Knowledge Is Power: October 18th

Here are a few articles you can sneak in between meets and football this weekend:

Throwback Thursday: Matthew Elliott by Running Times- Why it matters: Elliott is such a great guy who had a very inspirational interview after his fourth place finish at the US champs this summer where he had to walk away after a happy, tearful breakdown.  He was only a 4:42 miler in high school. He should be the model for what the sport is really about.

Matt Elliott after a victory.

Mead High School 20 Years Ago by Dyestat- Why it matters:  I've always believed that we should know where the sport has come from in the past so we can see if we are improving or regressing, and we should also use others as a lesson.  Mead was one of the best teams in the 90s and Doug Binder explores them a bit here.

Can You Talk Yourself Out of Exhaustion? by RunnersWorld- Why it matters:  Finding an edge in performance is always important, and here is a chance to understand a way you can improve without even doing any more training!  Take a look.

Competitor Groups Decision by Flotrack- Why it matters:  This is another post about the situation with Competitor group not supporting elite athletes anymore.  I don't usually agree with Flotrack, but this is worth considering.

Nutrition by Athletics Weekly- Why it matters: People are always asking me about nutritional advice and I usually yield to better sources of information since I'm a coach, not a nutritionist.  AW gives you some food for thought here on protein.

Knowledge Is Power: October 4th

This week has some exceptionally good reads.  Enjoy!

How To Organize Your Own Track Meet by SpikesMag- Why it matters: While the sport has some of the highest participation rates in the country, there is still a big void with the fanbases.  See what Nick Willis did to get people out to his sub-4 mile.

How To Perform When It Counts by SpikesMag- Why it matters: Who doesn't want to peak at the right time?  SpikesMag interviews Jenny Simpson to see what she has to say about the matter.  By the way, where did this website come from?  They have great stuff!

Jenny Barringer-Simpson on the way to the medal stand.

Safe To Eat Soy? by NY Times- Why it matters: I remain skeptical about the health benefits of soy, and no one is going to tell me any form of processed soy is good, because processed food has reduced amount of nutrients.  This article shows that soy may not be harmful, but I implore readers to stay educated on the topic.

Unionville Blog #2 by Milesplit PA- Why it matters:  Unionville beat the multiple time defending national champions Fayetteville Manlius by a good margin.  FM usually saves its best races for the end of the year, but was this large margin of victory a taste of things to come?  Can FM be dethroned?

Full Speed Ahead For Haney by Dyestat- Why it matters: Blake looks like he is the top runner in the country so far this year, although there is still plenty of running left to do.  See how he persevered through injury to come back and be a force this year.

Competition Day Routine

I have been asked to give a little overview of what I think is the best considerations for what to do/eat/drink on the day of a meet, game, etc.  This is vital to performance maximization, so I am going to give you a short list of you what you need to do think about and do so you can be your best.

1) Set out all your items such as uniforms, shoes, warm-ups, etc., the night before and place them in a bag, except the items you will wear when you leave your house.  Setting your clothes out the night before allows you to prep when you are aware of items you will need rather than shuffling around in the morning, half-asleep.

2) Don't eat a huge meal the night before a morning race or a morning game because you may not have enough time to flush everything out of your system.  Eat a normal, healthy meal and get plenty of fluids (because we lose fluid during our sleep).  Make sure you wake up with enough time to do your normal morning routine (i.e. don't wake up late and rush to get to the meet).

3) Count back 8 hours from when you plan on waking up and go to bed at that time.  Unless you plan on waking up at some ridiculous hour like 3 A.M., this shouldn't be too much of an issue.  It is well known that teens need a lot of sleep, yet don't get enough.  Don't cost yourself a victory because you were too stubborn to go to bed at a reasonable time.

4) Start taking in fluids as soon as you wake up to replenish what you lost, but the closer you get to the race, slow it down to a sip here and there to avoid cramps or the need for last minute bathroom breaks.  As far as eating, don't eat a bunch, and know your stomach!  If you can't handle a whole sandwich in the morning, eat half of one, but never attempt to race off of eating nothing.  You spent a lot of calories at night, and you don't even realize it.

5) Don't eat heavy items.  Stick to foods that will either digest while not upsetting your stomach, or foods that you know won't bounce around when running.  Items such as peanut butter on a whole wheat bagel, thicker racing gels, or some non-sugary cereals can be good.  Try to avoid lactose (milk), fatty foods (fast food), or large amounts of food.  Also, never try to eat something new on race day that you haven't tried before such as drinking coffee if you aren't a regular coffee drinker, or trying any type of food with ingredients you normally don't eat.

Follow these rules and you will be set on race day.  But always, know your body and make adjustments when necessary.

Knowledge Is Power: September 28th

Sorry I'm a day behind, I know you've eagerly been waiting for it, now you have it!  The weekend reads:

Losing Is Good For You by the NY Times- Why it matters:  This is so important.  Parents and coaches are trying to shelter their kids from competition but yet in the real world competition for jobs and other important life factors are a part of daily life.  All the "give everyone a trophy" mentality does is let kids know underachieving still gets them praise.  If you don't read another article, read this one!

Article on Anita Hinriksdotter by European Athletics- Why it matters: This is a follow up to an article posted a few weeks back about her training.  Once again, studying the best in the sport is how you can help achieve a higher level for yourself.

Runner of the Week by Flotrack- Why it matters:  This runner ran just a few seconds off of Adam Gouchers all time high school mark in Colorado.  Could Gebrekidane be the next great runner from the US?  Only time will tell.

To Sleep Or Not To Sleep by Milesplit- Why it matters: I've said it before, sleep is a crucial element of training.  Milesplit breaks it down for you here.  Read this carefully, it will really help out!

Girls Toughness Wins The Race by Marc Bloom- Why it matters: The name of this article series is "Knowledge Is Power."  This is some very good knowledge for girls (and boys) to have to succeed at cross country/track.