Strength training can be very beneficial for runners. Injury prevention, improved muscle coordination, and better running economy are just a few positives that strength training provides. However, many runners shun the idea of strength training thinking that it only involves dumbbells, bench presses, and squats. Runners may think of themselves as toned endurance athletes, not […]
The Benefits of Altitude Training
One of the best ways for runners to improve their performance is to utilize altitude training. The basic idea for altitude training is that exposing the body to the lack of oxygen at high altitudes will cause the body to produce more red blood cells to improve oxygen uptake. Once the runner races at lower […]
Plyometric Drills for Runners
If you go to any local road race, you will no doubt see most of the runners performing static stretching before the start. While static stretching does a good job of loosening the muscles, athletes can obtain more benefits from plyometric drills, which is essentially “active stretching.” Different from static stretching, the goal of ploymetric […]
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 […]
Orthotics for Running
Orthotics saved my running career. Without them I would not be able to train more than 10 miles a week due to my severe pronation. In other words, my foot badly turns inward when I land, which puts tremendous strain on my IT-Band and hips. When my foot hits the ground, it leaves a print […]
