tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319280042011-11-27T17:56:57.636-07:00Simon Martin is an ex-pat Brit miler and 5k specialist living in Boulder, CO. He is world champion in masters cross-country and a fomer Colorado Runner of the Year who is still pursuing a superfast mile. Site title comes from the great Olympic champion Emil Zatopek, who said: "A runner must run with dreams in his heart".Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.comBlogger691100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-31796519640978798842010-08-08T17:25:00.007-06:002010-08-08T17:47:39.083-06:00

Just found the ultimate cross-training tool for those days when you want/need to run but want to spare your legs the impact stress: www.elliptigo.com - check it out.It is just like running, but no impact - much better than the ellipticals in gyms AND it gets you outdoors!In March, extreme endurance athlete Dean Karnazes (above) rode an ElliptiGO nearly 500 miles from San Francisco to the Los

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-64150876141081126842010-05-27T16:43:00.007-06:002010-05-27T17:15:55.265-06:00

Do you believe Floyd Landis?The UCI, cycling's international governing body, doesn't. Whatever he says.2008 (or thereabouts): Landis: "I didn't dope and no one around me was doping either."McQuaid (head of UCI): "He is a lier; you can't believe a word he says, he's been caught fair and square". 2010: Landis: "OK, I admit it, I was doping, but so was everyone else". McQuaid: "He is a lier; you

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-91901324554876690862010-05-19T01:27:00.003-06:002010-05-19T01:44:10.788-06:00

... to understand, that is.But according to a new article in the New York Times by Gina Kolata you'd think we didn't have a clue.She gives the impression that no one knows how or why to warm-up, stating: "In a recent review article she [Fradkin] wrote, “Many of the earlier studies were poorly controlled, contained few study participants and often omitted statistical analysis.” "The studies

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-71487892156856048012010-04-29T23:12:00.009-06:002010-04-29T23:43:47.081-06:00

Picture: Franz Stampfl with Roger Bannister: 3:59.4, May 6, 1954.This from a friend who has recently started training:"Everything is sore and my energy levels have nosedived. Body is pleading not to do it. In fact it does not want to do anything: work, read, chores, washing, talking, sex etc!"He plans to force his body to comply with his training, "telling" it, among other things that it can

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-12646340907509528102010-04-23T22:51:00.002-06:002010-04-23T22:54:23.379-06:00

Ryan Hall just got a lot of stick for "not being competitive enough" in the recent Boston Marathon - he was fourth - with the fastest time by an American runner for 150 years or something ridiculous. He ran his own race, at his own pace, in a world of his own - let the attacks go and then just reeled people in. He said: "My two words were joy and freedom. I felt like I did that today. I was

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-81894473296690657802010-04-23T22:37:00.002-06:002010-04-23T22:56:10.902-06:00

˜No longer conscious of my movement, I discovered a new unity with nature. I had found a new source of power and beauty, a source I never dreamt existed."- Roger Bannister on breaking the four-minute mile.

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-34530284733549188562010-03-13T22:03:00.010-07:002010-04-09T20:54:09.828-06:00

Pictures from the World Masters Indoor Championships at Kamloops, March 2010...well, they're mostly of me, so don't look for an accurate report of proceedings!I'll update some of the pictures when I get the "real" ones.Soundtrack is my gold medal "power song" One Dream, by Sarah McLachlan, which is the song she wrote for the Vancouver Winter Olympics.See her inspirational video of it here:

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-68949565673185899822010-03-02T03:02:00.025-07:002010-04-23T22:57:55.223-06:00

Gold medals: Me (Ist), David Oxland (3rd), Archie Jenkins (4th) with friend from the RCMP.Dreams come true: I won. We won the team gold as well. That's the World Masters Championship cross-country, run in Kamloops, BC, Canada. For half the race there were 3 GB vests at the front (with one Norwegian) and at 4k I said to the guys, "OK, who's Ovett, who's Coe and who's Cram?" I got a laugh, but

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-78782370908703188802009-09-02T01:36:00.011-06:002009-09-02T01:53:14.698-06:00

Runners are slowly catching on to the fact that although the running shoe industry churns out increasingly "protective" shoes, we're still geting injured in our droves.The New York Times has picked up on the trend among runners to switch to minimalstic shoes. The NYT showed that it was particularly taken with the Vibram Five Fingers (should be toes), which are more socks than shoes.They are a

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-49568524396127143752009-05-01T23:17:00.004-06:002009-05-01T23:37:20.199-06:00

I'm thinking about tweaking my diet.I eat healthily, but noticed today I haven't had real live vegetables for about a week. My standard dinner is often a tin of tune and a can of beans. OK, so i mix oilive oil, turmeric, oregano and rosemary in the tuna... but eve so. This is like convenience wholefood eating.So I may give the Stone Age eating style another go. I'm naturally inclined that way,

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-76753373988532999912009-04-11T19:48:00.003-06:002010-03-16T03:23:25.056-06:00

Simply the best book ever on the training system that has probably transformed more runners into champions than any other.I got a copy of Running the Lydiard Way in 1978 and it went everywhere with me, 24 hours a day for at least two years, while Arthur's way changed me from an average club hack into a county-class runner. I don't know where Keith Livingstone's book is going to take me, but I've

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-7280499097604919762009-01-08T11:56:00.006-07:002010-03-16T03:18:24.321-06:00

It's fame and glory time: this month's Colorado Runner magazine features me and Dwight Cornwell as winners of our age divisions in the Colorado Runner Racing Series - headlined on the front cover as "Colorado Runners of the Year". All the interviews were edited for reasons of space, which left out a mention of training partner Patty Murray as well as one of my key training secrets. The

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-30730472505523269422008-09-23T08:34:00.003-06:002008-09-23T09:55:10.730-06:00

This was the hardest race I've ever run. It wasn't just the 15.5 miles - severely over-distance for a miler/5k-er like me - but that the combo of gruelling uphill sections and technical descending often on loose rocks that were training to become scree meant there was no let up, anywhere. Oh, except maybe on the log over the river. Within half a mile of the Beaver Lake Lodge at 7,300 feet the

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-10137172833172509782008-09-07T16:03:00.005-06:002008-09-07T16:12:46.721-06:00

Definitely from the ridiculous to the sublime: the getting-a-bit battle weary Colorado Runner Racing Series points chasers moved to Denver to find a welcome contrast to our last race, which was such a fiasco that the "results" were dropped from the series.* Picture: me (on the right) with team-mate Susan Brooker, winner of the women's masters race. Photo by David Merrill, www.FotoJack.com.The

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-63127799342881004212008-08-27T22:27:00.005-06:002008-08-27T22:36:51.169-06:00

So I decided it would be a good idea to replace one of my week's 6-mile runs with something with less impact. Although I do most of my training on trails, they have been almost as hard as tarmac throughout the summer, and for the fist time ever I've been getting the odd twinge in my knees. The challenge was that I'm no Michael Phelps, so I won't be going anywhere near a pool. A nicely cushioned

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-16023274371917483852008-08-20T11:51:00.001-06:002008-08-20T11:53:22.191-06:00

Race 12 in the Colorado Runner Racing Series was a shambles from start to finish. Actually, from before the start to well after the finish.The question we were all asking each other at the finish was not "How did you do?" but "How far did you run?" as a combination of inadequate course marking and insufficient marshals who knew where the course went led to almost all of the runners going off

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-10797486516059638782008-08-20T11:47:00.002-06:002008-08-20T11:50:49.225-06:00

"I thought you weren't running this", said John Victoria at the start line of the Evergreen Town Race. Hm, well if I'd known just how hard it was going to be, maybe I'd have stood by my original decision... so a word of explanation...first, I had this race down as a "gimmick" event. I apologise; it isn't. Yes it is a downhill 10k, but it's not one of those super-fast courses that will give you a

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-76992336629623958992007-12-10T13:48:00.001-07:002007-12-10T13:48:55.699-07:00

Here's a diary entry I never thought I'd make: Sunday: easy trail run in snow, 18.5 miles in 3:27:16. This turned into a bit of an epic, but the cool thing is that I broke my long-run PR: I haven't run more than 18 miles for at least 20 years, maybe 25. It was a tough run, much tougher than I thought it was going to be when I left the house well-rested and well-fed after sitting out two days of

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1170127912401657332007-01-29T20:29:00.001-07:002010-03-16T03:18:58.683-06:00

One of the great quotes of all time.I found it on Wikipedia, while looking up some info about the great Herb Elliott.The context is: "Elliott credited his visionary and iconoclastic coach, Percy Cerutty, with inspiration to train harder and more naturally than anyone of his era. Cerutty was known to avoid the track, talk about role models outside athletics (like DaVinci and Jesus), and bring his

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1168830562721287112007-01-14T19:57:00.001-07:002010-03-16T03:19:54.229-06:00

Former triple world record holder Henry Rono ran 19:20 for third in the M50 age group in the Jingle Bell 5k on a fast, flat course in Cincinnati, Ohio. On his letsrun.com thread he said that when he saw a photograph of the race he thought he looked more like a heavyweight boxer than a Kenyan distance runner! As a result, the story of his epic comeback has instead become a weight-loss discussion.

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1165356199476863052006-12-05T14:53:00.000-07:002006-12-05T15:06:32.823-07:00

In his most serious race since starting training six months ago at 200lb, when he could hardly run a step, Henry Rono is gunning to go under 19 minutes this Saturday (December 9).He's picked the Jingle Bell 5k in Cincinnati, Ohio for the attempt. It's a fast, flat course - and it's a sea level, which will allow Henry to take advantage of the merciless mountain training he has been doing in

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1165041790740511372006-12-01T23:16:00.001-07:002010-03-16T03:21:23.814-06:00

...but as soon as I put the phone down from talking to Bobby McGee, I am bursting to go for a run.It definitely isn't what he says, because for the life of me I can't recall him making any specific "motivational" or "inspirational" comments. We were having a conversation about a recent blood test I've had done. Bobby is one of the few coaches who wants his runners to have a serum ferritin test

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1164167822991838452006-11-21T20:52:00.000-07:002006-11-21T21:04:39.056-07:00

Here's the official release!Runners Have a New, Citizen Media Based Home in YourRunning.comLatest online community from the Enthusiast Group:Simon Martin is enthusiast-in-chief, Brad Feld blogs on marathoningBoulder, Colorado (PRWeb) November 20, 2006 -- Runners, from world-class athletes to passionate enthusiasts, have stories to tell, photos to share and videos to show off, without waiting

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1164007148316864732006-11-20T00:09:00.000-07:002006-11-20T00:19:39.300-07:00

Yes, it's been a bit quiet here lately. I'm going to keep addding to this blog, but I'm also now online at a new running website www.Your Running.comThe new site has just gone live. Although it LOOKS like an ordinary website, it isn't. The guys behind it are really into what they call "citizen media", and their mission is to do high-tech-made-easy so that non-computer geeks like us can blog, post

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1163310297707219032006-11-11T22:33:00.000-07:002006-11-11T22:46:49.863-07:00

We're starting next week. An assessment day on November 18 kicks off a 45-week program that will take a small group of Masters runners from easy base training all the way to a peak of speed and power (now think positive, guys) just in time for the Pearl Street Mile in Boulder on August 16, 2007.The program written by world-class coach Bobby McGee is designed for the "Beauties and Beasts" of

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1162766270303810582006-11-05T15:37:00.001-07:002010-03-16T03:20:50.153-06:00

Seven times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong achieved his goal of finishing the New York marathon in under three hours.BBC news reported: "Armstrong, who was paced for most of the race by greats Alberto Salazar and Joan Benoit Samuelson, recorded two hours 59 minutes 37 seconds.'It was amazing', the 35-year-old said. 'It would have been three and a half hours without them'."'That was without

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1162420908788168112006-11-01T15:40:00.001-07:002010-03-16T03:25:53.094-06:00

Go sub-5 and stun your age-group!Announcing a unique opportunity forMasters athletes to crack the 5-minute mile.Be a part of Olympic coach Bobby McGee’snew Magic Miling program designed to take a select group of committed runners under the 5-minute “barrier” by August next year.We’re starting this month. Come and explore your possibilities at an information and sign-up session with Bobby on

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1162420823958177072006-11-01T15:34:00.000-07:002006-11-01T15:40:23.970-07:00

Have you placed your bets in the Runner's World contest?I have him down for 2:59:58. Yes, he's 30lb heavier than a Paul Tergat and yes, his joints aren't used to the pounding, but this guy has got a very strong mind and a killer competitive instinct.If Armstrong is way outside 3 hours then may decide to just have fun and run to finish without doing too much damage to himself. But if he gets

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1161844771206914122006-10-26T00:23:00.001-06:002010-03-16T03:21:48.356-06:00

African runners made a clean sweep of the top ten places in last weekend's Chicago marathon -- except for Brian Sell, who grabbed sixth in a personal best 2:10:47.Sell describes himself as "a redneck from the Cove that likes to run" and is a role model for anyone who wants to know how to succeed through sheer hard work.After running 2:10:55 at Boston -- 4:59 pace for 26.2 miles -- he said: "After

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1161843817659574692006-10-26T00:22:00.001-06:002010-03-16T03:22:18.512-06:00

Warming up for a race by running up a mountain?"Yes, this body requires hard core training to reach to the top, you know that.I'm training through races. I have to shake my cardio that early morning with cold air into my lungs."Henry

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1161594512453284522006-10-23T02:59:00.000-06:002006-10-23T03:09:34.423-06:00

... that's our Henry, who is starting to get his speed back.The great Rono has just run the Duke City 5K at altitude in Albuquerque, NM, finishing 30th overall out of 814 men and women in 20:52 (6:43 pace).More importantly. he was 2nd in his age group (50-54) and finished strong, saying that at one point he felt like he was running at 5:00 pace.What cracks me up is his warm-up routine. Yes, just

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1161291200144574482006-10-19T14:25:00.000-06:002006-10-19T14:53:20.156-06:00

Everybody "does" Periodization these days.Maybe Arthur Lydiard was to blame. He seems have been the first to have formally divided the training and year into different phases leading to a final period (or two) of peak form for a goal race.Right about now, anyone who is not still racing is either having a break or starting to think about the winter phase of base-building.A ten-week (or so) phase

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1160436484687573422006-10-09T17:06:00.000-06:002006-10-09T17:33:07.946-06:00

I got involved as a Wear Tester for Velocy after seeing the company's advertisement in the September '06 Runner's World. That issue featured a three-page ad for Reebok that had a great picture of an elite runner -- clearly landing on her forefoot -- while selling shoes that claimed to potentiate the "natural" motion of the foot from heel strike through to toe-off. The issue also had a review of

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1160417238822422512006-10-09T12:04:00.000-06:002006-10-09T17:05:50.610-06:00

"You got it! up on top of the nail head!!!!The way to go about it.No hurry no soon for us old folks.Yank loose and do it right before you know, the game is over for sure."* Henry Rono -- responding to suggestions about doing speed work and the observation that none of us are getting any younger. From his ongoing, inspirational postings on letsrun.com. This quote appears on this page.

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1160417030652890032006-10-09T11:27:00.000-06:002006-10-09T12:03:50.666-06:00

I don't usually have a problem with resting. Being naturally lazy helps. But I can't say I'm enjoying this downtime.First there's the tiredness. The less I do, the more tired I feel. So instead of doing absolutely nothing, I have been doing a token amount of walking, 5 minute bursts on the ski machine, stretching, a bit of weights...oh yeah and OK, I did do a VERY easy five-mile run and half an

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1159853320249051322006-10-02T22:50:00.000-06:002006-10-02T23:34:31.396-06:00

So, on hearing that I had finally decided to bite the bullet and see Boulder's most celebrated physical therapist -- former world marathon champion Mark Plaatjes, my pal Marci said:"I don’t envy you tomorrow – do you want me to come hold your hand while you writhe in pain and cry like a baby?!?""Huh", I said. "I can take it. (Do NOT remind me I said this.)"And it was a piece of cake. Well, apart

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1159742263870704512006-10-01T16:35:00.000-06:002006-10-01T16:38:30.770-06:00

"I didn't know my body fat was a rock in me. I'm breaking it down-little-by-little-until, I nail it down to the ground 145lbs. Once is there I will take a deep breath. I will say it is all-over, who ever holding on to the mile world record."He has to surrender it for me."A champion speaks: Henry Rono, 119th day of training. (He has been fasting to accelerate weight loss.)

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1159235018053086082006-09-25T19:38:00.000-06:002006-09-25T19:47:16.650-06:00

It doesn't get better than this....in full flight down the finishing straight of the 1972 Olynmpic 1500 final, eventual winner Pekka Vasala of Finland and the legendary Kip Keino of Kenya, the race favourite.

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1159234652953931962006-09-25T19:34:00.000-06:002006-09-25T19:37:32.953-06:00

A special message for my former team-mates in Toledo Runners:dudes, I have been "struck off" the email list so will miss your race reports, tales of injuries :) and invitations to have ice cream...never fear, when I have something staggering to tell you I'll email you all privately -- feel free to do the same!

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1159234461366524412006-09-25T19:22:00.000-06:002006-10-03T11:31:16.536-06:00

A spin-off from the hunt for a coach is the formation of the Magical Milers Club.This came about when I consulted Coach to the Champions Sir Bobby McGee for his opinions on coaches. We rapidly got side-tracked, as we both share a fascination with fast miling. Bobby declared himself interested in my own Mile Project and started cooking up ways he could help. At his suggestoion I've started

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1159158603957802572006-09-24T21:59:00.000-06:002007-03-25T04:49:32.596-06:00

It's ironic that a few days after wondering on this Blog, "Is the magic in the coach, the schedule, or the runner?", I find myself with no coach, no schedule and not running.Gabino decided it was time for me to "graduate" from his group, having taken me as far as he could. So far that although I was in a group, I had been running most of my workouts on my own because of the pace I needed to hit.

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1158816817254377732006-09-20T23:16:00.000-06:002006-09-21T23:39:37.796-06:00

In the lead: Australian Craig Mottram -- the "jolly green giant" of middle-distance racing compared to the little, fast-striding Africans he habitually finds himself up against.Thanks to Super-Coach Bobby McGee for sharing this one. He was sent the picture by an Australian coach -- Down Under they all think Mottram has a superb style. Bobby's comment: never mind Mottram, the guy behind him is a

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1158700260184896242006-09-19T15:10:00.000-06:002006-09-19T15:11:00.203-06:00

"I have to hold-back my horses. you are right! Strong head can ruin the knees for sure."Henry Rono.

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1158301997300103202006-09-15T00:19:00.000-06:002006-09-15T00:34:51.880-06:00

Is the magic in the coach, the schedule, or the runner?I'm beginning to think that the greatest gift a coach can bring to the table is the ability to encourage people to train consistently over time. Yes, there is the technical aspect of knowing/feeling numbers and quality of reps and intervals and hills, but the most important thing is to keep people at it. That's where "the schedule" comes in.

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1158222925847131552006-09-14T02:27:00.000-06:002006-09-14T02:37:42.626-06:00

"Run as much as you can as often as possible and run like hell when moved to do so."Thanks to distance runner and coach Kevin Beck for this piece of essential wisdom -- included in his great article, "The secret you've been looking for..." This training business is not all that complicated, now is it?

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1158044061805149842006-09-12T00:47:00.000-06:002006-09-12T00:57:06.423-06:00

They ran to make rain, to honour the dead, to generate healing. They ran to send news and get reinforcements. They ran for power and for prayer.Yep, the American Indians knew a thing or two about running, as I've just discovered after finding an out-of-print book on the subject.One of the bits I liked most was this Navajo chant (a "Leg Song") that their runners used, that just about sums it all

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1157861850929092742006-09-09T22:08:00.000-06:002006-09-09T22:19:10.160-06:00

Colorado is the first place where I've lined up for a race -- a championship race at that -- and had someone next to me in the front row shake my hand and wish me a good race.So maybe I shouldn't have been surprised at another outbreak of good sportsmanship at the Blockbuster 5k last week.With about half a mile to go I'd just caught the guy in second place and we'd both been joined by another

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1157654836595413772006-09-07T11:42:00.000-06:002006-09-07T19:54:40.033-06:00

This month's full moon -- the Harvest Moon -- is a humdinger. It's close to the Earth and looking huge.No wonder I have been able to stick in a few extra miles.For a while now, I've been experimenting with co-ordinating my training with the moon's phases. I got the idea from the vascular surgeon Dr Irving Dardik. A founding chairman of the US Olympic Sports Medicine Council, Dardik was at one

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1157485704616936862006-09-05T13:21:00.000-06:002006-09-07T17:10:53.030-06:00

"There are always far more athletes who wish to be the best than there are athletes who are willing to do whatever it takes to get there".So says Tony Benson, a Lydiard and Cerutty-inspired Australian coach, author of a great "how to train" book called "Run with the Best".My friends Dwight and Kari Cornwell introduced me to Tony's work. I find myself reading bits of his book avery day; the last

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1157088170819050422006-08-31T22:35:00.000-06:002006-09-01T10:32:16.566-06:00

After a workshop at Fleet Feet Boulder I collared former world marathon record-holder Steve Jones and asked him my burning question of the time: how did he handle the pain involved in running a world-record performance? I mean, what strategy does he have for red-lining and being able to keep going?I was expecting some revolutionary secret tip. Instead, Jonesy looked at me as if I was a bit crazy

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1156825583123959342006-08-28T21:59:00.000-06:002006-08-28T22:33:32.293-06:00

Ahmee posted some great comments about my rant on the marathon 'disease' (click on the comments button at the end of 'A nice cup of tea' section below to see her full post). She took me to task for being too hard on "less athletic" runners."I think that you just don't "get it" about why less athletic runners enjoy running, and not racing, for 26.2 miles. Masochism for its own sake is only part of

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1156715924024928002006-08-27T15:44:00.000-06:002006-08-27T15:58:44.033-06:00

It doesn't matter how far or how slowly; well done for getting out and doing it!This isn't one of those "we're all winners" spiels ("we're all whiners" is probably more accurate anyway), but just a recognition that we regularly manage to overcome inertia and that, once again, we truimphed: we actually got out of the house!The thing is, this running lark takes so much time. I am writing this at

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1156476948129874732006-08-24T21:13:00.000-06:002006-08-27T16:21:36.303-06:00

I drink a lot of tea. It's part of my British genetic make-up. It's also about the only physiological thing I have in common with the Kenyans.I've been drinking tea for 50 years. Well, OK, maybe a few less than that -- I wasn't actually weaned on the stuff. But during those years I've seen tea go from the Englishman's spirit-of-the-Blitz staple to a caffeinated drink that the health police said

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1156359007481742872006-08-23T12:21:00.000-06:002006-08-23T13:12:14.160-06:00

Marathons. People are obsessed with them. Not with racing them, just with finishing. As if putting one foot in front of another for 26.2 miles is the equivalent of climbing Everest or something.Don't they get it? Humans are designed to cover long distances on foot. There's nothing special about it.Those that have done a few soon get to realise that. They're left with two options: train like a

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1156138051887243002006-08-20T23:27:00.000-06:002006-08-20T23:27:31.893-06:00

Henry sums it all up again:"Old in the body, young in the heart, rich in the spirit and that adds up to today training."

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1155881221412873822006-08-17T23:56:00.000-06:002006-08-20T05:09:10.483-06:00

5th in 5:14. Not what I wanted, but not too bad. It all went a bit wrong.... I went out too fast and three of them sat on me for the first 400m. (Picture shows me going to the front right from the gun.) I had to practically start jogging to get anyone to come past me. When they did, I was trying to recover and settle in when at 800 metres ex-Olympian Colleen De Reuck looked round at us all and

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1155848480643212072006-08-17T14:59:00.000-06:002006-08-17T15:01:20.653-06:00

"You have the mind, take the body to the finish line. Good luck!!!!!"Henry Rono

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1155801549622567682006-08-17T01:37:00.000-06:002006-08-17T02:07:37.676-06:00

There was an outside chance that The Man himself, Henry Rono, would run the Pearl Street Mile in Boulder tonight, but he was on his way back from a training camp for kids, and could not divert. I'm disappointed, but also a bit relieved, as fit or not he would doubtless have run in his usual fearless, take-no-prisoners style. All credit to the Kenyan maestro: he spent the last few days inspiring -

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1155673868647929442006-08-15T14:21:00.000-06:002006-11-02T18:55:12.030-07:00

With a race looming, my thoughts go to mental preparation: what's the best way to get wound up, but without over-doing it?Should I go into a Zen-like trance, or stay relaxed and chatty; or go cold, seething and furious, like Olympic champion Peter Snell was said to do?I just found out how Michael Johnson (above) handles it. The world's greatest runner ever over 200 and 400 meters, five times

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1155414151623800552006-08-12T14:13:00.000-06:002006-08-14T14:18:39.610-06:00

No, they probably haven't even noticed.Their super-duper, full-color, fold out, three-page advertisment for shoes designed for heel-strikers is illustrated by a fantastic picture of an athlete -- blatantly NOT a heel-striker.The ad is in September's Runner's World magazine and is for their new "breakthrough" shoe the Trinity KFS...."the shoe that moves with you". Yeah, right.This shoe is so

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1155356783029965892006-08-11T22:22:00.000-06:002006-08-14T14:21:24.330-06:00

Two Dutch coaches and scientists have come up with a way of teaching running technique that draws not only on their knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics, but also on the study of the natural motion of animals.Surprisingly, one of their models is the kangeroo. Many runners spend a lot of time trying to eliminate "bounce" in favour of straight-line power transfer. These guys suggest this might not

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1155259938162340422006-08-10T19:06:00.000-06:002006-08-10T20:13:47.846-06:00

Ah yes, tell people that your next race is the Pearl Street Mile and they can't understand what all the fuss is about."Oh! I could do that!" says Pam, the massage therapist."Could you do it in 5 minutes?" responds Emily, the chiropractor lucky enough to be treating my groin at the moment.Racing one mile is hard. There is no room for error, no time to ease yourself into it, no possibility of

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1154834235468208182006-08-05T21:13:00.000-06:002006-08-05T21:23:26.010-06:00

Just found this great quote from Roger Bannister in a commencement address by Dr Steven Gabbe, MD:'When I decided to speak about Roger Bannister, I wrote to him and asked what message he would want me to convey. He directed me to a quote and to his training schedule. First, the quote,"However ordinary each of us may seem, we are all in some way special and can do things that are

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1154671050897311432006-08-03T23:56:00.000-06:002006-08-03T23:57:30.903-06:00

Current 50-54 record is 4:27.9 set by Nolan Shaheed in 2000.Henry Rono turns 55 in February 2007, so after that will be able to go for the 55-59 record, which is 4:40.4 (set by Australia's Jack Ryan in 1977).The fly in the ointment is the great Nolan, who is now 55!In March this year he set a new INDOOR world mile 55-59 record in 4:42.89. I think outdoor times are usually + 2 or +3 seconds, but

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1154635630529404682006-08-03T13:45:00.000-06:002006-08-03T14:09:23.320-06:00

It's in fashion, so I've resisted it.Hell, I did Pilates 20 years ago in London before anyone knew about it.But then... "... and what with your core not being what it should be"... came an off-hand remark by my technical advisor, world class coach Bobby McGee (www.bobbymcgee.com)... which decided me I had to do something about it.So, off to Pilates of Boulder fror asession with Richard Rossiter.

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1154489760750547422006-08-01T21:32:00.000-06:002006-08-01T21:36:00.760-06:00

Tonight's post-training conversation with my wife Abby:"What's the fastest mile you've ever run?" Well, I haven't run it very often - but I did 5:30 about 20 years ago on the track at Crystal Palace in a relay event."What do you think you need to do to win the Pearl Street Mile?" In the Beauty and the Beast event? About 5:14."What did you do in training tonight? You were doing a one-mile time

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1154385505700287662006-07-31T16:37:00.000-06:002006-07-31T16:43:04.960-06:00

"There's only one rule: The guy who trains the hardest, the most, wins. Period. Because you won't die. Even though you feel like you'll die, you don't actually die."Like when you're training, you can always do one more. Always. As tired as you might think you are, you can always, always do one more." --- Floyd Landis

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1154385426747803562006-07-31T16:35:00.000-06:002006-08-04T03:42:50.190-06:00

Just back from the 10 minutes x10x10 workout -- did it on grass at the futbol pitch -- what a great session!This is a test of will-power as much as anything, and builds in the ability to surge even when you are "dead". As part of the cunning plan it is also constructed so that if you are aiming to run a mile in five minutes, say, then that is just what you will cover, at speed...OK, so to

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31928004.post-1154326553844589332006-07-31T00:11:00.000-06:002006-08-06T18:15:11.976-06:00

Kenyan runner Henry Rono, one of the world's greatest distance runners, has announced he is attacking the world mile record...no change there then, except.... that Henry is now 53, weighs 200lb, hasn't raced seriously since 1978 and is putting his life back together after dropping almost to the bottom.Henry announced his intention and has been posting his training progress in an inspirational

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210496535723284545noreply@blogger.com0