Mojo for Running

With more and more sprint triathlon opportunities, many runners are considering training for their first triathlon. Attracted by the challenge, these runners will all work on their swimming and biking skills, and the result of the increased cross training will be improved running. In this podcast, I share an article I wrote for Florida Running & Triathlon Magazine about three first-time triathletes.

All running training should be structured around the principle of alternating hard and easy training days. I explain why this is important and how to build your running schedule around it. No matter what your goal or your experience level, this will make your training more effective, and a side benefit is that it will enable you to make your running training more interesting because you'll never be doing the same workout two days in a row.

You trained hard, for months, and now, your first marathon is just days away. Now, you're likely feeling a bit anxious as the big day approaches. Well, no worries, that is natural. It is a big deal! You are probably thinking that you need to know what to do the week before, how to adjust your eating, when to eat the night before, whether to go for a run the day before the marathon, what to do about getting a good night's sleep, race day strategy, and much more. It's all here in this final podcast in the first marathon series. The most important thing is to relax and realize that you are about to have a hard earned dream come true!

At this time of year, most runners are reflecting on their achievements last year and planning their running goals for the this coming year. That's certainly a good idea. If you don't know where you're going, it's hard to plan an effective route, right? A look at habits and running streaks may help make the planning more fruitful while also providing some techniques that may help you with maintaining the motivation needed to follow through on your plan.

Answers to listener questions about running first marathons. Topics covered are cross-training, hot weather marathon training, having a time goal, what to do when something hurts, stretching, training with a group, and more.

Every time you run a marathon, you'll glean more information to prepare you for the next one, but with no past experience, some pitfalls are common to many first-time marathoners. I explain them here in the hope that you will not have that misfortune in your first marathon. Other topics: training schedule nutrition hydration weight loss weight gain Outside Magazine, "Tim Noakes on the Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports," June 19, 2012, by Adventure Lab.

Years ago, most runners would finish their whole running career without ever doing a marathon or even a half marathon. It seemed that 90 percent of all runners focused on 10k's, which comprised the most popular distance in the 80's. Then 5k's became even more popular, and now half marathons continue to grow in popularity. That leads many runners to reach for the marathon next. This episode is for any runner contemplating running their first marathon. After listening, you'll be in a much better position to make a wise decision regarding whether you: are physically ready are prepared to make the time commitment possess the dedication and discipline required have the mental strength for this event

If you're an enthusiastic road runner and racer, it's inevitable that you will eventually be drawn to the trails, whether you are enticed by the accounts of friends or the challenge of less stable, sometimes more strenuous footing. In this episode, I'll kntroduce you to three first time trail-runners and share their experiences. This was originally published as an article I wrote for Florida Running & Triathlon Magazine. I write an article for each issue, and my articles always feature several runners tackling a new distance or type of race.

Whether you've run in ten races or 50, you probably have had some amazing race experiences,  but, for every great race experience, I imagine you've had one that you could have done without, a race when something got screwed up, like the timing, the race course, the food, the shirts or - in some disastrous cases - all of the above. Runners actually do quite a lot of complaining among themselves at some races. I think we all realize that putting on a road race is a huge task, and doing it right, getting everything right, is near impossible. Still, some things are critical, essential. Anyway, I decided to do a podcast to give you, the runner, a voice to express what you like and what you don't like, the problems you've experienced and your suggestions for solutions, the things you'd like to see, and the ones you hope to never experience again. I figure race directors would like to know what runners would like them to know. Hence, this podcast.

Few words convey more power and emotion than these three. How do you define them? In this episode, I look at when they apply, if they apply, and the importance of word choice as regards these sometimes touchy subjects. Do you ever see yourself as a winner? Ever felt like a lower? A quitter? Let's talk about it.

MFR 51: The Running Detective

MFR 50: Running Principles Revisited

MFR 49: First-Time Marathoners

MFR 48: Trail Running, Part 2

MFR 47: Boston Marathon Stories