Look around and boost your running economy!
When you are months out from race day, there are numerous things you can do to get faster. For instance, (surprise) you could run more! However, when you’re within days of your important race, the physiology you have laid down for yourself is already set. The money is in the bank, the hay is in […]
The gender gap in running, revisited
Last year I wrote an article about the gender gap in running. In the article, I talked about how the SRY gene is responsible for men getting a massive dose of testosterone, which leads to the 11-12% gender gap we see across all distances. Check out my full article here. The one area where there […]
Maybe You Shouldn’t Change Your Stride (Part 3)
Throughout the last few months, my articles have been focused on how we ought (or ought not to) alter our stride to enhance running economy. Last month, for instance, I looked at stride length, and how deviating from a naturally selected length will likely make you slower. This month, I will address one aspect that I have […]
Maybe you shouldn’t change your stride (Part 2)
Last month I gave an introduction into gait analysis, and a general idea of when one should change their stride. The take home message was that generally speaking, there are times when extreme form flaw can be identified and should be corrected. However, it is also apparent that there is a wide range of what is acceptable, a […]
Maybe you shouldn’t change your stride (Part 1)
Something I get asked a lot about is how to improve running form to enhance performance. I figured the best way too approach this very complicated issue is to do a series of posts over the next 2-3 months. This first post will simply be an introduction into the concept of what exactly a “perfect […]
Running vs. videogames: Which makes us smarter?
Whenever I get back from a run, I typically feel as though I can think with more clarity and work more efficiently. Not only that, I have sometimes gotten the impression that if I go for a run, my retention of newly learned information skyrockets. That’s why during my days as a nerdy chiro student, […]
Does beetroot juice actually make you faster?
A large part of what I focus on in this column is how you can alter your training to enhance performance. Training-schmraining…wouldn’t it be nice if there were ways to enhance performance without putting in any extra effort? Unfortunately, most effortless strategies that make as faster are dangerous and against the rules (EPO, blood doping etc.). […]
How does your hill running technique compare to elites’?
Happy New Year readers! With 2016 finally upon us, it’s time to start laying down base training for a successful year of racing. During this early phase of your year, it’s a good time to think about and train things that you really don’t have time for during the race season. One of these components: […]
How nuclear bombs tell us to take time off
The off-season is officially upon us! YA. Time to dial back the volume and intensity, take care of low-grade injuries, get back to other aspects of training you’ve missed, and just generally take it easy and dream up performances to come in 2016. At our club, Health and Performance, I have seen a number of […]
Should you start testing your urine?
With the off season approaching, it’s time to start thinking about making small changes that can help you to improve upon your 2015 running performances. One area that’s always good to strive to learn more about: diet. On this topic, one of my pet peeves revolves around fad diets based on cool sounding pseudoscience that […]
