The Importance of Easy Runs
Have you heard of the 80/20 rule in competitive running? It refers to the gold-standard percentages for easy and hard running. A general rule of thumb is to run 80% of your miles “easy,” and 20% of your miles hard. This, of course, is relative to the person. Someone who runs a 5 hour marathon […]
Benefits of Single-Leg Strength Exercises for Runners
Each one of us – runners AND non-runners – deal with muscular imbalances in our bodies. Both runners and non-runners can benefit from single leg exercises, but I’m specifically going to talk about why single leg exercises are so important for the former. Since none of us is perfectly symmetrical, it’s beneficial to choose exercises […]
How to Judge Running Workout Recovery
You’re at the track. You’ve created a workout for yourself or for your athlete. It’s an interval or a rep workout. But – you’re not sure how much rest to give between reps. From one Denver area running coach to another: How do you decide on appropriate running workout recovery & what’s the thought process […]
Do I really need to train my upper body as a runner?
As a runner who primarily uses their legs to propel themselves forward, I don’t need to strength train my upper body, right? Wrong. While the legs are, of course, arguably the most significant body part in running, a weak upper body can cause problems. Have you ever seen someone run with their arms at their […]
My Running Story
I’m taking a pause from giving typical running coach advice, to telling my personal running story… While I didn’t win yesterday, the Colfax Half was a victory for so many reasons. I started out this blog post writing a Colfax Half Marathon recap, and somehow ended up at the beginning of my running journey. So, […]
Running Coach Tips: The Almighty Long Run
Five Benefits of the Long Run in your Running Plan Most, if not all, seasoned runners understand the long run. We know we need to do it on a weekly basis, and many of us even know the philosophy behind it. But if you’re a beginner runner, you may not understand the long run, or […]
Running Progress Isn’t Linear
I read a post this morning that was the perfect reminder at the perfect time. This woman mentioned how she had a hamstring niggle this week so she had to switch around runs, and how training cycles can often follow the two-steps-forward, one-step-back routine… but how, and this is the significant part, PROGRESS IS STILL […]
Running Coach Tips: Improving Cadence and Stride
My running coach told me last Friday that he’s seen me over-striding in workouts lately. So, today I thought I’d talk a bit about a) what that means, b) why I think, even as a seasoned runner and a running form expert, I’ve been doing this, and c) how to improve your running cadence and […]
How I Trained for My First Half Marathon at Altitude: Tips from a Denver Running Coach
Sometimes I have to be a running coach for myself. Here’s some of the training that I’ve taken myself through recently. I’d be happy to be your running coach anywhere in the Denver area as well. Just feel free to reach out! The Colfax Half Marathon this past Sunday was actually my first road half […]
PR Thoughts
Today I wanted to hop on the blog to expand a bit on Sunday’s Denver race. Races are funny – I used to often shy away from races, and still do a bit I guess, because I always felt like I performed much better in workouts. I tend to get reallyyyy nervous before races – even […]
Healthy Restaurant Options in the Denver Area
Eating healthy in the Denver area isn’t much of a challenge when you consider all of the accommodating restaurants and eateries around town. Here are some of the newest spots to open in Denver that have tons of choices within their health conscious menus. As a personal trainer, running coach, and fitness nutrition specialist in […]