles tendonitis, lower back pain, ITBS, shin splints, quadriceps strains – I had it all (with the exception of a knee injury, knock on wood!).P
No longer. These days, I’m fanatical about the little things and it’s paying off: I haven’t had a major injury since 2009! As I’m writing this, it’s been over two months since my last day off. I’m on track to run over 3,700 miles in 2011. That’s over 20% more than 2010.P
I want you to learn from my mistakes so you can be the best runner possible. “Do as I say, not as I do” seems appropriate for this post. Without further ado, below are the 7 things I wish I knew when I started running.P

Success in Distance Running Takes TimeP

A lot of time. Greg McMillan tells his elite runners that it takes 2-3 years to start seeing their potential. This amount of time is on top of their high school and college running years—so it’s really about 10 years. Distance running success is about consistency and a gradual, yet progressive, pattern of training.P
One of my previous problems is that I jumped from 40 miles per week to 70 in three months. I got hurt. After six months at 60 miles per week, I tried to jump to 90 miles per week. I got hurt. I disregarded the basics of gradual training. Be patient and recognize that modest increases in mileage done over a long period of time will have you running fast over the long-term. There are no shortcuts.P

Runners Don’t Just RunP

I used to think I only needed running to be fast. I thought I just needed a strong heart and powerful lungs. I never did core exercises, rarely did drills, and avoided the weight room entirely. That was a huge mistake.P
Being athletically well-rounded and coordinated helps you prevent injuries and run more efficiently, which corresponds to long-term consistent training. I’ve talked a lot about this recently, so I won’t beat a dead horse. Check back on some recent posts if you missed them:P

Friday, September 20, 2013

Brand New Tri Bikes @ $3000, Sweet!

The price is coming down and to get a sweet Carbon bike for 3k is amazing. Well that is the news at Interbike.

Three thousand dollars is a sweet spot for triathlon bikes. There are plenty of excellent bikes for less money and a few better ones at higher price points, but $3,000 is the figure that often includes all of the most important features and few of the superfluous ones, making many bikes at this price a good value. These are the tri bikes on display at Interbike at this important price point. Many tri bikes, however, are not on display at the show and as a result this is not a definitive list. Triathlete

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Leather, Simple, Technology Holder, Hard Graft

These are beautiful, simple, well thought out, leather and yes expensive. Really $109, cashing in on the iPhone revolution. Price withstanding these wallets are perfect and since Apple stopped shipping the holder with phones a while back well I guess you get two for one.

Put your iPhone in the case, pull the rope to close and wrap it round to fix. But that's not all, this iPhone case also transforms into the perfect stand so you can use your iPhone as a bedside alarm clock, music or movie player. The marl grey rope closure does all the clever work. We put a lot of thought and design into this closure and we think it is pretty ingenuious (* saying whilst proudly patting our backs). Maybe this could be the perfect start to your hard graft addiction and in case you are already hooked: No need for words, just look at the photos...
Measures 7cm x 14cm. Fits iPhone 5, iPhone 5s & iPhone 5c.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Trail Running

From Gear Patrol

As running continues to grow in popularity both in the US and worldwide, so too do the variations on it. Marathons, ultra marathons, team relays, obstacle course races, and costumed 5ks are just a few examples. There truly is a run for anyone. One of the simplest and probably the oldest variations is heading into the woods for some trail running. Ever since human beings started walking around on two feet, we’ve been trail running, well before cobblestones and asphalt made permanent paths for us to follow. Getting out into nature and doing something we were arguably born to do can be a welcome respite from the modern world and a chance to connect with nature in a very primal way.
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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Top Tips on How to Become a Natural Swimmer

TriFuel.com 
The most important skill a swimmer can develop is body awareness in the water. Swimming is not natural for humans. When we dive into a pool we lose all sense of coordination and balance. Moreover, we are asked “not to breath,” which goes against everything we have done since we came out of the womb. Consequently, swimming, except for a rare few of us, is not second nature and feels unnatural. The key to swimming well therefore is to make it natural, but how? Over the next three weeks I am going to be giving you my top tips on how to become a natural swimmer.
The first thing a swimmer can do to make the water feel natural is simple: just get in the water. The more time you spend in the water the more your body will adjust to it and, more importantly, the more you become aware of your body and what its doing in the water. Proprioceptive awareness or “body awareness” is critical. You have to know where your hand enters; it crossing over or too deep a catch? What about your lower body? Is it fish tailing as you twist your hips? Are your toes kissing each other or do you scissor kick each stroke? All these questions are important to ask and know as you swim. When you can not only answer them but also feel the answers then swimming is becoming more natural.