Tag Archives: training

From Couch to 10K: A Step-by-Step Training Plan for Beginners

From couch to 10k running plan

As an experienced runner, I know that starting (or re-starting) a training plan if you’ve lost some fitness can be daunting, but with small steps and perseverance, anyone can go from the couch to a successful 10k road race.

The key is to start slowly, build gradually, and listen to your body. By following a step-by-step plan that incorporates walking, running, strength training, cross-training, and stretching, you can increase your endurance, improve your fitness, and achieve your goal of completing a 10k race.

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5 Running Mistakes I Still Make

5 Running Mistakes I Still Make

I’ve been running pretty consistently for almost twenty-five years now. Some years more, some years less but I’ve probably logged at least 500 miles a year for the past two decades. You would think after thousands of miles and thousands of hours of running I’d have perfected a system. Actually, I have, it’s just that most days it’s not an ideal system. Despite being a veteran runner, I still make the same mistakes many beginning runners do.

Here are the five mistakes I make most often as a runner: Continue Reading

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Treating a Morton’s Neuroma from Running

treating a morton's neuroma from running

For all my years of running, my feet have held up pretty well. My hips and knees have had various maladies over the years but feet and ankles (especially after I gave up soccer and basketball) have never given me any major problems. Until recently.

A few months ago, I started feeling a hard, sometimes painful, but mostly annoying, spot on the ball of my foot. It didn’t bother me too much when wearing sneakers and excercising but I definitely felt it when I was barefoot. Without any padding, it felt like I was walking with a quarter under my foot. Continue Reading

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Tips for Having a Great Virtual Race Performance

As an athlete, perhaps the only thing harder than being injured is not being able to race and compete. For many, that is the goal or purpose of all those early morning workouts or pushing through a hard session when you aren’t feeling your best. It’s not necessarily about about winning or losing but challenging ourselves to get better, faster, stronger and achieve our invidiual goals.

Can we do that in this current pandemic world? Sure, but virtual racing presents a new and different set of challenges from the typical in-person experience. I’ve found some competitive release in racing the bike on Zwift and doing some virtual running events. Here are my tips to nail your next virtual race. Continue Reading

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A Few Simple Reminders About Recovery

It’s time for the occasional reminder to myself that races aren’t won in the middle of winter and that recovery is a key element of a successful training cycle. Even more so as you grow older. Those niggling injuries or aches don’t fade quite so quickly.

This all sounds so basic and cliche but it’s the thing I often find myself wrestling with the most. I like to workout. I like to go hard. I like to sweat. I like to feel tired. I don’t like to take a day off. Even if I know it’s probably what’s best and that I’m not going to lose fitness with an extra day or even two a week. In fact, it might end up improving it instead.

So shut up and listen, Mike, these are the important bits. Continue Reading

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3 Winter Treadmill Speed Workouts

3 Winter Treadmill Workouts

After 10 solid years of service, our basement treadmill finally called it quits last fall. We looked into having it repaired but apparently a decade of my corrosive sweat had rendered the circuit board inoperable. The tech was impressed we’d gotten such a long run out of it and suggested a new purchase would be more economical than replacing the board. We ended up purchasing the exact same model (Sole F63) in the newest model year. Why mess with something that works? But…. why buy a treadmill at all? How do you stand it? Continue Reading

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How Much Should You Run Each Week?

how far should I run

Just like the recent side stitch training question, this other beginner one is also deceptively difficult to answer. Unless you’re one of those freaks of nature that can go out and run 10 miles at the drop of the hat and wondered what the fuss is all about, you are going to find running a miserable experience in the beginning.

You’ll wonder why people voluntarily do this to themselves and then lie when they say they love it. Early mornings? Hill repeats? Thresholds? Intervals? No thank you. It does get better. If you’re smart about it. Continue Reading

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