Go Janna
Congratulations to Janna Gamache for running a personal best of 1:48:43 at the Fall Classic half-marathon. This is a personal best for Janna of almost 5 minutes. And her watch said 1:48:30 so who knows?
Add comment December 2, 2007
Arthur Lydiard on ‘top coaches’
And what are the qualities in the top coaches? Practical coaching experience for a start. An understanding of the physiology of athletics without trying to be an exercise physiologist. An understanding of psychological fundamentals without trying to be a psychologist. An understanding of mechanical fundamentals without trying to be a mechanic. The experts in physiology and mechanics can get off into too many tangents. I’ve yet to hear of one who trained an Olympic champion. But the top coach must understand the basics and adhere to them all the way through his programmes.
-Arthur Lydiard, Running to the Top
Add comment November 20, 2007
Lydiard Foundation to visit Victoria
The Arthur Lydiard Foundation will present a full day workshop in Victoria B.C. on November 17th 2007, “Run the Lydiard Way.”
Your chance to engage with Nobby Hashizume, Rod Dixon and Jon Brown.
For more information:
Add comment October 25, 2007
Training the Whole Body
Training the Whole Body
If your “bread and butter” is running then it probably makes sense to do nothing that will possibly lessen your performance as a runner. But how many of us are like that? Most runners, even those deemed “serious” by themselves or others, have reason to develop ourselves in a way that simply running will not accomplish. A more complete way. Aside from trying to achieve a 35 minute or a 31 minute 10k, what are the physical challenges that we foresee in our lives? And more importantly, what extraordinary mental and physical challenges do we not foresee?
Distance running is a historically rich and fulfilling sport and an outstanding form of aerobic training. As runners we will likely lack (without careful consideration and rectification) in such physical qualities as maximal strength, explosive strength, and those attributes broadly defined as “anaerobic.” We may lack much upper body development whatsoever. For some this is fine. And again, for those who make their living through their running it probably makes sense. The rest of us might want to consider our weaknesses and then do the work to achieve broader physical awesomeness.
Besides becoming a gym rat and doing burpees, Olympic lifts, tabata intervals on the heavy bag, or whatever turns your crank, there is the off-competition season to look forward to. Then we can really begin to play: we can grapple, do cyclo-cross, alpine tour, box, or whatever else scares us, enthralls us, or piques our curiosity.
We may find that as our month away from running draws to an end we feel compelled to figure out how to integrate our passions into an already stretched week. It won’t be seamless. And that is part of the adventure too, the conceptual work of figuring out how to do things a bit differently, of finding our own way.
Clay Enos on gymjones.com, when asked “Why do you train?” responded thus:
“To be ready for anything, to be able to do whatever comes my way, because you never know. I train to inspire others, to prove it is accessible.”
To be a little more the generalist and a little less the specialist, to be ready for whatever comes your way, and to simply strive for well-roundedness as an athletic being is a goal worth considering.
A few resources that may be worth following up on if any of this appeals to you:
Best of luck in your training.
Add comment October 24, 2007
on coaching
“The final goal of a coach is to make every athlete able to train almost alone. Without a coach. A coach becomes good when he is able to build an athlete that in the future doesn’t need him. He is like a father with the son. O.K. he has to teach, no?, to the son, how it’s possible for the son to continue alone. This is life. So we try to build independence of our athletes, giving all the instruments so that they can continue alone.”
- master-coach Renato Canova (courtesy of RunningStats.com)
Add comment October 23, 2007
