Top 10 Running Articles of The Month: June 2015

Every month, starting in June 2015, I will do my best to compile some of the best running articles that I’ve read over the past month.

Some of these articles will cover injury prevention and cross training, while others will simply be inspirational or entertaining reading material.

Injuries & Injury Prevention:

What If Your Heel Pain Isn’t Plantar Fasciitis and What to Do About It by Joe Uhan. This is a very informative article that discusses other possible reasons for foot/heel/arch pain. It discusses at length the differences between Plantar Fasciitis and other injuries that affect that area.

Dr. Pribut on Runner’s Knee by Stephen Pribut. This article discusses some possible causes of pain around the knee cap in runners as well as what can be done to prevent and/or decrease that pain.

Your Ultra-Training Bag Of Tricks: Injury Recognition, Treatment, And Recovery by Ian Torrence of iRunFar. Injuries can derail runners of all levels and if not treated properly, they can get worse. There is a difference between adaptive and restrictive pain. Adaptive pain is good since it comes in the form of muscle soreness which goes away in a couple of days. Restrictive pain is when you are experiencing bad pain which restricts what you can do and further treatment is necessary.

Inspiration:

Catherine Watkins, 43-year-old mother racing at Pan Ams by Sinead Mulhern of Canadian Running Magazine. At 43 years old, the general population believes that you are too old for an athletic career. However, Catherine Watkins is proving otherwise. Most recently, she posted better times than many runners who are 20 years younger than she is.

82 Year Old Woman Finishes Boston Marathon 2015 by Kit Fox of Runner’s World.  Katherine Beiers may not have been the fastest but she was the oldest finisher in the 2015 Boston Marathon. She overcame the brutally difficult weather (headwinds, rain and cold) and was super excited to be a finisher. In fact, she stated that she will be back again.

Natasha Wodak broke the Canadian Record in the 10,000m by Scott Leitch of Canadian Running Magazine.  At the Payton Jordan Invitational (2015) in Palo Alto, Natasha Wodak broke the Canadian record in the 10,000m, ran faster than the qualifying standard for the Olympics (and is in good shape to make the Rio 2016 team), World Championships and Pan Am games all at once. She set a new standard for Canadian female distance running. For the majority of 2014, Natasha sat out, injured, battling Plantar Fasciitis and prior to that she overcame the challenges of going through a divorce. She is an inspiration to many because even in the midst of difficulty, she never gave up!

Training:

Training the Lydiard Way: 28 Weeks to a PR by Christine Junkermann of Runner’s World. This article gives a good description of the Lydiard training method. It discusses at length the importance of building a great mileage base before attempting hills and speedwork. A true Lydiard training plan requires patience and states that there are no shortcuts.

Is it Okay to Split Up My Long Run? by Susan Paul (Runner’s World). This article discusses the importance of long runs when you are training for a marathon and why you should be doing all the miles at once. It’s not ideal to split your 20 mile run into 10 miles in the morning and 10 miles in the evening because the purpose of long runs is to help your body adapt to the stress of running long. In her article, Susan Paul states: “[Long Runs] strengthen the heart and respiratory muscles, stimulate the development of more blood capillary beds, and condition muscles, tendons, and ligaments for more miles. They also enhance your body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, recruit different muscle fibers, and build your mental confidence to go the distance.”

Get Faster for Your Next Half Marathon by Susan Paul (Runner’s World). The author offers a variety of workout ideas that will help you improve your half marathon time when done properly. It’s very important not to do too much speed work too quickly in order to avoid injuries. These workouts are most effective for those who have already developed an aerobic base that can handle this type of training. Some examples include: mile repeats, Yasso 800’s and Negative Split Run.

Dreading That Tough Workout? by Bradley Stulberg (Runner’s World). This article discusses a unique, but simple mental trick to not only help you get through your workout but to also look forward to your next one. It also explains why runners feel like doing another marathon after they finish even though they experienced discomfort during the race.

I look forward to discovering other interesting running articles that will be helpful to my readers. I hope you enjoyed this list.