Running Shorts

I love internet threads about unpopular opinions. What movie do you hate that everyone else loves? What famous author do you hate to read? While being slightly provocative, I think these types of conversations are interesting and open us up to different points of view. So without further ado, here's my unpopular running opinion: I hate that nearly every road race gives out finisher's medals to all participants. I think when everyone gets a medal, it's value becomes meaningless. I think that if everyone is a winner, then by extension no one is a winner. I think it's disgraceful that in many cases, the first-place finisher gets the same trophy as the last-place finisher. I think that not only do they encourage non-competition, but they also send a message of anti-competitiveness. I think finisher's medals embody the "everyone's a winner" attitude that is antithetical to competitive sport. I think finisher's medals are one of the reasons wh...

Nerd Alert: in this (hopefully regular) series of posts - 'HISTORY OF RUNNING' - I hope to merge two of my interests: history and running. I am a history teacher, after all. Athletics is one of the oldest sports in the world, and it's modern structure was standardized for the 1896 Olympic revival. In the 100+ years since then, training methods have evolved a lot, and yet...we can still learn lessons from past greats. This is my attempt to analyze history and apply lessons to today. Why Start with Bill Rodgers? Rodgers' training logs from 1973-1977 are posted online. While so many elite runners like to keep their training secret, a huge chunk of Rodgers' formative training is posted online for anyone to read. Check it out here . Bill Rodgers is the epitome of the citizen-runner who led the running boom in the 1970s. He trained his butt off for years on end without lucrative sponsorships or prize money (often while working a school job), just for the opportunity...

Despite all the convolutions of training -- Lactate Threshold, vVo2max, cadence, foot strike, turnover, etc. etc. etc. -- running is a very simple sport: who can cover a specified distance on foot the fastest? With all the technology and tactics and strategies and training approaches we have today, it's not really any more complicated than that. So what's my training advice for you? Simple: Do what makes you feel good. That good feeling you get in training -- the endorphin high, "full of run," effortlessness; however you want to describe it -- is your body's way of telling you, "I like this. I'm responding to this. I should keep doing this. This is playing to my strengths." You wanna get better? Listen to your body. What feels good is going to be a little different for everybody. For me, I get that effortlessly good feeling during steady-state type of runs...longer, sustained workouts at an aerobically challenging but not crippling pace. I tr...