Expert Coaching

Whether it was your 5th-grade soccer coach, your college track coach, or your running groupbuddies, if you’ve been participating in sports of any kind, you’ve likely heard the phrase, “Yougotta warm up!” While this is a common understanding, the science of the warm-up is less understood. While the general rationale for warming up is fairly … Read more

Finally, the race update came through the phone. It read, ‘OUT OF TIME.’  My head and heart sank.  He had spent a month in Chamonix, France, training so hard and smart for this race in the Alps. Thirty-four miles with 8,000 feet of elevation gain is no joke.  Add in torrential mountain rain and wind and ankle-deep … Read more

As the founder of UESCA, a company that educates and certifies running coaches, one of the questions that I get asked the most is, “What should I look for in a running coach?”  Do a Google search for “running coach,” and you’ll find literally hundreds of websites of coaches. Moreover, when you read through the … Read more

No, this is not clickbait.  Most traits that make up an elite athlete are trainable, controllable, and tangible – traits we all can have. Yes, we might not have elite physical traits, but what separates elite athletes from their peers is tangible and trainable.  It is all about the daily choices that are made to be … Read more

If you’re a runner, or even if you’re not, you’ve likely heard of the term ‘super shoes.’ Super shoes refer to running shoes that have a carbon fiber plate in them to decrease the metabolic cost of a runner while increasing their speed. So, what exactly does the carbon fiber plate do? The carbon fiber … Read more

Let’s talk about shoes because they’re the culprits for many running issues I encounter – or at least the development of them. It’s time to realize that your shoes with the high stack height and nice cushy foam, and all that “comfort” is breaking you down as a runner even though they are likely advertised … Read more

Risk-based pacing is an important part of running. It is perhaps one of the most important things to master, as it can be the difference between finishing strong and dropping out of a race. The general theme with pacing is: Start Conservatively, Finish Strong The longer the event, the more applicable this theme is. This … Read more

Many of us run and race for the daily challenge of waking up, putting two feet on the floor, and heading out the door. The daily task that gives us purpose independent of anything else in our life.  That one thing we have control over, that never disappoints. That dopamine hit with each step that creates self-discovery … Read more

Periodization is a pretty common term and training practice within the realm of endurance sports. When most endurance athletes think of periodization, they think of a pyramid, with the lowest intensity/highest volume at the bottom and the highest intensity/lowest volume at the top. This pyramid is typically designed to peak for one event per year … Read more

If you’ve been a runner for even just a day or two, you’ve likely heard of the term IT Band Syndrome, or ITBS, and it being synonymous with pain at the side of the knee. But before we go any further, let’s define what the IT Band is. The IT band stands for the Iliotibial … Read more

Not to be cute, but I describe the ideal of the running form you’ll soon be learning as “performance” because “form” is at the heart of the word.  Without form, there’s no performance, full stop. Some runners argue that they do not need to work on form. They have all kinds of reasons, such as: “I … Read more

Whether you race every single weekend or target just a couple of races per year to take part in, the off-season represents a time to take your foot off the gas a bit and not focus so much on high-intensity/volume training. This often means being a bit more carefree with one’s diet as well… but … Read more

Life is hard!  When I first read this, it stopped me in my tracks with a big slap across the face like the altitude did moving West to find my dream. I am not sure where that book is that provided this opening declaration, but the mindshift it created has stuck with me ever since.   Declaration … Read more

We’ve all been there. You get back from an awesome run, feel healthy and energized, have a nice dinner, go to sleep, and then @$*%#!… You can barely make it down the stairs the next morning (and the morning after that) because it feels like someone shortened your hamstrings by about an inch and then … Read more

The majority of runners do not have the strength they need to become the runners they want to be. They have been brainwashed into thinking muscle tightness, poor mobility, pain, and discomfort are just “part” of being a runner. The more we run, the more we hurt.  I was recently at a 2-day run relay event, … Read more