The Trails Are Open. But how's your IT Band?

•

What goes up, must come down. And for the most part, run form should not change relative to speed, or in my case today, terrain. Especially footstrike.

It is fairly easy to have goog forefoot to heel strike going up, and challenging to have good foot placement coming down, as…

Too many strength programs focus soley on building concentric strength, with full range of motion exercises.

These movements are loaded and usually too slow to be very functional for running. And target building muscle fiber MASS/DENSITY rather than utilizing MORE muscle fibers. More fiber mass just requires more oxygen and energy - not…

Spring time. Sprint time.

•

Sprinting plays a tremendous roll in endurance development for ALL distances.

Here's how:

- improves isometric strength, one of the key strength factors in cadence and forward propeltion.

- trains precise and efficient use of the reflex muscle tension during eccentric landing. This helps your down…

Spring is in my step.

•

The great Grete Waitz ran 19 marathons in her career, winning 13 of them.

She was the first woman to break the 2:30 barrier, eventually lowering the world record to 2:25:42.

She believed that speed training was imparative for all runners of all distances and abilities.

Her marathon training reflected…

Sometimes you have to HOLD YOURSELF BACK:

Today was a recovery run. After taking the day off yesterday to heal a mild cough in the lungs, my legs felt great!

I stayed patient, with my sights on the upcoming week.

•

Patience + Practice = Performance

•

At the 1972 Olympics, all of the pre-game buzz was on rock star USA…

With Teton National Park 30 minutes up the road from my house, this usually gets most of my attention for running.  But this Fall I decided to change things up and look to create some run projects that are even closer to home and focus on exploring more vertical gain, peaks, and off-trail ridge line link ups (…

I stood high on this peak during the Fall season in the Tetons, enjoying the reward of magnificent views that come from 6,000+ feet of running and climbing.  I took the below winter photo during a ten mile run.  These two photos grasp the beauty of the Tetons in different ways, BUT also show the SAME peak in both shots.  Two ways of looking at the same thing - two different…

In this Vlog post, I discuss how to improve your marathon time and the importance of getting faster at a One Mile time trial.  Here is a simple chart to help you compare your One Mile test time with an equivalent marathon potential time.

Your Cool Impossible…

How Balanced Are You?

When I start working with a new athlete, I analyze how balanced they are between their speed and endurance. 

Just like the program in The Cool Impossible, at start up, I have my athletes perform two field…

If you are experiencing "runners Knee" with discomfort on top of knee, under knee, or on the medial side of the knee, you might be keeping your legs too bent.

If your legs remain too bent throughout the running gait, you are prone to stressing your quads too much and 'turning off' or not using crucial muscles very well - all leading to a vicious cycle of…

There is this misconception out there that if you want to pursue your dreams and cool impossibles, you have to know exactly what you’re doing. Just look around at all those other, more successful people out there. They move through life with a crisp smile and no body fat, and you ask them, “how’s it going”, they always say the same thing, “GREAT!” It’s actually kind of…

Hi Everyone,

I hope your running is going strong and well.  This year marked the 10 year anniversary of my Born To Run adventure to the Copper Canyon.  In honor of this, I was invited to visit Oaxaca Mexico this past August for a 3 day run adventure.  The purpose of this was to explore the Oaxaca region, running from town to town.  This is a lawless state that operates independent of the Mexican government, with a focus on eco-tourism and harmony.

We ran 100k within the 3 day…

I put in a nice and easy 10 miles today.  The trails and mountain canyons are still packed with snow, so this time of year we get days like today, snow, rain, hail, sleet, sunshine, calm, wind, etc.  So I used the radar to pick the best weather window and hit the bike path south of town and ran along the snake river for a while.

This is a fairly hilly course and the…

If your run fitness was a one of these mountains, which one would you rather it be?  Either can have a good foundation, but one is very distinct - it draws you in.  You imagine what it is like at the top.  In some ways it looks impossible to climb, but if you look long and hard, you begin to see possible routes and a way to the top.

The other mountain can be much…

Today's Thoughts: Running Ultras is all about performing when everything goes wrong.

It is easy to perform when things are going well, but just like in life, 'real' performance is about how we act after we think, being aware, and continuing to perform when things "seem" to be…

By Katie Rosenbrock for The Active Times

What if someone dared you to sign up for a 100K ultra marathon right now? Would you take on the challenge or completely dismiss the idea?

I would tell that someone they were crazy. “I’ve never even completed a marathon. How could I possibly cover more…

I believe an effective “peak” in fitness first starts with a well thought out training plan and more importantly, a prioritized race schedule.  This all sets the stage for the peak process, making your run fitness as race specific as possible. Peaking is a mysterious art and for many reasons, it is just not easy to achieve one’s highest possible level of performance on the…

I coach because I love to help athletes explore their own potential and the rewarding part of this for me is witnessing the self-discovery that my athletes experience throughout the process.  Writing my book, The Cool Impossible, was the culmination of a life long dream and a way for me…

Question:  How do I peak for my big race.

Answer:  This is a tricky question as I believe an effective “peak” in fitness first…

I had heard him coming before I saw him.  Huffing and puffing, rhythmically out of breath and out of sight, but nearing me as he ran to the top of the ridge.  It was hard to tell what kind of runner he was, as his breathing provided no clue. The trail was so steep that his slow speed presented his silhouette like a rapid sunrise against the ridge line.  First his head, ear…