I have been working through plantar fasciitis for 10 months now. I have dealt with sore feet after long runs for a few years, but things really hit the fan last summer when I was in the thick of marathon training. It was during a 14-mile long run that what had been confined to the…
Why do we do hard things? I got to dive deep into this question recently in pursuit of a Rim to Rim to Rim run in the Grand Canyon. Also called an R3, the Rim to Rim to Rim is a one day, double crossing of the Grand Canyon. My GPS watch tells me it…
Science has learned a lot about tendon health in recent years. The truth may go against what many runners have been doing to take care of their tendons. Tendons are your springs. They connect muscle to bone and act like rubber bands – storing and releasing elastic energy as we run. Tendons can handle a…
That’s what I hear from my athletes when we talk about protein needs. Most of them (especially women) are surprised to learn that they are not eating enough protein. Protein is essential for muscle repair and synthesis – something most runners are concerned about. Current dietary guidelines call for eating 0.8 grams of protein per…
The Meguniticook Trail Festival is coming up on Saturday, September 9th in Camden, Maine. This is the 4th year for the Megunticook 50k and the Wicked Tough 10k. This year, the new race director, Ramona Larsen, has added a new race to the roster, the Halfast 20k. The Halfast is a faster course without as…
Do you ever get that dreaded ‘dead leg’ feeling while you’re running? Anyone who has experienced it knows exactly what I mean. Your legs feel like lead, there is no bounce to your step, and it takes immense effort to keep moving forward. This is commonly due to a lack of carbs. Carbs get a…
One of the most common mistakes made by uncoached runners is spending the majority of their training in the dreaded grey zone – Zone 3 – too hard an intensity for aerobic development and too easy an intensity for lactate threshold and VO2 max gains. They end up tired from overtraining and frustrated from a…
I see a lot of confusion and questions out there about how to train for a marathon. Let’s go through a few common questions regarding marathon training. How many weeks should I train for a marathon? The standard range for marathon training is 16-22 weeks. Where you fall in that range is going to depend…
I invite you to explore the science of stretching so you understand how to use stretching properly in order to increase range of motion and flexibility without negatively affecting muscle strength and force generation. When I ran cross country in high school, the whole team would meet on the upper field and usually start our…
With a thorough understanding of RPE (rate of perceived exertion), you will be able to train at the correct intensity at every workout, get the most out of each training session, and see results faster. 1. What is RPE? RPE or rate of perceived exertion is a simple tool that can help you tune into…
