This is for all of you wondering why we run through the winter, the cold and rainy days, and all the aches and pains.
More exercise is better so let’s keep running.
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This is my last update before the race, which means that it’s getting so close that my thoughts are invaded by preparation details all day, every day. The excitement is definitely building and with it, has come the nervousness that goes along with doing anything that I really care about. But, I’ve learned to focus that nervousness into planning, so that I don’t question what I need to do when the time comes.
Kevin O’Brien is a resident of Fall River Mills, California (70 miles east of Redding), where he manages dispatch logistics and fertilizer billing for McArthur Farm Supply. Kevin grew up in Corning, California, before heading to Chico State University, where he graduated in 1999. Kevin has been married for nearly six years to his wife, Georgia (who coincidentally is Coach Dena’s first cousin), and has two young kids. One August day last year at a family gathering, Dena encouraged Kevin to try Focus-N-Fly as he and a few other family members where planning to attempt the Long Beach Half Marathon and he tended to do so much of his running alone in the small town where he resides.
Why do your plans include workouts at different paces?February 27, 2010What would happen if you ran the same pace over the same distance every day you went out to run? Many people do it, and you may have even been that person yourself at one time. You may have also wondered why your Focus-N-Fly plan has workouts at various paces and distances on your way to your goal race. With this month's Personal Best, we wanted to take a few moments to explain a few objectives to changing pace within workouts and/or running intervals.
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Training Tips
Here’s some more supportive data on the benefits of running barefoot and an interesting analysis of force distribution with an without shoes. Born to Run Barefoot - John Dodge To clarify our recommendation is that athletes run 5-10% of their weekly mileage barefoot on a soft surface. So for the athlete running 20 MPW that’s 1-2 mile per week barefoot. We are most interested in the variance of foot strike, flexion and force distribution which helps strengthen the plantar facia, achilles tendon and calf muscles. The article includes two videos from the Harvard University Skeletal Biology Lab that outline the force variance of barefoot running. They can be viewed here:
Published in
Running Research
Napa Valley Marathon (3/7/10) Jeff Reichbach’s third entry on his way to a Boston Marathon QualifierWritten by Dena Evans February 15, 2010The weather’s improved significantly in the past week or so and my fitness seems to be improving with it. I’ve been able to run my last several workouts from the pace chart dictated by my last race performance, which was before the hamstring injury that derailed my last training cycle. The marathon pace from that chart indicates that I’m on track to be ready for the race in Napa in three weeks. My heart rate has been dropping as well, which is always a confidence booster for me. I still have my longest training run (just 19 miles) to get through next weekend, but otherwise it seems like it’s going to be all about staying healthy through my shorter-than-normal taper to get to the starting line. Pre-Race SleepJanuary 31, 2010Everybody’s been there: sleepless on the night before a big race. Countless articles and anecdotal stories have been shared on this topic. Certainly, Focus-N-Fly’ers probably have an entire wing to add to the library. However, it takes a little bit of time to become comfortable and game plan your race “eve” strategies. When you do this game planning, here are some key pieces of info to keep in mind:
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Racing Tips
Napa Valley Marathon (3/7/10) - Jeff Reichbach’s second entry on his road to a Boston Marathon QualifierWritten by Dena Evans January 31, 2010For me, waking up and running well before dawn is something I dread, and I’ve only turned to it as last resort. So, when driving rain, howling wind and a flooded track, are piled on top of that, it starts to feel like torture. As a result, the last couple of weeks in the bay area have been a significant test of dedication to my running goals. Gloria grew up in Houston, Texas, and has been married since 1969. She and her husband Raul have two kids: a daughter, who works as a surgical tech, and a son who graduated from Texas A&M and is stationed with the Navy in Spain. Gloria is a retired (December 2008) postal service employee and her husband, who grew up near Brownsville, Texas, is a truck driver for a concrete company. Gloria joined Focus-N-Fly through its partnership with the 2010 Aramco Houston Half Marathon, which she completed successfully in January. |