Summertime means the mountains are open for runners and hikers, and the majority of the high alpine races are during this time of year. However, many runners, especially city slickers, don’t have equivalent climbs where...
Tag: Training
As the snows start melting, many of us start looking forward to mountain races. Since one of the key skills for these events is the ability to run downhill efficiently and strongly, at this time of year it’s important to...
Do you find your running mojo runs low sometimes? That every run feels the same and you’re pounding familiar paths again and again? It can be easy to get stuck in a rut due to certain training routes or races being conve...
Muddy shoes, wet socks and sweaty clothes adorning an ominously odorous mass of foul dampness—that’s one way to describe a runner who, in the ecstasies of post-run bliss, fails to recognize the staunch stench they are em...
As ultrarunners everywhere ramp up their training for their summer goals, it is a good time to discuss and strategize for training and racing in the heat. This is a complex topic, and scientists’ understanding of the var...
I’ve been fortunate to have remained healthy, motivated and passionate about long-distance running over the years. I believe some of this longevity is due to training principles and guidelines derived from years of succe...
When you take up ultrarunning, there are three things you must do to prepare yourself for the sheer physical demands of the sport. First, you need to run trails. The uneven surfaces, ups and downs, obstacles, rocks a...
Around the end of the year we all look forward to a little downtime from running. Then after about five minutes, we get itchy feet and want to get right back at it. This is the time, sometimes even during holiday gatheri...
Races can be very useful training arenas as alternatives to solo long runs. There’s certainly a tendency for ultrarunners to race a lot more frequently than the traditional spring and fall marathon, so what’s the best wa...
At the end of the year most runners think about their plans for the following year, including their target races. This early planning is exacerbated by the number of lotteries for major races, something that’s becoming m...