Most runners try to run four or five days a week. Unless we are in serious training for an important race, missing a day or two every so often is not the end of the world. However, there are runners who will stop at nothing to get a run in everyday. To these runners keeping […]
High Mileage and Ultra Marathoners – A Case Study
The Western States Endurance Race took place last weekend. The race, which is run on trails of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, is 100 miles long and runners climb a cumulative total of 18000 feet. It is one of the most famous ultra marathons in the world and one of the most challenging tests for any […]
Lessons from the New American 10k Record
Last Saturday, Chris Solinksy set a new American record in the 10k at Stanford University’s Payton Jordan Invitational. Solinksy ran 26:59, which broke Meb Keflezighi’s record of 27:13. 26:59 is about 4:20 mile pace. The race had been set up for Galen Rupp to make a run for the record, but Solinsky did an amazing […]
Cross Country in the Olympics
Watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies tonight reminded me of the fact that cross country running is not an Olympic sport. With the shear number of sports that are now in the games, the obvious question is why not cross country? Surprisingly, cross country has been run at the Olympics in the past. There were cross […]
Rashid Ramzi and the Price of Cheating
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of elite running is when drug cheaters steal medals and prize money from runners who play by the rules. Fortunately, track and field governing bodies have began cracking down on athletes who use performance enhancing drugs. The foundation of this effort is the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which has drafted […]
Lessons from the New 5k American Record
Those of you who follow elite running know that Dathan Ritzenhein set a new American record in the 5000 meter run. His time of 12:56.27 broke Bob Kennedy’s old record of 12:58.21 set in 1996. Although this time, which equates to running three consecutive 4:10 miles, is way out of reach for recreational runners, Dathan’s […]
