Efficiency is a very good way of gauging a runner’s aerobic fitness. The problem is that measuring efficiency in a lab is not only inconvenient, it’s also expensive. Fortunately, there’s …
Training and Racing
-
-
Do you find your running mojo runs low sometimes? That every run feels the same and you’re pounding familiar paths again and again? It can be easy to get stuck …
-
Bill Tharion, a Research Psychologist with the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, was explaining to me some research that he was conducting on the psychological factors that limit …
-
How you handle aid stations can have a significant impact on how well your race goes. If you are speeding through a 50k looking for a PR, the emphasis at …
-
If you ask most ultra runners about their training, many will acknowledge working with a coach at one point in time. Why? Well, the obvious reason is to have someone …
-
The sun is barely up as fifty-odd runners gather for the Fort Ordnance 100K in Monterey, CA. The gun fires and they patter off, mentally setting their sights on the …
-
What’s the most overworked piece in your ultra kit? In mine, it’s the elevation profile – marked up with notes, folded in a baggie, and stuffed it in a pocket. …
-
Although the word is occasionally overused, it’s no exaggeration to say that there’s a renaissance of sorts developing within the athletic apparel industry. In particular, wool performance clothing is more …
-
I’ve been fortunate to have remained healthy, motivated and passionate about long-distance running over the years. I believe some of this longevity is due to training principles and guidelines derived …
-
The word inspiration has almost become cliché these days. It’s so overused the true meaning has been diluted and cheapened. Yet there’s no denying that the words others say to …
-
There’s truly gold in them thar hills and it ain’t the shiny kind. It’s the super-efficient, multi-faceted, demanding workout kind that hills deliver. Lifting yourself up the slopes is strength …
-
by Cheryl Yanek Years ago, I was at a fatass 50k when ultra newbie said, “I’m not telling people I ran a fatass. I don’t like the name.” I probably …
-
Around the end of the year we all look forward to a little downtime from running. Then after about five minutes, we get itchy feet and want to get right …
-
As best I can tell, the GPS mile is somewhere between eight and nine tenths of a mile as measured by a steel tape, a wheel, a surveyor or even …
-
By Peter Defty, President VESPA Like the Bob Dylan song, there is a “change is coming on” in sports physiology and it is the ultrarunning community showing the way. A …
-
The lottery for the 2015 running of the Western States 100 Mile, the granddaddy of this country’s 100-mile trail runs, will be held this month (12/6), but as most entrants …
-
When I was much younger, but still old enough to know better, we used to play a game involving bicycles and trespassing on private land. We would head out from …
-
by Dr. Duncan Simpson, Barry University As a runner and a professor of sport, exercise and performance psychology, I am fascinated by individuals who push their physical, psychological and spiritual …
-
By Charles Raffensperger On November 1, 2014, at precisely 2:55 p.m., after having run, hiked (and sometimes crawled) continuously for close to 31 hours, I added my name to the …
-
Foam rollers work by placing the affected body part on top, and then using your body weight and gravity to apply pressure through the soft tissue. They are generally more …
-
by Sarah Koszyk, M.A., RDN, Registered Sports Dietitian/Nutritionist Success. Completion. Accomplishment. Congratulations, you’ve just finished running an ultramarathon, most likely about 31, 50 or 100 miles. The time it took …
-
by Rachel Nypaver Running is often called an addiction – both by the running critics (aka wannabe runners) and by runners themselves. They say you can even get “high” from …
-
Dear Ann, Some of my friends make me feel guilty about using a pacer. What do you think? Paul Dear Paul, There’s no easy answer. They’ve been controversial since the …
-
There’s no shortage of products that promise to accelerate recovery. Sure, they might work, but first you have to buy them, which means (a) spending money and (b) either going …
-
It’s always tragic when a BIG run gets taken down by a LITTLE culprit! Such is the case with blisters. While blisters can feel like a mystery, there are four …
-
You know those times when you innocently say something and are met by a really odd look, and then you realize that you’re not talking to an ultrarunner? Well, that …
-
A novel new addition to race week at this year’s Western States Endurance Run was the first-ever Medicine & Science in Ultra-Endurance Sports Conference. Medical research is one of the …
-
Located at the highest point in Dallas, Prayer Mountain, the Big Cedar Wilderness offers runners a 100% single track running experience. 100 milers will run four 25 mile loops, 50 …
-
I have many clients who are runners and they come to me with similar stories: my lower back hurts, I tire easily, I’ve hit a wall in my training, my …
-
Race Directors Chances are you feel pretty good about your aid stations and course markings, but how prepared are you to address the following potential medical needs at your event? …