Windsor Running
  • Race Timing
    • Event Management
  • Race Calendar & Results
  • Who We Are
    • Our Coaches
    • Coaching Philosophy
  • Coaching
    • One-On-One Coaching
  • Contact Us
  • Race Timing
    • Event Management
  • Race Calendar & Results
  • Who We Are
    • Our Coaches
    • Coaching Philosophy
  • Coaching
    • One-On-One Coaching
  • Contact Us

Windsor Running Blog

Yoga for Runners

7/20/2016

3 Comments

 
Picture
I have always been a big fan of high intensity workouts, with running as my activity of choice. I love compiling a playlist of new music and taking off to enjoy the serenity of clipping away miles in solitude. Author of Once a Runner, John L. Parker Jr. put it best - “In mind’s special processes, a ten-mile run takes far longer than the 60 minutes reported by a grandfather clock. Such time, in fact, hardly exists at all in the real world; it is all out on the trail somewhere, and you only go back to it when you are out there.”

This all changed in my early 20s when I injured my IT band and had to stop running for close to six months. In order to avoid going stir crazy, I decided to try a workout I had long since lost interest in: yoga. When I first started taking classes I had a hard time with it; I would get antsy and start fidgeting. When we were supposed to be focusing on our breathing with our eyes closed I would start counting ceiling tiles. Slowly, however, I started to come around to the practice. Even now, years after my IT band has healed, I have found yoga to be beneficial to my running both mentally and physically.

Read More
3 Comments

The Benefits of Running on Vacation

7/15/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
I just returned from a great family vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. While vacations these days are a bit different now that I have a one year old, it was still a great time to relax with my daughter and in-laws. The house where we stayed was right on the beach and there were few roads, save the busy main one that runs along the island. This set up was great for beach time, but was a bit of a struggle for running. It was also incredibly hot and humid down there so I had to employ some tips from Windsor Running’s recent Running in the Heat blog. That being said, my brother in-law and I found some great little loops and got creative so that we could get a few miles in before returning to the crazy toddlers and the amazing food and drink that dominated the week.

The big takeaway from the week is that you shouldn’t take a vacation from your running plan…even when you’re on vacation. In fact, running on vacation should be treated as a reprieve from your everyday routine. Here are a few reasons to stay motivated and consider your running being an important part of your vacation: 

Read More
1 Comment

Lessons for Distance Runners from Sprints Coaches

7/8/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
I am a big fan of reading Steve Magness’ Science of Running blog and book. He is a former coach of the Nike Oregon Project and current distance coach at the University of Houston. Steve is the consummate academic and is always looking outside of traditional running literature for different approaches to training distance runners. As a result, one of his recent blogs inspired me to write about what I have learned coaching sprinters that has translated into making changes in how I coach distance runners.
 
When I first started coaching, I never thought that I would go anywhere near the sprints. I had an antiquated thought that when it came to pure speed, “you can’t put in what God left out.” I had a great sprints coach on staff and he was passionate about working with that group of athletes. But as with many moments in life, we are sometimes forced to step outside of our comfort zone, and into uncharted waters, and when my sprints coach left for graduate school, I stepped into the role. What has been revelatory about the experience is learning about the physiology and psychology of coaching different types of athletes. I won’t say that I’m as passionate about the sprints as I am about the longer distances quite yet, but my team won the DC "state" 4 by 100 meter title this spring so I think we’re doing something right!

Read More
0 Comments

Running in the Heat

7/5/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
​My wife and I were walking the other day and we were enveloped in the humidity that defines Washington, DC summers. As a native of North Carolina, she refers to the humidity as a comforting blanket. Because I grew up in Connecticut, I tend to have a different view and have a really hard time running in the heat in humidity. But because it’s not only my job to make sure that I am in shape so that I can keep up with the kids I coach come fall, but I also love running, I had to find some ways to adjust in the heat of the summer.
            While I’ll get into the science behind how heat affects exercise below, I want to start with a personal story. In 2012, I was training for the National Marathon (now Rock ‘n Roll DC). My buddy and I trained through a winter that saw snowstorms and frigid temperatures. Having run in college in upstate New York, I have to say I reveled in it. While this could be a bit of a revisionist history of the weather, we dutifully completed our long runs regardless of the temperature or weather conditions. As race day approached, there were some perfectly cool days leading up to the race that would have been awesome for marathon running.
            Of course race day arrived and it was in the high 60s at the start and when I crossed the finish line, it was 77 degrees. Needless to say, the heat had a significant effect on how I ran that day. Even though I came away with a PR, I was always left wondering what could have been if the race had been run in cooler temperatures.
            The important take away from the race and the subsequent disappointment with the weather is we have to do the best we can with what we are given. That day was warm and I tried to drink fluids constantly. And while I wish it had been cooler, I did my best to control the variables I could. 

Read More
0 Comments

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Contact

Email

legal

Terms and Conditions
Privacy Policy
Windsor Running © COPYRIGHT 2016. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.