Track & Field

Running

What's the number one mistake you see runners make?

The Biggest Mistake for Runners: Starting Too Quickly

The best running tip I ever received-- and I still think it's a great tip for right now, especially with all the social media going-- it was from Bill Rogers. I was about twelve years old. And I was at a running store. And he was going out for a run with Tom Fleming. And so I was putting on shoes, so I jumped in and ran 12 miles with them. But the best tip was something he said and something I observed by watching them and hearing them. They started their runs very, very slow. So my tip is that you need to start your easy runs slow, warm up into them, see how you're going to feel. Nothing wrong with running moderate, but you want to warm up into your run and let your body naturally get to its quicker pace. The biggest mistake I see is people that are concerned about what their overall average of the run is, and they're starting too quickly. The easiest way to get injured is, in the beginning of a run-- is starting too quickly. If you need to start your run faster, go for a little jog before. Warm up before you start your initial run. So start your runs easy was the best tip I ever received, from Bill Rogers.

Start your runs easy and warm up into them. Avoid starting too quickly, as it can lead to injury. If you need to start faster, go for a jog first.

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The number one mistake I see runners make is starting their runs too quickly. The best running tip I ever received was from Bill Rogers when I was about twelve years old. I had the opportunity to run with him and Tom Fleming for 12 miles. The tip he shared was to start your easy runs slow and gradually warm up into them. By observing them, I realized the importance of this advice.

Many runners are concerned about their overall average pace and tend to start their runs too quickly. However, starting too fast in the beginning of a run is a surefire way to increase the risk of injury. Instead, it's recommended to start your runs at an easy pace, allowing your body to naturally warm up and find its rhythm. There's nothing wrong with running at a moderate pace, but it's crucial to give your body time to adjust and gradually increase your speed.

If you feel the need to start your run at a faster pace, consider going for a short jog as a warm-up before beginning your main run. This will help prepare your body for the increased intensity.

In summary, the biggest mistake I see runners make is not starting their runs slow and gradually warming up into them. Taking the time to ease into your runs can help prevent injuries and improve overall performance.

Do you tell runners to “push” or “pull” themselves forward when cueing about form and drive?

Coaching Insight: The Importance of Individualized Running Form

Okay, one of the most important things as a coach is not force your athlete into your system to survive, but work your system around the athlete. With that said, I do not advocate pushing or pulling, and I'll tell you why. First of all, there's no exact way to run. Heel striking, midfoot striking, pushing, pulling, there are so many different ways, and people have been successful in all of these. I care more about where their foot lands, whether it lands under them or just slightly ahead of them. But normally beginners are over striding or heel striking, they're reaching out, and sometimes midfoot strikers, their body's ahead of their foot. But with that said, be really careful whether you change strides and do not do things drastically. You want to work on things like stability work, your whole body, that will help with your running form. Drills, I favor DanPath sprint drills, it will help both pushing and pulling. Ancillary work, hill sprints, power off the foot, all that kind of stuff. But be really careful changing your stride, and I do think there's a difference between changing an elite stride and changing a novice's stride, because elites have run for a long time and their body gets into a pattern of movement, whereas novices, they haven't gotten there yet. And so pay attention, why are you changing your form? If you're healthy and running well, why are you changing your form? Yes, to get faster. But test this on a treadmill with your oxygen consumption and running economy, and make sure it's not BS.

As a coach, it is important to work your system around the athlete and not force your system onto them. Be careful when changing a runner's stride as there is no exact way to run, but focus on stability, drills and ancillary work such as hill sprints and power off the foot. For elite runners, pay attention to why you are changing their form, while for novice runners make sure they have the correct oxygen consumption and running economy before changing anything.

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As a coach, I prioritize adapting my system to fit the needs of each athlete rather than forcing them into a rigid framework. When it comes to cueing about form and drive for runners, I do not specifically advocate for pushing or pulling, and here's why. There is no one exact way to run. Different runners have found success with heel striking, midfoot striking, pushing, pulling, and various other techniques. What matters more to me is where the foot lands - ideally under the runner or slightly ahead of them. Beginners often struggle with overstriding or heel striking, while midfoot strikers may find their body too far ahead of their foot. However, caution should be exercised when making changes to stride. Instead, focus on stability work that engages the entire body and helps improve running form. Incorporate drills like DanPath sprint drills that can benefit both pushing and pulling movements. Ancillary work such as hill sprints can also enhance power off the foot. It's important to be cautious when changing stride patterns, as there's a difference between altering the stride of an elite runner versus that of a novice runner who hasn't established ingrained movement patterns yet. Consider why you are seeking to change your running form. If you're running well and injury-free, ask yourself if the goal is solely about getting faster. Conduct tests on a treadmill to assess factors like oxygen consumption and running economy while ensuring any changes made are meaningful and not based on false claims.

Unlocking the Power of Confidence: Techniques for Athletes

So obviously confidence is one of the most important things you need to have successful performances and to be successful as an athlete. And, you know, definitely I remember my college coach told me that success breeds success. And that is so true. You know, when you're having great performances, it's easy to replicate them. But you know, when you're not Not when you're not hitting Great Performances, then it becomes much, much more difficult to have confidence, and there's definitely some techniques you can do. So you need confidence to get your greatest performances, but you also needed to be consistent. So, one of the things you can do is have amnesia for your poor performances, and always think of your good performance. Has the best athletes only see themselves as their good performances. They forget the bat. The other thing is To train like you're number two and race. Like you're number one. And that just means the science is saying. We need to bring more confidence to our racing and calmness and more intensity to our training. And then the next one would be to believe in your training or coach if you're going to train with the group or be on a team or whatever it is, do a training program, you've got to believe you're going to get your goals and then one of the most underrated things is specificity. Make sure you're not just getting fit that you preparing for exactly for the specificity of your event. And that will give you confidence, terrain temperature, competitors tactics. And then the second part of this is to keep a belief or confidence journal and that somewhere, you can go from time to time to boost your confidence. What's been your greatest challenge to date? Write it down. How did you do it? What's your greatest performance? A date relive. It see it in color, right? Details down. Down who are some Role Models? You can look to okay? Elwood kipchoge is a pretty good one. What are your three greatest strengths as an athlete? What are three compliments? You've been given as an athlete, write it down, what are three Awards, You've Won and then lastly, who in your life would be surprised to see you do great things, it's good to have someone in your Camp. So write these down, this will help, you know, confidence is huge to your success.

To have successful performances and be a successful athlete, confidence is key. One way to increase confidence is to practice having amnesia for poor performances and only focus on good ones. It is also important to train like you're number two and race like you're number one. Additionally, you should believe in your training and be specific when preparing for a certain event. Lastly, keeping a confidence journal can help boost self-confidence.

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Confidence is crucial for successful performances as an athlete. To maintain confidence before a race, there are several techniques you can employ.

First, remember that success breeds success. Focus on your past great performances and use them as a foundation for confidence. Develop amnesia for poor performances and only dwell on the positive ones.

Train like you're number two and race like you're number one. Bring confidence and intensity to your training sessions, which will translate into your races.

Believe in your training and trust your coach or training program. Have faith that you are working towards your goals and that your training will pay off.

Specificity is key. Ensure that your training is tailored to the specific demands of your event, including terrain, temperature, competitors, and tactics. This preparation will boost your confidence.

Consider keeping a belief or confidence journal. Write down your greatest challenges, how you overcame them, and relive your greatest performances in vivid detail. Include role models, your strengths as an athlete, compliments you've received, and any awards you've won. This journal can serve as a confidence booster when needed.

Lastly, surround yourself with supportive individuals who believe in your potential. Having someone in your corner can provide an extra boost of confidence.

Remember, confidence plays a significant role in your success as an athlete, so prioritize building and maintaining it.

How can you relieve stress in the days leading too a race?

Mastering Stress: Key Strategies to Optimize Race Performance

So stress is super important before race because it actually helps you get your best performance. But we want to control it and not let it get out of hand. So the first thing is when you do have stress before a race is to control it. Make sure you understand it, that it's really just your chimp brain exaggerating things, that sport is not life or death. So you need to face everything and respond. And usually, when we have stress it's telling us, we're worried of upcoming performance. We're worried of being embarrassed or something. So it means we care. It means we think we can make a difference. And remember there's really three main parts-- I'm making this simple, but there's three parts to our brain. The chimp brain, the emotional side that exaggerates everything. You need to realize sport is not life or death. Control this. This is the emotional side. Usually, it's things we don't want. Then we have the professor brain, which is the rational, smart side. We want to engage this part more. Then we have the computer brain, which is this automatic things we don't notice. So realize what's going on. And the other thing is to avoid stress and to have the least amount of stress, you need to have 24 and 48 hour laminated cards that tell you what to do in every moment. Bill Belichick has a great saying. Know what your job is and do your job in every moment. And you should have cards that telling you what to do from playlists to listen to foods that are right, when to warm up, when, to eat, when to drive to the airport how long it takes. I know it sounds simple, but you want-- when you get stressed out, you get flustered and you forget things. So have an outline of what to do in the 24, 48 hours before the race and you'll--

Stress is important in order to get your best performance, but it's important to control it. Understand that sport is not life or death and engage the rational side of your brain. Have a 24 and 48 hour plan that tells you what to do in every moment in order to minimize stress.

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To relieve stress in the days leading up to a race, it's important to understand and control it. Recognize that stress is a natural response that can actually enhance performance. However, it's crucial to prevent it from becoming overwhelming.

First, acknowledge that stress is often the result of our chimp brain, the emotional side, exaggerating things. Remember that sports are not a matter of life or death. Understand that stress indicates that you care and believe you can make a difference.

Our brain has three main parts: the chimp brain (emotional side), the professor brain (rational and smart side), and the computer brain (automatic functions). Engage the rational side of your brain and control the emotional side.

To minimize stress, create laminated cards that outline what to do in every moment during the 24 to 48 hours leading up to the race. These cards can include playlists to listen to, appropriate foods to eat, warm-up routines, and even logistical details like travel times. Having a clear plan helps prevent feeling flustered and forgetting important tasks.

Following this approach will help you manage stress effectively and be well-prepared for the race.

How do you set an appropriate goal for a marathon (about 8 weeks out), especially if you think you’re much faster than your PR?

Setting Your Marathon Goal: Insights 8 Weeks Out

Great question. How do you set a marathon goal? Eight weeks out from a marathon. So, ideally, if you're a true marathoner, and you've been using a periodization of cycle, roughly six months to marathons a year. You have an idea based on your past history, where you are fitness-wise. And obviously, you've come off your base training for the marathon. And my opinion is if you've done Based training correctly, Glee your training under the event, for the marathon. So you're training for the half. So you race a half somewhere, you know, eight to 12 weeks out, in my opinion and that will give you a great idea to see where you are at for the marathon. And, you know, there's all these charts. I like the VDOT Jack Daniels thing to give you an idea of what you're capable of a different distances. It doesn't mean you're 100% there because there's so many differences. Between events and conditions, but you could also do it. So a half marathon Race will tell you where you're at. You can also do it through your workouts, specific endurance, tests aerobic, tests lactate threshold tests. Even in the lab will help you, give you an idea where you are, but look at your past history, what your PR is in the marathon, look at what you race, the half in. Look at some of your aerobic test, look at some of your long run. Ins how you've done your specific endurance at marathon pace so that should give you a good idea on where you're at and what a good goal race Pace should be, I do think you have to adapt it as you go along, based on raising Fitness and where you're going. So but that's my advice.

A good way to set a marathon goal is to look at your past history, race a half marathon 8-12 weeks out from the marathon, and do aerobic and lactate threshold tests. This should give you a good idea of what you're capable of and what a good goal pace should be. Adapt it as needed based on your increasing fitness.

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Setting an appropriate goal for a marathon about eight weeks out, especially if you believe you're much faster than your personal record (PR), requires careful consideration. Ideally, if you're an experienced marathoner following a periodization cycle of around six months to a year, you should have a sense of your fitness level based on past history.

Assuming you have completed your base training for the marathon, my suggestion is to incorporate a half marathon race into your training plan around eight to 12 weeks before the marathon. This race will provide valuable insights into your current fitness level and help gauge your readiness for the marathon. Utilizing tools like the VDOT Jack Daniels charts can also give you an idea of your capabilities at different distances, although it's important to remember that various factors can influence race performance.

Additionally, you can assess your progress through specific endurance tests, aerobic tests, lactate threshold tests, or even lab assessments. Consider your past marathon PR, your performance in the half marathon, and evaluate your aerobic capacity and long run performances. These factors will help you determine a suitable goal race pace.

It's important to remain adaptable throughout the training process and adjust your goal as you progress and improve your fitness. Regularly reassess your performance and make necessary modifications based on your increasing fitness level and trajectory.

By considering these factors and utilizing your past history and performance indicators, you can set an appropriate goal for your marathon, even if you believe you're capable of a faster time.

Is caffeine bad for you or is it ok to drink a couple of cups of coffee every day?

Caffeine: Mild & Harmless or Secret Rocket Fuel for Athletes?

Hey there. Great question on caffeine and I do think for most, the caffeine is pretty mild and harmless. And you know, it's the why it's the most widely used drug in the world. The reason why their Starbucks on every corner, but I think for most caffeine is safe and harmless, but there are people that respond really well to caffeine and do better. There are people that just kind of do It doesn't do much and there are people that actually do worse and those are with the genotype. Cy, P 1, a 2 and a lot of you know who you are, you can get screened for this. So they say, three to six milligrams for every kilogram of body weight is pretty safe for most people in the past in my, are we thought the caffeine mostly had to do with fueling sparing carbs? But we know that it has to do with mood, it has to do with us feeling less pain. It fires our nervous system so it does do the fueling but it all does those other things as well, our perceived effort. So I've had athletes take 400 milligrams of caffeine which is too vibrant pills before marathon and do great. I do think athletes should have run gum on their bottles, just to make sure if they do need it. A lot of the studies where caffeine really works is on timing. Okay. When you take it so I Martin has you take 100 mg on the line and 100, add half way because it takes about 45 minutes to 60 minutes. So, I do think. Same reason, I have athletes put a Tylenol in their bottle, after 25k to dull pain and wake. Their brain up a little bit. So um, I do think you should cut back on caffeine the week before so that you come to the race in your rocket ship and it works a little better or at least take some of it out or take it out. Completely some people do and I do think you should not not have caffeine within six hours of bedtime, because it does interfere with really good quality sleep. You may sleep, but you're not going to sleep as well. If you have caffeine in your bloodstream, so don't drink it. Within six hours of bedtime hope that helps

Caffeine is generally safe and can be beneficial for athletes, although it should be taken in moderation. Those with a certain genotype should take even less caffeine than the average person. Timing is important for best results, and it should not be consumed within 6 hours of bedtime.

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Caffeine is generally considered to be mild and harmless for most people. It is the most widely used drug in the world, and many individuals respond well to caffeine without any negative effects. However, there are variations in how people react to caffeine. Some individuals may benefit from its effects, while others may not experience much difference, and some may even have a negative response due to their genetic makeup.

For most people, a safe range is about three to six milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight. Caffeine not only provides fuel but also affects mood, reduces pain perception, and stimulates the nervous system. In some cases, athletes have taken up to 400 milligrams of caffeine before a marathon and performed well. It can be beneficial for athletes to have caffeine sources like run gum available during races if needed.

The effectiveness of caffeine often depends on timing. For example, taking 100 milligrams before the start of a race and another 100 milligrams halfway through can be effective. It takes about 45 to 60 minutes for caffeine to take effect. Some athletes also use a small dose of Tylenol during a race to dull pain and increase alertness.

It is advisable to reduce caffeine intake or eliminate it completely in the week leading up to a race to enhance its effectiveness. Additionally, it is recommended to avoid consuming caffeine within six hours of bedtime as it can interfere with quality sleep. While you may still sleep, the presence of caffeine in your bloodstream can affect the overall quality of your sleep.

I hope this information helps!

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Coach Advice

Brad Hudson is one of the most successful and well-known coaches in the running industry. While a in school at the University of Oregon, Hudson garnered multiple All-American honors. He is the author of “Run Faster,” one of the best-selling training books available. Hudson coached athletes in the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympic Games. Today, Hudson is the founder of Hudson Elite a nonprofit group based in Boulder, CO training athletes to run faster from the track to the marathon.