Run to Win

Justin Gatlin and Asafa Powell have dominated the 100 meter sprint for the past few years. Asafa Powell set the bar at 9.77 seconds in June of 2005. Justin Gatlin broke that record in 9.76 on May 12, 2006, only to later be corrected and to have his time adjusted to a record-tying 9.77 seconds. The two were supposed to race each other on June 11^th, but Justin Gatlin has been held up by a knee injury for the last few months. Asafa Powell equaled his 9.77 second performance from 2005 during the meet.

I have been looking forward to seeing a race between the two. I think that if both were at the top of their form, we would see them both go under 9.77 (weather permitting). However, this may not happen now.
(Click here to continue reading…)

It may sound like a given, but running can exacerbate gastrointestinal problems. Gas is caused by swallowing air while we eat and by the digestion of food. Running can contribute to the problem by causing you to swallow more air than you would if you were sedentary. Based on my experiences with multiple running teams, it seems as though distance runners are a gassy lot.
(Click here to continue reading…)

This week last year there were a few workout tips mixed in with baseball and football news.

• I began my series of Workout Tips with how to time rest intervals at the gym and how to properly hydrate yourself.
• Lance Armstrong won his final Tour de France. I pointed out that his doping scandals were going to get worse now that he was retired, and it turns out that I was right.
• Matt Clement got beaned in the head really bad by Carl Crawford, followed by news that he was doing well.
• In football news, Shaun Alexander signed a contract, and Jerome McDougle got shot.
• Larry Brown signed on to coach the Knicks, but he’s already been fired less than a year later.
• Randy Judkins announced that he was going to joggle the Beach to Beacon in an effort to raise money.

A lot happened this week last year. Larry Brown didn’t last long, Lance Armstrong has been in the news constantly (especially over the last few months) despite having retired, and Randy Judkins did manage to raise a few thousand dollars for the boys and girls club. Matt Clement is still a ball magnet and has been put on the DL after recently getting hit by another pitch. At least he’s still in the game, though.

Whenever your muscles are feeling a bit sore or overworked, you should remember my motto, “Ice Early, Ice Often.” Arguably the most effective way to do that is to immerse your muscles in an ice bath.
(Click here to continue reading…)

One day after news broke that an unnamed rider had been caught doping during the Tour de France, it has come out that that rider is Floyd Landis. His first test sample apparently tested positive after stage 17, when he made an amazing come back following his breakdown the day before.

There is no official word yet from Floyd Landis, but his mother weighed in on the allegations.
(Click here to continue reading…)

The easiest way to sideline a runner is an injury, especially one in the foot or knee. A very sensitive part of the foot that does not always get enough attention is the arch. There are a few ways to easily injure the arch of your foot. One way to hurt yourself is that you could wear the wrong kind of shoe for your body type or training style and exacerbate an existing biomechanical innefficiency. In other words, you could wear an uncomfortable shoe that makes you run funny. Another way is to wear improper shoes for long distances, such as wearing your racing flats for every run and then covering 80 or 90 miles per week. You could also step on a nail; that can hurt quite a bit as well.

There are a few ways to stretch your arch. If you are doing a “Figure 4″ stretch and you can reach your toes, you can pull them back towards you and do a combination stretch. The easiest way does not involve that kind of flexibility, though. You just roll your foot over a tennis ball along the floor with your shoe off. You can also use some other ball of the same general size. I use a wooden juggling ball. The next method is not technically the safest way for you to stretch out your arch, but it is very effective. First, a little background:
(Click here to continue reading…)

Running road races, or competing in triathlons or bike races, can get to be pretty expensive. I have participated in races from a wide range between being free and costing me over $100. The average cost of a 5k or 10k race these days seems to be about $20. The marathons I run tend to cost around $70 on average, with the large ones like Boston or New York City costing upwards of $100
(Click here to continue reading…)

Whenever your muscles are feeling a bit sore or overworked, you should remember my motto, “Ice Early, Ice Often.” The second and my favorite way to do that is to give yourself an ice massage.
(Click here to continue reading…)