Running

Core exercises that hit all planes of motion should be a focus for distance runners. This includes front and side planks, leg lifts, dips, rows and rotations such as chops and Russian twists.
 
Transcript: "What are the most beneficial core midline exercises for distance runners to do in the gym? Well there's a long list of exercises that you can do and a lot of them are really good, but the biggest thing for distance runners to focus on is trying to get a few key core exercises that hit all the planes of motion so that you have some that are working in the frontal plane, the sagittal plane, and the transverse plane. I think simple is key, so you know maybe you're doing a front plank, front plank with leg kicks, front plank on a Swiss ball with circles, then we're into doing the side plank, side plank with a dip, side plank with a leg lift, side plank with a row, and then we're into rotational. Maybe we're doing a chop, maybe we're doing a runner's chop with a knee drive, we're doing a Russian twist, but as long as you hit those three planes of motion, it's gonna go a long way for you and your distance running."

Super shoes are great for performance and recovery, but use them sparingly to reduce injury risk. I would suggest using them for one or two key workouts a week, and maybe a long run if you're training for a marathon.
 
Transcript: "How much run training should be done in super shoes as little as possible. I think super shoes are awesome. They definitely aid in performance and facilitate faster recovery. But on the flip side, there's definitely a bit of more injury risk depending on your biomechanics as a runner. And then also typically the foam is really compressing quickly and they don't typically last as long. So I would use them for maybe one or two key workouts a week and definitely like a practice long run if you're doing a longer race, like a marathon, at least doing one of your big long runs in them just so you know that they're going to be a good shoe for you. But otherwise I would try to spend as much time as you can in your regular training shoes and just get some key efforts done in the super shoes."

When working with elite athletes, I try to use minimal intervention when making form changes, only changing one thing at a time. I also take into consideration their injury history, training, and how they move in order to determine if a change is necessary.
 
Transcript: "Can you speak more about changing form in elites? Well, I spend most of my day working with um elite athletes in the running world with the Barman track club. And I would have to say I like to live by a philosophy of minimal intervention. So we will typically talk about form and make small form changes if there's a chronic um history of injury and that same injury seems to be popping up. And if upon physical exam and watching them move, we're correlating it to something we're directly seeing in the running. And then even from there, we're really not trying to change the form too much. Maybe we're picking one thing and seeing if there's a good trickle down effect. But I typically try to change as little as possible and really have to correlate it to what I'm seeing with them in their training, in their injury history and on their exams when I'm doing their treatment a few times a week. So I think oftentimes we get these ideas in our head that a certain form is bad or a certain foot strike is bad, but really that's just looking at it in too much of a siloed kind of lens and we need to take into consideration that everybody moves a little bit differently. It doesn't mean it's bad movement. We just need to be able to correlate this with the athletes story, who they are, what their training has been like, um how they move. Have they been successful? Do we really need to make these changes? Um But honestly, just minimal intervention, sometimes you need to make a small change and that can go a long way. But again, just kind of keep it simple."

Mo Farah is an incredible athlete who has had a long and successful career, with his mental game being one of the biggest factors that set him apart from the competition. He should be applauded for his accomplishments and be seen as a great ambassador for the sport.
 
Transcript: "So I followed Mo Farah's career for a long time because I had athletes competing against him in cross country and Europe. So I knew who he was and had followed his career and became one of the greatest athletes we've had in distance running. It's great to see him finish his career on his feet. Two 10s, nothing to disown. It's great that he came through on his last marathon. But one of the things I'm so impressed with, what separated him from everyone else was his mental game. Obviously he had the physical gifts, but his mental game was unbelievable. Studying a lot of the mental stuff and body language, I picked him once to win the Chicago Marathon. I was in the elite tent, had some other athletes there. His demeanor and the way he holds himself is unbelievable. It allows him to compete at his best. He doesn't let things get in the way. You can tell he's just into the process and he's not going to let expectations get in the way. Amazing career. He should be applauded. Big fan of his. Great ambassador for the sport in my opinion. Great to see his last marathon. He went for it and died a little bit at the end. Great to see. What a great ambassador for the sport and for England. Good to see."

I am a fan of negative splitting in a marathon as it helps conserve fuel and achieve the best performance. It encourages a balance of sugars and fats to maintain energy levels during the race, as well as improving mental focus for the second half when the competition may be tougher. Many successful athletes have used this strategy in the past, and I believe it is the best way to win a marathon.
 
Transcript: "So I do like negative splitting in the marathon because it is such a metabolic event and You know, you can waste a lot of fuel early with nervous energy and and and attacking that first half, but You know if you're smart and you negative split because it is a balance of sugars and fats and fueling I think the way Kelvin Kipton ran London was the way I love to see people race the marathon Okay, it helps you avoid mistakes it helps You ensure a great performance. Okay, not always, you know, it doesn't mean you're you're always gonna get 100% but you're gonna get very very close rather than running out of fuel at the end, so Love the negative splitting because it is a fuel event and a balance of fats and sugars Now there is the mental part, you know, there's athletes that have very difficult time with that because they want to be committed and compete and that's a different game and you got to balance that with with The competition the weather the terrain but I do like negative splitting I think it's the way to race I think The best performances come with that negative split and one of the things when Kipchoge was trying to break two hours I did want to see him start a little slower that first time and attack that second half, but obviously, you know with pace groups and all that stuff, it's a little different game, but like the negative split And I think that's how you get your your best efforts your best performances and that's how you win You know, I was following a lot of this strategy even from You know 1976 Don Cardone was doing it and Baldini does it and you know did it when he won So so many different athletes do this and and that's what I like to see"

Race walking is judged by the human eye, where a good judge can detect if an athlete's foot is off the ground for less than 30 milliseconds.
 
Transcript: "I think it's a little bit like umpires judging the strike zone in baseball. I know there's technology now for television, but as far as the game is concerned, the judges are just watching from knees to shoulders with their magnets. I'm not exactly sure how they judge it in baseball, but I do know in race walking it's judged with the human eye. And you are standing far enough back where you can see both feet, and you're making sure that at least one is in contact with the ground at all times, or at least what your eye can detect. Now the feet are moving by it almost four steps per second, so it's a little tricky, but a good judge can, within about 30 to 40 thousandths of a second, detect whether that foot is off the ground or not. If the athlete's off for less than 30 milliseconds, it gets really hard. A good judge, under about 40 milliseconds, or over about 40 milliseconds, a judge can see a walker coming off the ground."