Re-training the brain to run 04/25/2010
 “My dear, it’s not your body that’s broken. It’s your brain.”That’s just what I wanted to hear during the first consult with my new physical therapist. There’s nothing like hearing a medical professional tell you your brain isn’t working right, especially when you walked into the office thinking the pain was in your hip.
I didn’t want to believe him. But he told me to lay on my stomach and lift one leg using my glute muscles. “Nope. Try it again,” he told me. Whatever! I thought. I can do this, my stubborn mind said. So I tried again, and failed again. I failed all the tests he threw at me that day. “How do you think you can run properly if you can’t do something as simple as lifting your leg?” The new PT said. It was a rhetorical question. So we started retraining my brain. Add Comment Tradition or Addiction? 03/31/2010
 Life these days features near constant change. Family members move across the country from each other, technologies become obsolete months after they are introduced, and mid-life career changes are now the norm.
In the midst of all this upheaval, it is easy to lose a vital piece of our social lives: tradition. Tradition provides an important connection to our past, but it also provides something more. Social theorist Anthony Giddens argues that tradition provides a framework for action that doesn’t require us to question alternative options. Tradition can therefore provide us with needed comfort and security in a world of confusing possibilities. In the modern world, however, we are quickly losing that sense of tradition. As we move around the country, switch jobs, and change social circles, we are confronted with nearly complete autonomy and an endless array of possible actions. Without tradition to help guide our choices, we can become virtually paralyzed with options... Goal Setting: Important Concepts 03/30/2010
 Working towards a goal is a big part of running. It helps motivate us on those early mornings, and when we reach our goals it helps justify all of the hard work and sacrifices along the way. Picking a goal may seem easy, but in my experience there are several factors that influence how effective a goal is for you.
Time Frame: Ideally, you should have short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals for your running. That makes it easier to stay focused on what you are doing this week as well as the big picture. These goals should be complimentary. With my athletes, we generally look at a short term goal as what we're accomplishing that month. An intermediate goal is what we're aiming for that season, and a long-term goal is based on the full year, or even their college career. For example, an athlete who is trying to make the national championships during the spring track season might have an intermediate goal of a top-35 finish at the cross country national meet. Their short-term goal will vary with each month, but an example of an early season goal would be to increase their long run to 14 miles, and the total volume of their repeat workouts to 5 miles..... Getting your kids into running 03/15/2010
 source: Hy-Vee Kids Triathlon
“The first is running makes you healthier. It gets you in better shape and makes your heart healthier. The second reason is that you can run with your buddies. There are group races. It's fun and it encourages you to do better. The third reason is that you can finish your goal. First, you do a half-marathon. Then, you do a marathon. If you just love running and you're up for a challenge you can do a 50-mile or 100-mile race. ” -Fourth Grader Davis Lang Getting your kids into running is a great way to give them a strong athletic foundation for any sport. Because almost all active sports involve running, it's never too early to start. As an expert runner yourself (wink), there's a good chance your kids will want to follow in your footsteps (no pun intended) or at least give running a try. Personally, I started running when I was 6 years old with my primary motivation being that my dad always spoke fondly of his high school track and field days. If Dad was good at running, maybe I would be too! Keep running fun for any beginner—especially a young child. Although kids can get in shape and set running goals for themselves, running should mostly be about getting a taste for it and learning good form and technique. You'll be surprised how few park department track coaches are actually teaching kids how to run. What better time to learn than when you start. This is where you come in. Explain how to keep your arms from crossing your chest, extending your strides, relaxing your jaw, keeping your chin down....  Winter is supposed to be cold and snowy, right? So why did the winter of 2009-2010 seem so awful? If you live in parts of the South and Mid-Atlantic and feel like you were complaining about winter weather even more this year, don’t worry. When you look at some of the facts, I think you’ll feel you’ve earned the right to complain. I know I do.
It’s hard to imagine that just a year ago, states from Texas to Alabama to North Carolina were as dry as a bone. The Southern United States was in a drought. As a runner living in a drought-affected area, I never thought about needing a rain shell. The trails I ran in North Georgia were so dry, any light wind kicked up a mini dust storm. Runner Profile - Running Brave: Billy Mills 03/10/2010
"I was running from rejection, from being orphaned…. The Indians called me mixed blood. The white world called me Indian. I was running in search of my identity. I was running to find Billy." |  Navigate using the topics belowAll Follow us here
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