Sat, 06 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/ RunCoach: Your own personal trainer en-us http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/images/images/runcoach_logo.gif http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/ paul.shields@sportscoach.com.au http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1757.htm Top Indoor Workouts To Improve Your Running This Winter Written by: Matt Fitzgerald and Brad Culp January 27, 2010 Over the past few days we’ve presented a series of indoor workouts aimed at improving your swim, bike and run during the winter months. In the final article we’ll focus on three key workouts to improve your run. Sprinkle these three workouts throughout your indoor training program this winter to become a better runner come spring: There’s nothing wrong with doing steady, moderate-intensity base runs on a treadmill, and in fact if you run indoors frequently over the winter, most of those runs should take this form. But you’ll also want to mix in some more interesting workouts, such as these three. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1756.htm Spirulina Increases Exercise Performance By: Natural Products Insider Posted on: 02 Feb 2010 Spirulina supplementation induced a significant increase in exercise performance, fat oxidation and glutathione (GSH) concentration, and attenuated the exercise-induced increase in lipid peroxidation, according to an article published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2010;42(1):142-151). Nine moderately trained males took part in a double blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced crossover study. Each subject received either 6 g/d of spirulina or placebo for four weeks. Each subject ran on a treadmill at an intensity corresponding to 70 percent to75 percent of their VO2max for two hours0 and then at 95 percent VO2max to exhaustion. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:14:51 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1755.htm Busy Bodies: Give your running routine some power By KELLY GONZALEZ Published 01/17/10 Remember the glory days when you first started running? It was exciting and challenging. You adorned yourself in new gear, Googled running tips, programs and races, achieved a new personal record at every race, and best of all, the excess pounds just melted away. Well, time has trickled by, the peace you once achieved during long weekend runs has become more of a chore than meditative movement, new gear has worn your wallet thin, those personal records are at a standstill, and no matter how many miles you run those last 5 pounds seem to have applied for permanent residency. When you feel powerless in your training, stuck in the same old routine year after year, at a dead end with nowhere to go, what do you do? Sat, 30 Jan 2010 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1754.htm Tips for Boosting Your Memory: Running, Blueberries? By KI MAE HEUSSNER Jan. 22, 2010 Could you run your way to a better memory? Maybe so. Earlier this week, scientists published a study adding more fuel to the growing belief that exercise boosts brain health. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and conducted by the U.S. National Institute on Aging in Maryland, found that running led to the growth of new brain cells and improved performance. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1753.htm Less running, more recovery as you taper for marathon by Brom Hoban Monday, Jan. 25, 2010 The Austin Marathon is less than three weeks away now, and prospective marathoners are thinking about how to handle final preparations. In recent years, the value of the traditional three-to-four week "taper" has been questioned. Runners who cut back sharply on running and avoid fast workouts often find themselves getting sluggish and irritable. Today the traditional pre-marathon taper has been replaced by the concept of "peaking" for the marathon. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1752.htm A Best Friend, Yes. Best Runner, Maybe Not. Brandon Thibodeaux January 20, 2010 A MAN’S friend is not always his best choice of a running partner. The same can be said of man’s best friend. Some Dogs Are Bred to Go the Distance and Some Aren’t It’s a lesson that Michelle Powe, an English teacher in Midlothian, Tex., learned last summer when trying to run with Mookie, her 90-pound Catahoula. “He kept trying to herd me,” she recalled. For the entire three-mile run, Mookie displayed the kind of herding behavior that is typical for the breed, throwing his weight against Ms. Powe and nipping at her legs. “By the end of it, my knees were sore from having 90 pounds constantly bumping into me,” she said. “It was fun for other people to watch, but not so much for me.” Wed, 27 Jan 2010 09:21:24 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1751.htm The Lactic Acid Myths by Matt Fitzgerald January 26, 2010 Everything you’ve been taught about lactic acid is wrong. There are many myths about lactic acid.  Perhaps the greatest of all is the notion that there is lactic acid in the human body.  There is not.  The body actually produces lactate, which is lactic acid minus one proton. The difference between lactic acid and lactate is, for all practical purposes, semantic.  But other popular beliefs about lactic acid (or, as I will properly call it from this point forward, lactate) are about as wrong as wrong can be.  Most triathletes believe that lactate is an end product of anaerobic muscle metabolism that causes local muscle fatigue by increasing the acidity of the tissues to the point where they no longer can function effectively.  In fact, we now know that lactate is an intermediate link between anaerobic and aerobic muscle metabolism that serves as both a direct and indirect fuel for muscle contraction and delays fatigue in a couple of different ways. Our new understanding of the nature and function of lactate is interesting to all athletes who are curious about how the human body works.  But does it make any practical difference?  Does the new science of lactate suggest a different approach to training than the old science did?  I would suggest that it does call for a subtle tweaking of the standard approach to endurance training, but no major overhaul.  Before we get to that, however, let’s take a closer look at how the classic beliefs about lactate were exposed as myths and replaced by an almost opposite explanation. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:40:14 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1750.htm Tai Chi + Running = A whole new level of training By BRYAN ANGELO GARCIA January 23, 2010, 2:54pm From the moment a child gains wits and develops balance, his or her natural instinct is to break out and run. It’s natural, liberating, and fun.  This habit is carried on later in life.  Thus running, apart from a staple practice in exercises and conditioning,  has become a family event. However, as years pass, the tolls of running manifests itself in many different ways. As regular runners would testify, the body gradually breaks down due to wear and tear. Injuries are common from the waist down. Recently, there has been a movement geared towards educating the running public of the proper way to run. This practice is called “Chi Running,” a combination of the flow and balance of Tai Chi and the power and endurance of running. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:29:20 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1749.htm Relying on the buddy system By Joanne Kempinger Demski Jan. 26, 2009  Exercise partner can help keep workouts on track For some exercisers, the hardest part of the workout is just getting to the gym. They must ignore that chocolate cake in the fridge or step away from the television and its new batch of "American Idol" contestants. For others, the problem may be finding the motivation to do more than chat near the gym's water fountain once they get there. Fortunately, there is a cure for these ailments: Hook up with a workout partner. Sun, 01 Feb 2009 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1748.htm The ABCs of strength training By Amy O'Brian January 25, 2009 Grace and endurance are likely the first things that come to mind when thinking about the feather-light runners who are first to sprint across the Sun Run finish line every year. The elite runners glide across the pavement seemingly without effort, their slender legs reaching easily for every next step. Their heads barely moving and their torsos remaining upright, they betray little sign of exhaustion. But their sinew and style has not come without effort. Strength training is key to the performance of any elite runner. And it is a smart addition to the workout routine of a new runner, too. Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1747.htm Long-distance running By Fred Tasker 26th Jan 09 Today we run marathons for fun. Are we crazy? Isn't running a marathon a giant insult to the human body and mind? What does it do to us? As counterintuitive as it seems to those who don't indulge, doctors, psychologists and runners agree that the effects of marathon running are mainly positive. It tones our bodies, calms our minds and builds up our all-important cardiovascular system. Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1746.htm The Art of Movement By Dr. Mark Cucuzzella January 26, 2009 If you are training for an event, striving to improve your health and fitness, or have a desire to experience less discomfort in your endurance activity, then read on. Although this article focuses mostly on running, the principles apply to all endurance activity. Most of us understand that you must train if you wish to run well and for greater distances. What is mostly ignored in running is the concept of practice. Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:04:52 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1745.htm How I qualified for the Boston Marathon By Leica Carpo January 26, 2009 PEOPLE often ask me why I run, and how I got so fast so quickly. I started running in August 2007 at age 40. With less then three years of running as a base, it’s uncommon to start running marathons with a sub-4 finish time, much less qualifying for a prestigious race like the Boston Marathon with a 3:40(02) finish time. But I did. Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:01:35 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1744.htm Running a marathon: Advice from a veteran By Jeremy Cox Dec. 16, 2008 Tips from experts should help you reach your goals in Sunday's Jacksonville Bank race Mastering a marathon is more than just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. Diet, training, mental toughness, hydration - all of these factors are critical to reaching your goals, be they setting a personal record or merely finishing in one piece. With less than a week to go before the 26th running of the Jacksonville Bank Marathon, the Times-Union talked to a few experts around town and came up with this "quick" guide to running your best. Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1743.htm Do you need a running coach? by Claire Charlton December 15, 8:26 PM Maybe you are working toward big running goal, like a 10K or a half marathon.  Or maybe you are looking to run a full 26.2.  Perhaps you'd like to increase your running speed or your efficiency, or maybe you just want to start running but don't know how to take that first step. Thu, 18 Dec 2008 06:36:28 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1742.htm Five common mistakes marathon runners make By ROBERTA MACINNIS Dec. 14, 2008 As the Chevron Houston Marathon nears, area experts offer some advice It takes effort and determination to train for a marathon. So why do so many runners ignore what they've learned? With the Chevron Houston Marathon just a month away, we polled coaches of area training groups to discover the top five mistakes marathon runners make on race day. Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:41:35 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1741.htm Here’s what to get the runner in your life By Bill Shaw December 8, 2008 My Friday 6-miler around the Old River levee was a tough run against an 18 mph wind and a wind-chill factor of 37 degrees. After my prayers and meditations at about the third mile, I began writing this column. I didn’t have any problem choosing a topic: It’s time for my annual Christmas gifts for runners column. With the economy in a downward spiral, we all might have to cut our Christmas budgets a bit, so I shall limit my gift suggestions this year to gifts under $25. Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:42:36 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1740.htm Things Your Personal Trainer Won’t Tell You by Mike O’Donnell November 21, 2008 Having been a trainer myself for years and years I can tell you that I have met some great smart trainers, and some I’m not even sure how they got certified. Most people seem to trust their trainers 100% when it comes to advice on how to get into shape, yet isn’t the information only as good as the source it comes from. Some trainers may have a Masters in exercise physiology, some may have no formal background in fitness. While a degree is one thing, experience and the ability to get results is another. Much like a nutritionist who went to school to learn about nutrition, yet may also tell you to follow the food pyramid, eat 10 servings of grains all day and eating 6x a day is the best way to speed up your metabolism (which we already know is not true from the posts about the science of meal frequency Part I and Part II). Trainers are also in the business of training, so there is incentive to keeping people around month after month. So here are some things that you may not be getting from your trainer….but need to know. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1739.htm Dealing with injuries by Jennifer Gill December 1, 2008 There are times in a runner's training when they have to skip a run or two due to a busy schedule, an unexpected event, or simply because they want to.  Then there are times in a runner's training where they are forced to skip runs. They're injured. Injuries are very hard for many runners to deal with, for a number of reasons. While some runners actually look forward to the little break for a welcome rest, others completely freak out. Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:55:43 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1738.htm Off Season Intervention (Part I): Fitness is in Your Muscles, not the Cardiovascular System! By Rich Strauss 11 Nov 2008 We have bad news and good news for you. The bad news is that once you finish this article, you are going to want to cancel that winter schedule of base building, aerobic mileage-oriented, zone 1-2 training. The good news is that by the time you finish reading, you’ll be ready to set up your best triathlon season yet! Before we begin, a warning: What you are about to read goes against every single email newsletter or training article that will hit your inbox between now and January. The “Go Slower to Get Faster” off-season theme not only makes zero physiological sense, it’s utterly wrong. Recycled year after year by the latest coach of the month trying to make a name for him/herself, these ideas have become woven into the cultural fabric of our sport. Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1737.htm 10 common running mistakes November 10, 2008 by Jennifer Gill Sometimes we hit a wall in our running.  And I'm not talking about the "Wall" you always hear about when you're training for a long distance race and you deplete your energy stores.  No, this is a much bigger wall.  This is when you're running is just not feeling right, things are just not working for you and you're at a loss.  Maybe you're injured.  Maybe you've lost your motivation.  When you get to that point, it's important to take some time to check in with yourself to see if you've been making some of these common running mistakes. Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1736.htm Does cross-training work? By: Dr Bridget Farham 10 Nov 2008 With tri-and duo-athlete events gaining in popularity it is reasonable to suppose that there is something to be said for cross-training, even if you don't see yourself actually competing. If you are a pure runner, cyclist or swimmer, can cross-training help you? There seem to be conflicting ideas. Some authorities say that you should train exclusively for your sport, others see benefit in cross-training. Unfortunately most of the scientific studies carried out are on untrained people, so it's difficult to hypothesise on the effects of cross-training on elite athletes. Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1735.htm Winterize Your Running: Treadmill Tips by FitSugar 11th Nov 08 It is a common trend during late Autumn to start moving workouts indoors. Treadmills and spin classes are staples of Winter fitness. If layering up to brave the cold keeps you from running, then move your workout inside, but keep these tips in mind: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:06:27 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1734.htm Distance Running by Andrea Brakhuis 2008 Characteristics of the Sport Overview Distance runners compete over a variety of race lengths most commonly 10 km, 15 km, half marathon (21.1 km) and the marathon (42.2 km). While there is a 10 000 m track event, most distance running is done as road races or cross-country runs. 'Fun runs' of various lengths attract community participation, recreational runners joining with elite and club-level runners.  Ultra-distance races such as 50 mile, 100 km, 100 mile and 24 hour races also exist. Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:14:49 +0000 http://www.sportscoach.netmx.co.uk/Article1733.htm Hope You're Sitting Down: Study Shows Running GOOD For You! by Andrew Heffernan Oct 30, 2008 It seems to have calmed down a bit in the last few months, but there's been a bit of a schism for a while now between endurance types and the weight training types.  In a word, runners and their ilk have become the Star-Bellied Sneeches of the fitness world. Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:00:00 +0000