I’m not a huge fan of the treadmill. There's no denying treadmill is a valuable training tool, especially in winter. I will use it if the conditions outside are too dangerous to run, but I don’t particularly enjoy it. Like many runners, I prefer moving forward instead of running in place. I prefer to pace based on my own perception of effort rather than dialing numbers into a machine. In previous winters (or conversely, wildfire summers in Seattle), I’d just stick it out on the treadmill. But ...
Workouts for Runners
The Injured Runner’s Guide to Pool Running
A stress fracture, serious soft tissue injury, or other injuries can prevent you from running for weeks. Many runners worry about losing hard-earned fitness during injury. For most runners, the hardest part about an injury is the lack of exercise. A good cross-training option, such as pool running, will maintain your fitness and give you a mental boost during injury. Pool running (sometimes called deep water running) is a non-impact modality of cross-training. The name describes it ...
Modified Strength Workout for Injured Runners
Activity restrictions accompany many running injuries. For some injuries such as stress fractures, any sort of impact or weight-bearing might be restricted. Injuries and activity restriction are frustrating, but they do not have to put you on virtual bed rest. Instead, if your condition permits, you can try this modified strength workout for injured runners. Back in October, a stress fracture on my third metatarsal broke through. I could not run, bike, swim, or do lower body strength ...
Swimming Workouts for Injured Runners
For the injured runner, workout options are limited. Depending upon the nature of your injury, you may not be able to bear any weight on your leg or foot, thus eliminating typical cross-training workouts such as the elliptical or bike. The best option then are swimming workouts for injured runners, which provide the opportunity to develop endurance and maintain fitness while unable to run. Swimming offers everything an injured runner needs: a taxing workout that maintains cardiovascular and ...
Fun Running Workouts to Celebrate Your Birthday
As a coach, I believe that training should be enjoyable. After all, almost all of us kept running - versus another form of cardio exercise - because we found joy in some aspect of it. Yet many of us recreational and amateur runners tend to be highly disciplined and we sometimes lose sight of having fun even in our hard workouts. The birthday workout can serve as a yearly reminder that running - including running hard - is something we do for fun. Whether you are training for a goal race or ...